We have a new motorhome. (It's our 4th motorhome). We are currently camped in high winds. The wind is coming in around the fridge. I understand the need for the correct ventilation but does it need to be ventilated to the inside as well? (It's a 136ci 12/240v unit).
We can imagine dust n all coming in. Let alone trying to keep warm while traveling during the winter months.
Bicyclecamper said
09:16 PM Dec 18, 2019
Is the motor home brand new, I would take it back to company you bought it from, either way, that is not normal.
Aus-Kiwi said
09:19 PM Dec 18, 2019
Vented through lower to roof . Not inside . Should be sealed .
iana said
07:16 AM Dec 19, 2019
Ours (12v compressor) is vented at the top of the fridge, to inside and to the roof. The installation instructions fail to explain why exactly. It is more important that the air is vented though the condenser and fan. I suspect the installation is a generic set up for both 3 way and condenser types.
Whenarewethere said
07:55 AM Dec 19, 2019
Any fridge needs ventilation so the condenser has the heat removed. So it has to get replacement air from somewhere.
If it is getting the replacement air from inside then the inside will be replaced by air from outside from all the cracks & gaps.
Not good enough. A total design fail.
The condenser must be designed to get new air from outside low down & exhaust the used air higher up. Very simple.
The path of ventilation needs to be completely isolated from the inside. No gaps or cracks.
If a manufacturer cannot design this they should be hung, drawn & quartered.
Ask them to show you in their technical drawings when the ventilation is & the sealing around the fridge. If they don't have CAD drawings then they shouldn't be building.
I have used a portable Dimplex RC air conditioner at home & built it in as noted above (as a temporary solution) which has been working brilliantly for over a decade. The condenser is isolated from the inside, easy!
We have a new motorhome. (It's our 4th motorhome). We are currently camped in high winds. The wind is coming in around the fridge. I understand the need for the correct ventilation but does it need to be ventilated to the inside as well? (It's a 136ci 12/240v unit). We can imagine dust n all coming in. Let alone trying to keep warm while traveling during the winter months.
Hi bgt
My motorhome (second hand, had the same problem
Found a 40mm wide gap between fridge sides and woodwork, with a broken piece of 30mm wide insulation, thrown in that space
I could most definitely feel the breeze, in high winds
If it is under warranty, I would be taking it back
If it is not under warranty, or you get the run around, my solution was :-
I had to remove the fridge, to remove the solid piece of (too thin, and too small) insulation, and used sponge to fill the side gaps of the fridge
StewG said
02:39 PM Dec 27, 2019
My caravan, from new, had a compressor fridge fitted with outside ventilation grilles top and bottom. It also, like yours, had vents top and bottom on the inside. I assume that the fridges come fitted with the inside grilles top and bottom because they are intended to be able to operate without the outside grilles. Simple solution was to fill the inside grilles with foam plastic and gaffer tape to keep the dust out. The heat exchanger, fan and compressor are at the back of the fridge and are therefore cooled very adequately with airflow through the outside vents at the back of the fridge. To my way of thinking, the caravan manufacturer(s) are cost-cutting by not paying enough attention to some of the smaller details that affect the caravan/motorhome owners. I have plenty of examples in the design details of my caravan to back up my theory.
The only benefit that I can think of for having vents outside and inside is to improve (maybe) the fridge heat exchanger performance in very hot weather when the air-con is flat chat inside the van; a very poor reason IMHO. I'd be happy if someone can give a plausible scientific justification for outside and inside vents.
If you have the knowledge and skills, make your own modifications to improve the livability of your home-away-from-home.
bgt said
08:12 PM Dec 28, 2019
Thanks for all the feedback. FWIW. It's a reputable builder. I spoke to the salesman. Of coarse he said it's the way it's meant to be. I then talked to their service manager. "Yup we have owners who complain about the draft and dust". I have an appointment to bring it in to be fixed/modified.
If it all goes well I'll be a happy camper. If it goes bad I'll fix it myself and tell you who the manufacturer is!!!
To put it in perspective it's not a big deal. I could easily fix it myself. But I shouldn't have to. The cost to travel to them to fix will be far greater than the cost of me fixing it. But I tend to get my backup when told it's not a design flaw!!
Watch this space.
Any fridge needs ventilation so the condenser has the heat removed. So it has to get replacement air from somewhere.
If it is getting the replacement air from inside then the inside will be replaced by air from outside from all the cracks & gaps.
Not good enough. A total design fail.
The condenser must be designed to get new air from outside low down & exhaust the used air higher up. Very simple.
The path of ventilation needs to be completely isolated from the inside. No gaps or cracks.
If a manufacturer cannot design this they should be hung, drawn & quartered.
Ask them to show you in their technical drawings when the ventilation is & the sealing around the fridge. If they don't have CAD drawings then they shouldn't be building.
I have used a portable Dimplex RC air conditioner at home & built it in as noted above (as a temporary solution) which has been working brilliantly for over a decade. The condenser is isolated from the inside, easy!
Hi bgt
My motorhome (second hand, had the same problem
Found a 40mm wide gap between fridge sides and woodwork, with a broken piece of 30mm wide insulation, thrown in that space
I could most definitely feel the breeze, in high winds
If it is under warranty, I would be taking it back
If it is not under warranty, or you get the run around, my solution was :-
I had to remove the fridge, to remove the solid piece of (too thin, and too small) insulation, and used sponge to fill the side gaps of the fridge
The only benefit that I can think of for having vents outside and inside is to improve (maybe) the fridge heat exchanger performance in very hot weather when the air-con is flat chat inside the van; a very poor reason IMHO. I'd be happy if someone can give a plausible scientific justification for outside and inside vents.
If you have the knowledge and skills, make your own modifications to improve the livability of your home-away-from-home.