Venting refrigerator in space between outer and inner skin

[Jeremy9107]

Have a question about venting the fridge. Can we back the fridge up to where it is almost resting against the outer skin so the back of the fridge will be recessed in the wall within the inner skin? There would be a vent at the level of the floor through the outer skin and the upper vent would be in the roof. The air would essentially be baffled by the ribs on the sides and the collar of the roof vent from above? Inner skin would remain in tact with the exception of where the back of the fridge occupies.

[woodfox45]

Originally Posted by Jeremy9107

Have a question about venting the fridge. Can we back the fridge up to where it is almost resting against the outer skin so the back of the fridge will be recessed in the wall within the inner skin? There would be a vent at the level of the floor through the outer skin and the upper vent would be in the roof. The air would essentially be baffled by the ribs on the sides and the collar of the roof vent from above? Inner skin would remain in tact with the exception of where the back of the fridge occupies.

There is insulation between the inner and outer skin I don't know why you would want to loose the insulation , You can build a bulkhead so that the is less airspace between the back of the fridge and the inside wall .

[Belegedhel]

An additional drawback is that now your refrigerator will sit 1.5" deeper in its mounting space. Unless you intend to cut your counter tops and cabinetry back by 1.5", it is going to look odd, and the refrigerator door will only open to 90 degrees, which will be awkward (in fact, it may not be able to open at all, because of the way it is hinged). Also, the electrical outlet that the fridge plugs into is probably directly behind it, so you will have to relocate that outlet.

There may also be horizontal pieces of aluminum between your ribs that would have to be removed in addition to removing all the insulation from the floor to the upper vent. Unless you intend to gut your trailer completely, this is going to amount to a lot of extra work. Hard to see the benefit.

good luck!

[Jeremy9107]

Thanks for the replies. Should have been more clear. I am working from a blank slate. Have done shell off renovation and at the moment have shell back on, placing new insulation and inner skins are off.

Woodfox45, thanks, and to your point, I had also thought about that. However, the insulation loss will only be what would have been directly behind the fridge. And there has to be a rather large vent back there anyway so was thinking maybe the additional insulation loss is not that big of a deal. Would think the fridge itself would insulate to some extent as it will be completely sealed with baffles on all sides.

Belegedhel. As above, have this wonderful blank slate so anything is possible. Do have a few pieces of the horizontal aluminum spacers but could easily remove or just keep as they are perforated with holes for wiring. Would be easy to wire outlet there.

Was hoping someone has done this before and curious as to fridge performance.

[woodfox45]

Originally Posted by Jeremy9107

Thanks for the replies. Should have been more clear. I am working from a blank slate. Have done shell off renovation and at the moment have shell back on, placing new insulation and inner skins are off.

Woodfox45, thanks, and to your point, I had also thought about that. However, the insulation loss will only be what would have been directly behind the fridge. And there has to be a rather large vent back there anyway so was thinking maybe the additional insulation loss is not that big of a deal. Would think the fridge itself would insulate to some extent as it will be completely sealed with baffles on all sides.

Belegedhel. As above, have this wonderful blank slate so anything is possible. Do have a few pieces of the horizontal aluminum spacers but could easily remove or just keep as they are perforated with holes for wiring. Would be easy to wire outlet there.

Was hoping someone has done this before and curious as to fridge performance.

That insulation will help the fridge also . If the sun is on that side of the trailer it will be less efficient.

[markdoane]

I've done what you are proposing and it worked perfectly.

To baffle the space behind the refrigerator I built a large but shallow storage compartment for hoses and cables with an access door from the outside. The condenser coil at the top back of the refrigerator sits close to the outside skin. I built an aluminum vent from the top of the refrigerator to the roof vent.

The upper vent is about 3 1/2 inches deep from the outside skin. I get excellent cooling without a helper fan, but I haven't been to Texas in the summer so I don't know how well it would work in the south.

Here's a couple of pictures.

[Jeremy9107]

valid point woodfox45.

markdoane. yes, that is what I was thinking. although, was thinking of venting entirely within the skins and due to previous comments would completely seal that space to avoid combustion gas from getting into trailer. curious, why did you choose to extend the upper part of that vent chamber to a depth of 3.5 inches? Do you think the standard depth between skins would suffice?