Compressor fridge vents

[exwindsurfer]

I fitted a weaco 110ltr fridge freezer over 13 years ago with no outside vent as it was a pvc conversion but I do have a vent inside above the fridge in the splash back + it has about 2in clearance all round it .

 

[colinm]

Not sure but many on line looking the same are open back and require vented, i did fit vents above for to keep the wood unit its in free from rot.
I see large fridges for sale now full closed and tripple a rated.View attachment 151826View attachment 151828View attachment 151831

Now if you had told me you had a Skoda Fridge running on Linux I might have believed it needs no ventilation but as it is you have a thermoelectric fridge which has specific ventilation requirements, #8 of the installation warnings states "Keep ventilation areas open and clear, if the appliance is in an enclosure or in a built-in structure, ensure it is clear of obstruction and has adequate ventilation."

 

[wildebus]

When things run, they get hot. If there is no place for the heat to escape, then things just get hotter and hotter. Simple fact really, so if there is no space for airflow you end up with a fridge likely running harder than it needs to and maybe failing prematurely?
Doesn't need external ventilation as no combustion gasses to remove or burner to feed oxygen to

 

[bartman]

Just as a PS to this thread, having read all the contributions I decided to remove the winter covers. So we've been travelling like that for the last couple of weeks. I thought I might put them on if we got any heavy rwin, which hasn't happened.
What has happened today is that we've arrived in Brittany having travelled 200km north from our last stopover, to find that the top vent has flown away. So the discussion is settled, I now have nothing to attach the winter cover to if I wanted to!
I can't see the point in buying a replacement that I don't need, it'll have to wait till we get home in a couple of weeks. In the meantime there's a gaping hole in the side of the van

 

[bartman]

I knew that white tape from Lidl would come in handy one day.
At least, until we get home.
Now, how much could I sell a set of winter covers for???

 

[Nabsim]

As has been said, you don't need ventilation to outside with a compressor fridge, just let it vent inside the van. I keep meaning to permanently block the original top and bottom vents on my van but never get round to it. The fridge itself isn't room sealed around the sides although not much gap but at the back the two cupboards above it have shelves that stop a couple of inches short of the wall so a nice big way through for warm air, then tambour doors on the front.

Manufacturers instructions though in care someone has something that is different.

 

[bartman]

As has been said, you don't need ventilation to outside with a compressor fridge, just let it vent inside the van. I keep meaning to permanently block the original top and bottom vents on my van but never get round to it. The fridge itself isn't room sealed around the sides although not much gap but at the back the two cupboards above it have shelves that stop a couple of inches short of the wall so a nice big way through for warm air, then tambour doors on the front.

Manufacturers instructions though in care someone has something that is different.

Yes, I wasn't going to do it, but now I'm left with a gap to fill I'll make something to seal it off. Not sure what to use yet, I'll give it some thought. The old van's not exactly a pretty picture, but I don't want to leave it looking too fugly!

 

[wildebus]

Yes, I wasn't going to do it, but now I'm left with a gap to fill I'll make something to seal it off. Not sure what to use yet, I'll give it some thought. The old van's not exactly a pretty picture, but I don't want to leave it looking too fugly!

As you never need access behind there again, I would seal it off internally with something that will not suffer if it gets wet/damp (so maybe perspex and not plywood, say?) and then get another 'proper' vent like the original, but this time apply some sealant such as sikaflex all the way around rather than relying on the securing clips.
Yes, there is a price to pay for a vent but compared to the hassle of making something to fit the gap and look decent, if I was in your situation, I would bite the bullet and just get another vent.

 

[bartman]

As you never need access behind there again, I would seal it off internally with something that will not suffer if it gets wet/damp (so maybe perspex and not plywood, say?) and then get another 'proper' vent like the original, but this time apply some sealant such as sikaflex all the way around rather than relying on the securing clips.
Yes, there is a price to pay for a vent but compared to the hassle of making something to fit the gap and look decent, if I was in your situation, I would bite the bullet and just get another vent.

I can see the sense in that, I'll look around.
When you say internally, if you mean having to haul the fridge out and reinstall it, that won't be happening! I would sooner eat pizza with pineapple on it than go through that again. For one thing the clearance between the sink drain and the top of the fridge was the thickness of a fag paper. I used language I didn't know I had getting the thing in there

 

[wildebus]

I can see the sense in that, I'll look around.
When you say internally, if you mean having to haul the fridge out and reinstall it, that won't be happening! I would sooner eat pizza with pineapple on it than go through that again.

Nope, Internally in my message meant sticking in something from the outside to block off any air from coming inside. Looking at the photo, you could get something slightly oversized, manouever it inside the vent hole and then use the exising screwholes to run in screws to pull it tight against the inner wall. Or if there were no holes available to secure, same idea but run a large bead of sikaflex on the perimeter of the blanking panel and pull the panel hard against the inner wall.
(if wondering how to pull a panel from the 'wrong' side, couple of screws around the middle area and use them as handles, then once adhesive set, remove screws and dab some sealant in the screwholes left)

For one thing the clearance between the sink drain and the top of the fridge was the thickness of a fag paper. I used language I didn't know I had getting the thing in there

I know what you mean about clearance and fridges.... When I was removing my original 3-way fridge, the clearance through the habitation door to take the fridge out was so tight even after removing the door seal, as the fridge was coming out the door, the sticky product label on the side of the fridge peeled away as it slid against the side of the hab door frame

 

[wildebus]

As an aside, as I don't really need my top or bottom fridge vents, I had considered getting a drop-down flap table like in the picture below.
Idea was to remove the lower fridge vent and fit the table over that hole, then you could use any internal space behind the vent as a little storage area for food condiments or whatever to use when dining or cooking al fresco.

(The photo was taken from a listing by this amazon seller if anyone likes the idea ).

 

[bartman]

Nope, Internally in my message meant sticking in something from the outside to block off any air from coming inside. Looking at the photo, you could get something slightly oversized, manouever it inside the vent hole and then use the exising screwholes to run in screws to pull it tight against the inner wall. Or if there were no holes available to secure, same idea but run a large bead of sikaflex on the perimeter of the blanking panel and pull the panel hard against the inner wall.
(if wondering how to pull a panel from the 'wrong' side, couple of screws around the middle area and use them as handles, then once adhesive set, remove screws and dab some sealant in the screwholes left)


I know what you mean about clearance and fridges.... When I was removing my original 3-way fridge, the clearance through the habitation door to take the fridge out was so tight even after removing the door seal, as the fridge was coming out the door, the sticky product label on the side of the fridge peeled away as it slid against the side of the hab door frame

Yep, thanks for those ideas, I'll see what materials I can get.
As you say, it's a tight fit through the hab door, I was glad my son was on hand to assist.