Do RV Refrigerator Fans Work? (Find The Best RV Fridge Fan)
Fridges need fans to maintain the right level of temperature inside your fridge. They do a good job of it when they are not hampered by low power or a failing motor. When you want your food to stay fresh make sure your fridge fan is working correctly.
Yes, fridge fans do work. They keep the temperature levels to the mark you have set them at. That extra help ensures that your food stays fresh all the time. In some cases, the fridge may be cool enough to extend the shelf life of many food items.
To learn more about fridge fans, just continue to read our article. It explores the topic so you have the best information on the subject. Fridge fans have been a part of fridges ever since the appliance was invented.
Refrigerator Fans 101
Do RV Refrigerator Fans Work?
Yes, they do. The reason they work is that RV fridges are not made the same way as traditional home fridges. The RV fridge works on a heat absorption process that includes using ammonia, heat, sodium chromate, and hydrogen gas.
The cooling or fridge fans help move the ammonia along the entire fridge system. When there is heat, that movement is hindered even further. The fridge fans help get rid of the heat so the ammonia can move faster and do its cooling job.
The excess heat is often the result of high temperatures outside the fridge and your RV. It does not get absorbed that quickly because the heat is moving too fast and going through your fridge faster than it can be absorbed. The fan gets rid of that excess heat.
Are Fans Inside The RV Refrigerator a Good Idea?
Yes, they are as the fridge fan is responsible for helping to maintain the proper temperature level inside the fridge area of your refrigerator. It is supposed to help move the cold air and spread it evenly throughout your fridge interior.
Without the fans, the heat may overcome any cold air inside and start to ruin your food. When you are camping in extreme heat, these fans are very important. If you do not have any shade then your RV or trailer can heat up very quickly making your fridge work extra hard.
The fans help the fridge work a little less and keep them in top shape. You would not want to have a motor or compressor overheat which is likely if you did not have those fans.
Do I Need an RV Refrigerator Fan?
In cooler temperatures, probably not unless you are running your heater for long periods of time. The enemy of the fridge and its operation is heat. When you get too much heat, the fridge cannot do its job and keep your food fresh and healthy.
On top of the fridge fan which helps get rid of excess unabsorbed heat, you may need a couple of vent fans as well. The vents by themselves cannot remove all the heat either. They will need help to get that task done.
The vent fans remove hot air around the fridge keeping it from overheating and being ruined itself. The vent fans can also bring in cooler air to help your fridge fan keep the ammonia moving throughout the cooling system.
It is a combination of fans that works hard to keep your food ready to eat all the time.
Does The Norcold RV Refrigerator Have a Cooling Fan?
Yes, they do or at least many of their models do. This is an essential part of the fridge that you need to work for you all the time. We cannot speak for all NorCold models and you would have to check your owner’s manual to see if yours has one or not.
If you don’t want a fridge fan, there is a NorCold cooling fan kit that is easy to install and sends cool air where it is needed most. It is called the Fridge Defend Fan Control.
It is a fan kit that helps you keep the right temperature inside your fridge even if you do not have a fan in the fridge. And that kit can be installed even if you do have a fan inside your NorCold fridge.
RV Fridge Fan Upgrade
It is possible to upgrade the fan in your fridge no matter the brand or model. The kit mentioned above is one option you have available and it should work well in delivering more cool air to your fridge.
Other owners have simply gone to a variety of fan models to bring better cooling to their fridge units. Some have gone to Radio Shack when it was still in business and bought a simple cooling from that electronics outlet.
The replacement went well although there was some modification that needed to be done because the upgrade was larger than the stock fan. Some owners have placed computer-type cooling fans inside their fridge systems to keep the cool air circulating better as well as helping to vent the hot air.
You just have to look at your fridge set up and the available fans to see which option will work best for you and your situation.
Finding 12-Volt RV Refrigerator Fans
In today’s high-tech world, it is not hard to find a fridge fan that will replace your broken fridge fan. Or find one that will upgrade your fridge so it cools better. You just have to conduct a search with the right search terms.
Your first stop may be Amazon. That marketplace has a variety of vendors who sell this type of fridge fan. The amount of money you pay will depend on which model you buy. They are listed for under $100 with different vendors selling their models at different prices.
There are a variety of fridge fan makers, like Camco, that can solve your search problem. These manufacturers make a variety of models so you can find the right option for your RV situation.
Then you may find replacement fans wherever 12-volt fridges are sold. There seems to be no limit to the number of outlets that sell this part.
Best RV Fridge Fan
To be honest, the best fridge fan is the one that works all the time and never harms your food. That could encompass any number of brands out there that make and sell these fans for RVs.
Here is a list of a few brand names that may have the perfect fan for your fridge model.
- Titan
- Beech Lane
- Durchaire
- UTUO
- Valterra
- Professional EZ Travel Collection
- RV cooling unit warehouse
We left Camco off this list as we will discuss that brand in the next section. Suffice it to say that you are not going to be out of luck when you need a new fridge or cooling or vent fan. There are enough brands to help everyone protect their food.
Camco RV Refrigerator Fan
One of the more popular fridge fans made by this brand is their Camco Fridge Airator. It is portable and versatile and it is said that it can absorb odors. To help vent the fridge interior it will work with the output vents pointing upwards so you can move hotter air through the vents faster.
The activated charcoal filter helps remove the bad odors that sometimes plague your fridge. With the power switch located on its side, you can leave this fan inside your fridge and turn it off when you do not need it.
This fan model does circulate a large amount of air even though it comes with a small and compact design. You can get this device at Amazon for under $25 right now.
Beech Lane RV Fridge Fan Reviews
This brand was named #1 of 12 different brands reviewed by one review website. It is compact like the Camco model and it works off of a battery. While it was named number one it seems to have a few drawbacks to it.
The motor may draw too much power draining the batteries too quickly. It is said to slide around inside the fridge and with its side-mounted power switch, it can get turned off with the right bump.
What overcomes those drawbacks is the motor operates at 3000 RPM and pushes a lot of warm air out of your fridge quickly. It also has a high fan speed which cannot be toned down at all. It is a one-speed wonder. Also, it costs $1 or $2 more than the Camco model
Best Battery-Operated RV Fridge Fan
In one list the Valterra Fridge Cool Fan came in at number one for a few reasons. It is very energy efficient, lightweight, compact in size, and simple to use. It also helps keep your fridge nice and cool.
Plus, it is a 3-volt, 4-blade cooling fan that has easy access to the battery compartment. It is also supposed to work fast. Number 2 on the same list was the Camco cooling fan we highlighted above.
You already know its strengths and weaknesses and it is a very good fan to buy and use. Other top battery-operated fridge fans include many of the brands on the previous list.
You will find Titan, NorCold, Innobay, Aero Cool, and many more top brands that make a variety of fridge fans that may be best for you and your camping situation.
Ultra Quiet RV Fridge Fan
This label or title could go to the Camco or the Valterra models already mentioned above. They are not listed as being noisy even though their fan speed is around 3000 RPM like the Beech Lane.
This is something that you would have to test for yourselves as everyone has their own level of being quiet. The Innobay model is said to have 3 speeds so you may hear more noise from it when you go to a higher speed level.
The best thing to do is go to a store that sells these fans and compare their noise level with each other. That will get you the quietest fridge fan possible.
DIY RV Refrigerator Vent Fan
Unless you want to build your own vent fan from scratch, this project is more about how to attach the vent fan than making your own. Some owners use small square tubing and attach the fan to that steel bar. Then they place the bar over the coil.
For vent fans, many owners went with those computer-powered fans that cool those electronic devices. These owners fabricated their own ducting system using plastic tubes to help control the flow of the air.
The brand of the fan does not matter as long as it is powerful enough to circulate the air properly. You may have to solder in a relay to make sure your DIY system works properly.
Computer Fan RV Refrigerator
This is a legitimate option. You would have to be a little inventive to attach it to your fridge or vents but these fans do a great job. Plus, you do not need a USB port to power them.
You can connect them to the electrical tab and let the fridge power it as well as turn it on and off when needed. There is a variety of options for the power and placement of these fans.
Look at your fridge set up to see what needs to be done to make these computer fans more efficient.
Some Additional Words
Yes, refrigerator fans do work and they are an essential part of your fridge’s cooling system. You will want to look after these fans and make sure they are working well if you do not want your food to spoil.
Or you can get creative and modify your fridge a little bit by adding battery-powered fans inside the fridge’s interior or build your own system to help the fridge vent out hot air. You do have a lot of options to choose from.
