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Old 03-07-2018, 07:43 AM   #1
Dave W
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Fridge cooling and extended life ARP gadget

Our 5er is parked much of the summer in a CG with the driver's side and Norcold 1210 fridge facing South. This means on a hot day it struggles to maintain a low temperature setting.

I've purchased a pair of 120mm Arctic case fans* to help the existing two noisy and puny fans with air circulation. I'll be using a thermo switch to turn them on and off plus wiring it to a dedicated 12VDC power source since the ARP control will be piggy backed off the fridge 12VDC control.

OK, with that said, and since I know others have done something similar, any preference as to whether these fans are bottom vent as blowers or top vent mounted as 'suckers'. I'm a little hesitant to use the top vent as there is a baffle covering about half of the opening.

* https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:49 AM   #2
Eagleback
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dave W View Post
Our 5er is parked much of the summer in a CG with the driver's side and Norcold 1210 fridge facing South. This means on a hot day it struggles to maintain a low temperature setting.

I've purchased a pair of 120mm Arctic case fans* to help the existing two noisy and puny fans with air circulation. I'll be using a thermo switch to turn them on and off plus wiring it to a dedicated 12VDC power source since the ARP control will be piggy backed off the fridge 12VDC control.

OK, with that said, and since I know others have done something similar, any preference as to whether these fans are bottom vent as blowers or top vent mounted as 'suckers'. I'm a little hesitant to use the top vent as there is a baffle covering about half of the opening.

* https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The face of the fan is always the intake. You can mount the fans in a exhaust or intake configuration.
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Old 03-07-2018, 11:40 AM   #3
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It's easy enough to remove a hand full of screws around the face of your fridge and just pull it out of the enclosure say 6 - 8". That way you can either replace the existing noisy wienie fans or just add your new ones to the same bracket by just reaching down from the top grill hole. Mounting them in the middle like OEM allows them to both suck and blow about 50/50.
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Old 03-07-2018, 12:41 PM   #4
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The face of the fan is always the intake. You can mount the fans in a exhaust or intake configuration.
The Arctic fans actually have rotation and flow arrows so that is no problem

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It's easy enough to remove a hand full of screws around the face of your fridge and just pull it out of the enclosure say 6 - 8". That way you can either replace the existing noisy wienie fans or just add your new ones to the same bracket by just reaching down from the top grill hole. Mounting them in the middle like OEM allows them to both suck and blow about 50/50.
To get the ARP system in, yes, I will probably have to pull that big 4 door fridge out a few inches as there is virtually no space between the fins and the wall and cannot see a thing. This may the reason for too much heat there. I've had that ARP for over a year but the closeness to the wall has defeated me getting it installed. If I pull the fridge loose, I'll just replace those original low end fans with new and better ones but still add supplemental cooling
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Old 03-07-2018, 01:54 PM   #5
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Yep ... I've put in a few ARP systems and it's way easier to pull the fridge out a bit. It's near impossible to install the sensor on the boiler tube and get everything back and re-insulated unless you do.
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Old 03-07-2018, 09:20 PM   #6
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fans

Installation manual shows fans about middle of unit directing airflow over area where air flow is needed most, which is also what the baffle is designed to do.
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Old 03-08-2018, 05:59 AM   #7
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Installation manual shows fans about middle of unit directing airflow over area where air flow is needed most, which is also what the baffle is designed to do.
Thanks

Yes, I too found that. Their maintenance manual which is not included with the package but on line shows it better.

I just wish the fans were not buried in an impossible place to service without pulling the fridge and why I'll probably just add supplemental fans and sell the ARP control. That 1210 fridge is huge!
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Old 03-08-2018, 12:47 PM   #8
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The baffle installed is supposed to make sure the air flow fully passes the upper area of the fins at the top of the fridge. I installed the boiler temp sensor prior to the last cooling unit replacement a couple years ago, so can't say how hard it is to install, but looks like it needs a small set of hands to reach in there. The ARP fans work great, and they are both cable tied to the upper and lower grill, with the lower one flat against the inner part of the grill with the outlet directed up and the upper one with the outlet part of the fan directed down into one of the down facing outlets of the grill, a little awkward to position, but once secured with tie wraps, it doesn't move, and I ran a couple wires down the left side from the upper fan to connect both of them to the ARP device. I talked to Paul Unmack while at Quartzsite in January and discovered my ARP device wasn't working properly because the newer cooling units from Norcold have a different program in the controller which wasn't working with the older ARP device I had installed. I purchased an updated ARP controller, installed it, and Paul adjusted the settings so it was placed in it's PID mode (which wasn't in the ARP device's program I originally had installed), and it is working great. It is great not having to worry about the fridge being a bit off kilter while driving or parked and having the boiler overheat or worse. Whatever you have to do to get the device installed is definitely worth the effort.
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Old 03-08-2018, 01:13 PM   #9
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Dave W ... you're worrying about something that doesn't need worrying about. I've had 3 fivers with the fridge in a slide necessitating the fridge fans. Granted they are in a place not easily accessed, but I never had an issue with any fan on any of my 3 fivers ... thus a mute subject. I think you need to rethink ditching the ARP unit you already have. They do make a difference, they do control the fans much better, they do seem to make the fridge run better on a lower setting. It takes all of maybe 5 minutes to remove the screws to make it possible to pull the fridge out a bit and it does slide forward easily ... two door or one door fridge. Been there ... done it a few times. Like has been mentioned by others ... just wire tie the additional cooling fans supplied with the ARP to your fridge plastic grills, run a fused wire per instructions, and it's a done deal. I ordered a couple of higher CFM fans that were way quieter and moved more air than the OEM. I mounted them in place of the OEM, but that was just the way I went about it. The squirrel caged fans supplied with the ARP kit are just as good and quiet ... I just didn't like the wire tie to the plastic grill deal.
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Old 03-08-2018, 01:28 PM   #10
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Bob - thanks for the info

it is virtually impossible to do ANY work in the very narrow space between the fridge back and the wall- especially since my hands seem to be XL.

Then there is that other problem and that's the almost useless multiple ARP contradictory instructions that have served to totally confused me. I have downloaded several variations and they all seem just a enough different - plus that Norcold change that you mentioned is most likely (maybe?) on our fridge but danged if I know. I will not be purchasing another unit until or if ARP cleans up their instruction offerings. If the cooling unit goes....

The fans I noted above - my current intent is to mount them on the bracket I've built and in the approximately 50% baffled top vent, use a thermal switch to turn them on and possibly a dedicated 12VDC power source unless I totally give up the ARP. If I give that ARP up, I'll piggyback the fridges 12 VDC system, i.e. as ARP mentions. I am not using ARP fans but a very good fluid bearing, low RPM, high volume Arctic case fan.

Yes, I finally decided on my course of action after some dither
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Old 03-08-2018, 03:13 PM   #11
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Also, don't be afraid to contact Paul. Use the contact page at the ARP site, tell him what problem you are having, along with your phone number, and he can talk you through the problem. If you can meet up with him at a rally somewhere, he can also install whatever you can't too. He might charge you a little bit, but it's still worth it.
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Old 03-09-2018, 05:21 PM   #12
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I mounted 4 fans on top it’s easier to pull air than push it, then I switched to a automotive radiator 12” electric fan mounted as a sucker on my top vent, plus separate 12 volt circuit with thermostat, works like a charm even in sc summers
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