Date:         Sun, 28 Jun 2015 08:17:26 -0700
Reply-To:     Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Re: Propane and refrigerator success
Comments: To: Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
In-Reply-To:  <2DAC2D45-3FF4-4D89-BCF6-B41DE505625F@shaw.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=windows-1252; format=flowed

I did all the tricks I could to help the refrigerator when I was camping
in the Southwest because I like to tinker.

Parked the van so the driver's side was the shady side, slung a mylar
blanket over that side when I couldn't park ideally, put on the bigger
heatsink fan, installed an exhaust fan in the city water port, drew
cooler air up from beneath the van, added additional insulation between
the outer wall of the van and the backside of the refrigerator, and
additional insulation around the flue.

None of these made a noticeable difference. When you're parked in 100F
ambient temp and the ammonia cycle can only pull a 40F delta, the inside
of the refrigerator will eventually get to 60F. It might have been be a
bit later in the day when it reached that point, but it got there
anyway. Heat never sleeps.

But have at it -- maybe someone will tumble to some new trick that will
make a significant difference.

--
Jack "Rocket j Squirrel" Elliott
1984 Westfalia, auto trans,
Bend, Ore.

On 06/28/2015 07:56 AM, Alistair Bell wrote:
> Yes but it's a quiet person jammed in behind the fridge.
>
> It gets stoinking hot back there, flue is hot, fins are hot...
>
> Maybe insulating the flue, didn't Neil do that?
>
> Alistair
>
>
>
>
>
>> On Jun 28, 2015, at 7:54 AM, David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET> wrote:
>>
>> At 10:13 AM 6/28/2015, Jim Felder wrote:
>>> Right, I never think about it unless I'm camping and can't do anything
>>> about it, but if that little flame was to be outside the living space like
>>> it is on RV, by means of a louvered panel or something like what you have
>>> done, it would have to be somewhat cooler inside.
>>
>> The 85 watt heater is about 300 BTU/hr, or about half a quiet
>> person.  The flame was quoted to me on the phone by a Dometic tech
>> years ago as 650 BTU/hr, or a whole person -- but the great bulk of
>> that extra goes out the flue.
>>
>> Yrs,
>> d