12v fan for a fridge

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After some advice please. In hot weather my 3way fridge on gas struggles to keep the temperature down I've heard that if you put a small 12v fan at the rear of fridge it helps. Does anyone know what size I need to get, there seems to be a couple 3" and 6". Also how much power they will draw. Thanks in advance
 
Sue I have 2 x 3" glued onto the back of the top vent blowing outward and they make a big difference , also use very little power
 
My last van had a set of three fitted behind the top of fridge they were three inch I believe they were from an old computer.My slightly more modern van has only one but is about four inches across where it comes from I have no idea having said that I only use it when it gets really hot as fridge seems pretty good without it.As above post states they use very little power.
 
Old computer power supply fans are usually 12 volt. I had a couple wired together & used them for demisting the windscreen of condensation. They are quiet & do the job well. Always intended to fit 3 on a board & mount it in the top fridge vent with a switch in the van. As it is we have changed the van & the new van has a Thetford 12 volt compressor fridge & doesn't have any external vents so have to see how it works out.
 
I fitted 2 onto the top grill to draw hot air away from the cooling fins at the back of the fridge. I also fitted 2 small fans on the internal cooling fins to circulate air better internally. In 38°c my freezer was -18.9 and fridge was 3.2.

I also renewed the heat transfer paste which made a massive difference to how cold my fridge got.

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Sue I have 2 x 3" glued onto the back of the top vent blowing outward and they make a big difference , also use very little power
Thanks Jeff, had heard they would you've just confirmed it. Will get a couple of 3" . Just out if interest how long do you normally run them for when the weather is warm. I was thinking keep them going during the day and switch off at night. UK normally cools down at night unlike in Europe ?
 
My last van had a set of three fitted behind the top of fridge they were three inch I believe they were from an old computer.My slightly more modern van has only one but is about four inches across where it comes from I have no idea having said that I only use it when it gets really hot as fridge seems pretty good without it.As above post states they use very little power.

Thanks for your reply Topmast, they sound well worth fitting .
 
I fitted 2 onto the top grill to draw hot air away from the cooling fins at the back of the fridge. I also fitted 2 small fans on the internal cooling fins to circulate air better internally. In 38°c my freezer was -18.9 and fridge was 3.2.

I also renewed the heat transfer paste which made a massive difference to how cold my fridge got.

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Can I just ask, what is heat transfer paste?
 
Old computer power supply fans are usually 12 volt. I had a couple wired together & used them for demisting the windscreen of condensation. They are quiet & do the job well. Always intended to fit 3 on a board & mount it in the top fridge vent with a switch in the van. As it is we have changed the van & the new van has a Thetford 12 volt compressor fridge & doesn't have any external vents so have to see how it works out.

Thanks Kontiki was thinking of fitting in that position. Oh my I was right for once ?
 
Thanks again everyone for your quick replies all very helpful. There will be a couple of things on order this afternoon. ??
 
Absorption fridges work by removing heat from the inside of the fridge thus transferring heat from the cooling fins inside the fridge to the pipework.

The heat transfer paste dries out over time and therefore becomes less effective in cooling down your fridge.
Please excuse my ignorance. So where does the heat transfer paste go and how do you replace it? It sounds like it might be a good idea for me to change mine.
 
It goes on the back of the fins inside your fridge. If you look at the pictures I’ve posted it should be fairly easy to follow. If not shout up and I’ll advise
 
Good shout wildebus, with my memory that will come in very handy ? one on order, Cheers
They work well - I have a bunch of these, both 12V and 240V AC for different purposes.

The only problem with them is the install instructions are not stellar, so if you need any help on working out the wiring, just shout (it gets easier after you have done a few of them!)
 
If anyone looking for a temp fix or if only doing the odd trip and not wanting the costs or effort of perm fix, I have just bought 2 little fans from Range at £2.99 each. If you take the outside grill off and hang 1 as an extractor fan they do a great job. They have a usb lead.
 

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