Installing shade for your fridge | Caravan DIY
The RV Repair Centre shows how to install a shade to help your van fridge run cooler.
If you are operating a three-way fridge at high ambient temperature, creating shade for the fridge vents will help the fridge to run cooler. To understand this better we’ll share a very simplified explanation of how a three-way fridge works.
Three-way fridges, also known as absorption fridges, are amazing devices. They make stuff cold by utilising heat! The fridge cooling system contains a fluid made up of water and various chemicals known as refrigerant. The refrigerant circulates inside a closed loop of pipes and is repeatedly cycled between being converted from liquids to gases. A boiler is used to separate the chemicals dissolved in the water. The name three-way comes from the fact that three power sources can be used to heat the boiler - gas, 240V or 12V. The cooling process happens when two of the separated chemicals interact in a higher volume chamber causing a pressure drop that draws heat out of the fridge compartment.
For the process to repeat the chemicals that have been separated need to return to their original state by one of the chemicals being absorbed by the water – hence the alternate name absorption fridge.
So, the net result of this is the fridge gets cool on the inside and hot on the outside. Three-way fridges have historically relied on air from outside the van being drawn into the wall cavity through a lower vent and then passing out an upper vent to take heat away from the fridge exterior. This air circulation across the fridge's rear exterior relies simply on hot air rising, escaping out the top vent, creating a negative pressure and drawing fresh air into the lower vent.
If the sun is beating down on the van wall where the vents are situated it will raise the temperature inside the wall and make the fridge exterior hotter overall. It will also reduce the differential between the hot and cooler parts of the fridge exterior reducing the ability to draw air in the lower vent and pass it out the upper vent.
Hence installing a shade will help keep your fridge running cooler and our friends at The RV Repair Centre show us how.
Step-by-step installation guide:
1. Identify the fridge vents on the exterior of the van where shade is required
2. Use a sail track to mount the shade material
3. Measure and cut the sail track to be approximately 200m wider than the shade material
4. Select short stainless steel screws to mount the sail track*
5. Drill holes in the sail track for the mounting screws
6. Use a screwdriver to flare the end of the sail track to make it easier for the shade material to be mounted
7. File off the sharp corners on the sail track
8. Apply a silicone with adhesive and sealing properties to the rear of the sail track
9. Place the sail track above the top vent with enough room for air to circulate above the shade material
10. Drive the short stainless steel screws into the wall to mount the sail track
11. Slide the shade material into the sail track
12. Centralise the shade material on the sail track
13. Feed the bungee cord through the shade material eyelets x2
14. Drive the pegs x2 into the ground to keep bungee and shade material taught
Your installation is complete!
* Short screws were used to minimise the chance of them penetrating live wires or anything else behind the wall. In this instance, the wall is a thin aluminium profile so longer screws would offer no fastening advantage. Silicone adhesive is the primary means of securing the sail track to the wall. Stainless steel screws were used to minimise
IF IN DOUBT, CONSULT A PROFESSIONAL
Improper maintenance can lead to injury, death or property damage. Maintenance work of this nature should only be undertaken by people with suitable competence. Information provided is general in nature, not comprehensive and should only be taken as a guide. Individual discretion must be exercised and persons undertaking described tasks do so completely at their own risk. Publishers and creators of this content accept no responsibility for loss or damage.
Thanks to Andrew Phillips and the team from the RV Repair Centre for their assistance.