Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2007 10:55:33 -0500
Reply-To: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Subject: Re: Refrigerator help-yes, I've already searched the achieves
In-Reply-To: <4689D1C3.80801@colorado.edu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; delsp=yes; format=flowed
Has anyone considered adding an extra hole for such a vent?
When I got my westy, the entire side panel over the sink, fridge and
rear cabinet had been replaced. The body clip came from a non-westy,
so I had to locate, cut, and reinforce the holes for all three of the
utility connections. The whole thing took an hour or two, and you
certainly couldn't tell by looking that it didn't come from the
factory as it is now.
So, rather than replacing the innards of one of those connections,
why not simply install a new one with a computer fan it it, if it
helps the fridge operation so much? It could be done by modifying an
existing connection as others have done, or surely some listmember
knows of an appropriately-styled vent head that would accept a four-
inch computer fan?
Jim
On Jul 2, 2007, at 11:34 PM, Richard A Jones wrote:
>> If the condensor however is so hot that the water vapor continues
>> over to the evaporator side, the cycle is disrupted and your fridge
>> will not be efficient.
>
> Kim:
>
> Thanks for the excellent post on the operation of the fridge!
>
> I can attest with experimental data. I posted 6/30 about testing
> my fridge on 115V AC:
> http://gerry.vanagon.com/cgi-bin/wa.exe?
> A2=ind0706e&L=vanagon&F=&S=&P=12202
> So yesterday morning, I switched to propane. Another 95 degree day.
> When the van interior temp reached 115+ or so, the fridge reached its
> limit--the ice on the cooling fins melted, the interior fridge temps
> started climbing. At 5 pm, I switched back to 115V. Shut the
> propane off. It took *3 hours* before the blue LED light went off.
> That shows how hot it was behind the fridge--with my Fridgemate fan
> running all the time. Maybe the extra fan ventilation out the
> water hookup door would make a difference.
>
> Propane and 115V should be equivalent, but, in fact, are not. When
> you have a hot Colorado sun baking the driver side, 13% humidity
> (which means lower thermal conductivity), and high temps, then
> the fridge hits the wall. 115V operation heats the tube; propane
> heats the burner box and the tube, so makes more heat in back.
>
> The Norcold DC0040 folks can be smug. The Dometic folks need to
> park so the afternoon sun bakes another part of the Westy!
>
> Richard
> Boulder
>
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