Date: Thu, 20 May 1999 17:11:21 -0700
Reply-To: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Mark Drillock <drillock@EARTHLINK.NET>
Subject: Re: Fridge fan and water behind the fridge
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The 3 inch muffin fan does not move enough air for this application. Also this
type of fan is not intended to run with this type of mounting. It is meant to cool
a tightly enclosed space and is not IMHO sufficiently directional. Also it would
be vulnerable to jamming if foreign objects fell on it or were sucked up into it.
The open bladed fan that came from Dometic is preferred for this reason as almost
anything that came near it would be pushed away, string and hair excepted. I have
had good results with replacements that are marketed as auxiliary refrigerator
fans at RV supply stores. I buy them at Camping World and they come with mounting
bracket for $25.
Mark
S Sittservl wrote:
> I've removed my not-terribly-cold fridge from the Westy, and
> (just like everybody else) my fan is broken. I figure I've got
> two choices: replace the motor (which is the broken part), or
> replace the whole fan.
>
> I checked with the local RV place on ordering a new fan motor
> from Dometic. It's $35 - pretty high for a part that's about $2.99
> in an electronics catalog. So, I won't be ordering from Dometic.
> I can get little 12V motors locally or mail order, but I'm not quite
> sure exactly what I need. In particular, does anyone know how
> many RPM's the motor ought to run at? Replacing just the motor
> has the advatage that I don't have to modify the mounting bracket,
> plus, I assume Dometic's original fan was at least adequate, so that
> gives me some assurance that my result would be at least adequate.
>
> The other option is to replace the whole fan. The current option
> is a little 3" muffin fan from Radio Shack, or something similar.
> It blows 27 cubic feet/minute. Does anyone know how that
> compares with the original fan? Also, I of course want the fan
> to be quiet. Does anyone have a sense for how the noise of these
> fans compare with the original Dometic fan, or how noisy
> the Dometic is? I know that's pretty subjective, but is the Dometic
> (when working) more like a whisper, or more like a box of bolts
> tumbling down the stairs?
>
> Second issue: also like everybody else, I found that the insulation
> behind the fridge was wet, and there was water and rust in the
> trough there between the wall and floor. My plan at this point is to
> have Ziebart remove the loose rust, magically turn the rest into metal
> (with rust convertor), and coat the trough with their waxy rust preventer.
> They'll do it for about $30. (I wouldn't generally treat a car with Ziebart -
> I hear it often does as much harm as good - but this limited application
> seemed to make sense.) My question is, does anyone have any
> suggestions for preventing water from collecting there or soaking the
> insulation in the first place? I suspect the water is a combination
> of condensation from the fridge, and water dripped down through
> the vent slots, but I don't know for sure.
>
> Thanks.
>
> -Steven Sittser
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