Fridge Ventilation

[GarthB]

My wife and I just ordered an Iceco VL45 refrigerator as an upgrade to our galley and I am curious if anyone with one of these types of refrigerators has found it necessary to vent the galley in order to prevent heat from building up when the hatch is closed. There will be several inches of clearance on each side of the unit when it is installed since it is narrower than our previous cooler was.

If venting is necessary, I'm planning to place two vents in the bulkhead to allow air to circulate between the cabin and the galley. One would be in the lower portion of the bulkhead to draw cold air and one would be in the upper portion, to allow for the rising warm air to circulate out. If vents are necessary, I'm also curious whether or not a small 12V computer fan should be installed in the upper vent, to increase circulation. See the photo below for reference.

Thanks everyone for the 2 cents!

[John61CT]

Personally I prefer just one active ventilation fan, reversible.

Put a passive sealable opening near the specific things needing venting, especially battery, propane locker of course at the bottom.

Even in arctic conditions with active heating, some ventilation is always required, but this way will work even when not occupied.

[GarthB]

Thanks for the feedback John. My reasoning for thinking two vent holes may be good is because the upper would allow warm air out and the lower would allow cooler air in, promoting better circulation through the galley.

Only the upper vent would have a fan, however, I’d like to avoid a fan if possible. I guess I’ll just try it without and add it later if need be, making sure that the upper vent hole is cut to a size that would fit a fan later down the road.

[cjlangellier]

Hey Garth, I was worried about this issue too. In my initial plans, I was going to vent in the same lower location to help dissipate heat but I never got around to installing the vent. We have a Set Power portable fridge and we haven't had any issues yet. I was most concerned about it during the summer months when we are out hiking and the hatch is closed up during the day, but so far it hasn't been an issue. I would maybe try it out and just keep a close eye on the temps in that compartment when you first open the hatch after the fridge has been running.

[GarthB]

Cody, thanks for the feedback! Glad to hear you haven’t experienced any issues with your setup. I like the idea of testing it out before committing to additional holes in the camper.

Maybe I’ll stick my BBQ probe thermometer in the closed galley with and without the fridge on two similar afternoons and compare the temps.