Date: Sun, 28 Jun 2015 08:36:59 -0700
Reply-To: Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Alistair Bell <albell@SHAW.CA>
Subject: Re: Propane and refrigerator success
In-Reply-To: <55901006.8090509@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
It's all down to horses for courses.
I have no problem using the dometic where I camp, but I can understand how it wouldn't work for hot climates.
The warmest spot I have ever camped in was dinosaur provincial park in Alberta in summer. I think it was around 41 C and spotty shade at the camp spot. I didn't record fridge temps then but I recall that it wasn't up to the task.
Now that I have a big aux battery I could install an electric fridge. But I don't have the pressing need right now.
The previous mentioned ( R Jones) surface are to volume ratio handicap on the dometic is the big issue. If the fridge had super efficient insulation ( aerogel anyone?) it probably would help.
Alistair
> On Jun 28, 2015, at 8:17 AM, Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> 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
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