I gotta question

[dpf]

Do any of you use one of the battery opererated fans in your refrigerator to circulate the cold air? If so...do you feel that they work? I know that they're not an overly expensive item...seems to me they are reasonable in price...just have to replace batteries, but nothing is a good deal if it doesn't work.

[kelpie]

I have often wondered the same thing.

[Liz]

I have one which I bought last summer when I was having trouble keeping my refer cool. Still use it in the new refer, but can't say if it's doing anything beneficial or not.

[VickieP]

Never heard of that, but how big of a fan is it? I usually have quite a full fridge.

[mitch5252]

I have one. I also cannot say if it does what is should because I've never not used it. I know I've frozen lettuce in the fridge (really ticked me off cuz I was wanting a nice, big salad). The contacts are corroded this year and I've been playing around with tin foil. Probably not such a good idea as the one battery got really, really hot! (and it was the only one in the little fan...)

Vickie...for you, my dear.

[dpf]

Did you try cleaning the contacts with some baking soda and water or white vinegar? Where was the lettuce when it froze? My stuff in the crisper drawers never seems to be cold. Stuff on the top near the coils tend to be really cold or frozen.

[BarbaraRose]

Did you try cleaning the contacts with some baking soda and water or white vinegar? Where was the lettuce when it froze? My stuff in the crisper drawers never seems to be cold. Stuff on the top near the coils tend to be really cold or frozen.

Maybe you could put the fan near the top of the fridge and aim it downward to get the cold air to the bottom (ie. crisper drawers).

[dpf]

Barbie...that's what I was thinking...but I want someone to tell me if they have one of the fans and if they actually work!

[Pooker]

Seems like they work quite well when it's humid. These refrigerators just don't like humidity along with heat, so I rarely use mine since it's so dry here. But I carry it in one of the crisper drawers (with the batteries removed) and only use it when it's very hot and humid. It helps the fridge fan circulate the air better. Also, not a good idea to stuff these fridges too full because the air can't circulate!

In previous rigs, we had a small fan installed outside in the refrigerator compartment with an on/off switch inside the rig. Again, only had to use it when it's extremely hot and humid. No matter how many times it happens, we seem to think there's something wrong with our refrigerators when they refuse to keep cold. It's usually the heat and humidity (and, perhaps altitude, too).

Just thought of something else: if you can rig some sort of shade over your refrigerator grill on the outside of your rig, it will help the unit cool better, too. There were time when I had to do all of the above and the unit still barely kept things from spoiling! Sometimes it will work better on propane than electricity, so try everything!

Pooker

[Birdie]

I have always used one of the Valterra fans in my fridges. It seems to keep the air circulating. I noticed frozen lettuce and found the battery had died in the fan. I sit it on the top of the crisper box and try to make sure that nothing is in it's direct path going up and also try to make sure that the sides are clear for the air to, hopefully hit the top and spread to the sides. In addition, my refrigerator has a switch for humid climates. It is located at the top of the freezer frame on the inside and has a rocker on/off switch. That seems to help, especially when I was in Texas just before I left early this week. So now I am in AZ/NM and need to make sure it is turned off. Thanks for reminding me. I am pleased with the way it works and will continue using it.

[sharon]

I have 2, but I have the large double door fridge. I think they work well. I put them on the top shelf, that's where the coil is. In days past, when we used to go to the Colorado river in the summer, we had the fan in the outside compartment on a thermostat and that worked very well, but we were in 110-115 degree weather in basically the desert. Every little bit helps.