Date: Fri, 6 Jul 2007 10:55:12 -0700
Reply-To: "Mike \"Rocket J Squirrel\" Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: "Mike \"Rocket J Squirrel\" Elliott" <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: FYI - Venting for mobile refrigerators
In-Reply-To: <c4e7c5f90707061023n67985511jcb9672b11f119d45@mail.gmail.com>
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On 7/6/2007 10:23 AM neil wrote:
> On 7/6/07, Mike Rocket J Squirrel Elliott <camping.elliott@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>>
>>
>> On 7/6/2007 9:55 AM neil wrote:
>>
>> > That was me!
>>
>> So what's keeping you?
>>
>> >
>> > (and I still haven't had the balls to cut a hole in floor under fridge)
>>
>> Oh. Well, okay.
>>
>> > And further to that idea, I thought it would be good to use a manifold
>> > of some sort through which air would be drawn in "against" frame of
>> > van. The frame is metal is cool to the touch, so air being drawn
>> > against it should get cooled down.
>>
>> I dunno about that -- the frame has to be at the same temperature as the
>> air around it. Steel is not a great conductor of heat, but it does
>> transfer heat from your fingertips well enough to feel cool. But still,
>> it's at ambient temp.
>
> Yah I guess so.
>
> One other crasy thought I had was to make a venturi (of sorts) out of
> 2 plastic funnels and PVC tube. Not sure if a PC case fan would have
> enough "push" to make it worthwhile, but in theory, I THINK this would
> speed up air being blown across fins at back of fridge.
>
> Whaddaya think?
>
> Anyone?
>
There are probably a million variations, but I'd probably start with
that venting page that started this thread.
http://rvmobile.com/Tech/Trouble/vent.htm
The stock Westy venting looks to be a combination of what they call
"Almost Good" venting, and what they call "Bad Venting 2".
They recommend that air be sucked out the top rather than blown in at
the bottom. They recommend that there be no dead space above the reefer
for warm air to pool. They want only about an inch behind the cooling
stuff, with baffles close to the cooling bits to force the upward-moving
air through them and to restrict random circulation. In other words,
they want a sheet of air to flow up behind the reefer, hugging its
cooling bits. Unlike a sucker fan, the stock pusher fan causes a lot of
air recirculation.
I haven't heard of anyone trying their suggested arrangement. Something
like "Good Venting 3." As for sucking out the warm air, a simple
experiment could be to seal off most of the vents behind the stove with
masking tape except for some gerry-rigged sucker fan. The fan wants to
be above the reefer.
--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR
