23D refrigerator baffle and fan upgrade
Tags 23d, refrigerator fan, refrigerator vent
After reading in different forums and watching a few YouTube videos about how our refrigerators are supposed to be vented, I decided to tackle this project. With some leftover aluminum sheets, I made the upper and lower refrigerator baffles 25 ¼” wide and 7 ¼” deep. The back baffle is 20” x 20”. This puts the baffle box within ½” of the rear of the refrigerator. All three pieces fit separately through the louvered vents so that I didn’t have to pull the fridge out to do the work. With the baffle sections in place and all screwed together, the cooling air has to chimney up along the fridge coils. See the Dometic diagram for details. I also added an electrical outlet so that I didn’t have to remove the baffle if I ever wanted to unplug the refrigerator.
The second part of my refrigerator cooling project was to replace the fan. I used two Nochua fans and made a wooden mount to put them higher and closer to the condenser. I also angled them so that they would pull air from the top of the compartment and the air flow would be lined up better with the louvers in the vent to help prevent deadheading.
I have since blocked and insulated the 2" air space above the refrigerator that was allowing hot air to accumulate. I'll update this post in a few weeks when I have more time. The mods are working, the fridge is at 37 degrees and -5 in the freezer now and the trailer is in full sun and 96 degree heat.
The second part of my refrigerator cooling project was to replace the fan. I used two Nochua fans and made a wooden mount to put them higher and closer to the condenser. I also angled them so that they would pull air from the top of the compartment and the air flow would be lined up better with the louvers in the vent to help prevent deadheading.
I have since blocked and insulated the 2" air space above the refrigerator that was allowing hot air to accumulate. I'll update this post in a few weeks when I have more time. The mods are working, the fridge is at 37 degrees and -5 in the freezer now and the trailer is in full sun and 96 degree heat.
