Fan in the Fridge

[rubberduck]

Hello!

I'm considering putting a computer fan in the fridge and in the freezer to help move the air and hopefully provide for more consistency in temperature throughout both devices.

Has anyone else done this? I know of a few people and it also seems to be common throughout the RV world. If you have done this do you leave the fan running all the time?

How did you mount it? High or low? did you push the fan away from the wall a little? Any photos would be really helpful... of course when i'm done ill post some photos as well.

Thanks

[chris mac]

Last fall I added a computer fan to our spillover fridge/freezer. the freezer section was fine, but the fridge was too warm and had a lot of condensation.
The fan definitely helped. The temp was more consistent, humidity lower, and compressor ran less thru the day
I placed it at mid level in the fridge, at the back, facing forward.
All that said, it didn't help enough(too many leaks in the fridge) so this year I replaced the whole unit. But it was a cheap easy fix that worked and allowed time to save up for the replacement.
Good luck, hopefully it works well for you

[rubberduck]

Originally Posted by chris mac

Last fall I added a computer fan to our spillover fridge/freezer. the freezer section was fine, but the fridge was too warm and had a lot of condensation.
The fan definitely helped. The temp was more consistent, humidity lower, and compressor ran less thru the day
I placed it at mid level in the fridge, at the back, facing forward.
All that said, it didn't help enough(too many leaks in the fridge) so this year I replaced the whole unit. But it was a cheap easy fix that worked and allowed time to save up for the replacement.
Good luck, hopefully it works well for you

Thanks Chris. did you just screw it to the back of the wall or did you put some spacebetween the back of the wall of the fridge to get some additional airflow? Was it running all the time?

[skipmac]

I have two fans in mine. The original that blows freezer air from the spillover to keep the fridge cold. But I found that when I filled the fridge with food when stocking up for a trip the food blocked circulation and the stuff in the bottom froze.

Got a very small computer fan, about 2" as I recall and an 18" piece of PVC pipe with ID that matched the fan blade diameter. Cut a large notch in one end of the PVC to allow good air in and mounted the pipe vertically along one side of the fridge with the notch down and the fan sitting on top sucking air. Works GREAT. Even temps and no more frozen lettuce.

[chris mac]

Originally Posted by rubberduck

Thanks Chris. did you just screw it to the back of the wall or did you put some spacebetween the back of the wall of the fridge to get some additional airflow? Was it running all the time?

I was able to place it on a shelf, about 1" from the back wall, so no screws just free standing. It was on 27/7. They take minimal power and more than offset the saved power of reduced compressor run time

[GILow]

There are plenty of good articles online about using fans in this way. Many arguments for and against different locations and heights and fan directions.

After a lot of reading I went with a fan on the fridge side of the separator panel about half way down and second hole near the top, fan blowing from the freezer to the fridge side. I can’t remember the rationale for that setup but it works well.

I control mine with a little picaxe controller and a digital sensor probe. Keeps the temperature extremely stable and now things like milk seem to last well past their best before date.

I am looking forward to trying the suggestion of adding an aluminium duct on the freezer side to reduce frost buildup on the freezer side.

[GILow]

Edit: Here is something I posted on the topic recently, some good suggestions fromCF members in here.

Surprising results with a spill-over fridge.
https://www.cruisersforum.com/forums...d.php?t=252315

[LeeV]

I installed a new Isotherm fridge and put in 2 fans, each with a vent on the outside as they’re in a hallway. The lower one sucks in cooler air, the upper blows hot out. Just did the same with the new freezer last weekend. The fans come on with the compressor. Works well.

[rms95835]

I’ve used an earlier model of this fan in my fridge for 4 years. Does a good job of evening out the temp.
Camco 44124 Fridge Airator with On/Off Switch https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B01E5SNB5I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_WWDBB6VH0P8BBBAFTH09?p sc=1

[Deep Blue Water]

My priceless $.02 advice is to make sure you acquire a quality name brand fan, not the inexpensive ones so typically found in desktops or towers.


Here's an example of a gold certified one on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/CORSAIR-RM100...3&sr=8-10&th=1


I'm not suggesting you purchase this exact one, it's only to give you an idea of what's out there.

[Chawes]

Here is your solution . It works perfectly. When the fridge needs to be cooled it lowers the fan. This increases temp in freezer and then the compressor comes on cools freezer and fan turns off when fridge is satisfied.

You can adjust fridge temp to perfection. https://coastalclimatecontrol.com/in...tal/p/95699152

Cold beer coming your way!

[CarinaPDX]

There are a lot of junk fans out there but I suspect most of us wouldn't recognize the better brands. What you want to look for first is the MTBF hours - quality fans with bearings (not bushings) will go 30k-50k hours, cheap ones a few thousand. The type of bearing/bushing is critical but there are so many variations these days that it takes an expert to sort them out, and the lubricant is also a consideration. Do check for the operating temperature range as well - some aren't going to like cold temperatures. If the vendor doesn't post MTBF and operating temperature range then move on to the next. Personally I am working on installing a small fan as I think that will provide better temperature stability than a larger one.

Greg

[CarinaPDX]

Originally Posted by Chawes

Here is your solution . It works perfectly. When the fridge needs to be cooled it lowers the fan. This increases temp in freezer and then the compressor comes on cools freezer and fan turns off when fridge is satisfied.

You can adjust fridge temp to perfection. https://coastalclimatecontrol.com/in...tal/p/95699152

Cold beer coming your way!

$166. Ouch. Quality 2 inch (50mm) fans can be had for less than $15, and programmable temperature controllers are also available for $15, so retail $30 will solve the problem. That is quite a markup, although admittedly for a complete solution with customer service.

Looking at the specs of fans just now I see that the low end of the operating range is -10°C (14°F) for all that I checked. They may or may not like operating with the lower air temperatures from the freezer; to be safe I am considering using the fan to blow refrigerated air into the freezer, with the frozen air being pushed out and into the refrigerator. As I mentioned earlier I think it better to have a lower capacity fan running longer for more stable temperatures. I think 30mm-40mm would be more appropriate for smaller boxes.

Also, most 12V nominal fans have a max voltage rating of 13.8V, which may be an issue with some high performance charging systems that push above 14V. At least avoid the 13.2V rated ones...

Greg

[wsmurdoch]

I have a spillover freezer/cooler with the single holding plate in the freezer side.

My wife complained that the cooler side was much warmer at its top than at its bottom. I added a small 12V fan at the top of the cooler side that runs all the time. It blows down through a gap in the food that runs from the top to the bottom of the cooler side. It fixed the distribution problem.

We use the boat in outside temperatures from freezing to 90+°F. The fixed spillover holes in the divider could not handle the change. I added two of the fans mounted in the one of the two holes along with a temperature switch to turn them on when the cooler side hit 42°F and off at 35°F. The beer now stays cold and the lettuce does not freeze.

The fans I have used are 50 mm dia. The only failures I have had in years have been broken blades when something got into the fan in spite of the metal guards that should protect them. https://www.mouser.com/ProductDetail/664-AD0512HB-G70LF

Our little sailboat has an ice box. It has a D battery operated fan which circulates the air in the box over the blocks of ice. It too works like a charm. https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[rondelais]

One thing to consider is that you really don’t need to move the amount of air a typical computer fan will push. These fans can be run on lower voltage, and will be quieter and will last forever if you turn down the voltage. I run a 12 volt one on about 6 volts, (just a small resistor in series) and it still moves plenty of air. You can’t hear it at all, and I am sure it will outlast me. If I had it to do over, I’d get a 24 volt fan and run it on 12 volts. I suspect that if you run them this way, you can buy a real cheap one (< $10) and it will last.