Fridge Ventilation

[PlethoraOfGuns]

I have an aluminum van. I have this crazy idea to not only vent the rear of a 12v compressor fridge to the outside, but also leave the entire wall behind fridge bare, with no insulation. The rear half of the fridge will be inside a sealed and insulated cabinet so the air space behind the fridge is separated from the air space at the front of the fridge in the living area. I can put a vent at the bottom and top of wall to create good air flow and let the coils behind the fridge breathe.

Here you can see the fridge in about the location it will be in a cabinet.

Fridge will be framed out and sealed away from living compartment.

My main questions and concerns are possible condensation behind the fridge? Also any pros and cons anyone sees to this method? I will have an excellant Espar heating system inside, so I don't care about using the heat from the fridge in the winter, I just don't want the heat inside van during the hot days.

 

[highdesertranger]

what about in the summer? that aluminum skin will transfer the heat to the inside and that means inside the refer compartment especially when the sun hits it. after all you can't always be driving west to east sooner or later you need to drive east to west, LOL. highdesertranger

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Oh nice, excellent point! What if I insulate the metal, but still keeping the area behind the fridge isolated from the living area and still having the vents?

 

[bullfrog]

Yep, that sounds like it would work.

 

[highdesertranger]

"What if I insulate the metal, but still keeping the area behind the fridge isolated from the living area and still having the vents?"

that's what I would do.

highdesertranger

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Ok, sounds great! I'll try insulating that area behind the fridge when I get to it.

 

[highdesertranger]

you are still going to add vents to the outside right? highdesertranger

 

[PlethoraOfGuns]

Yes. The top of the wall will just be some fixed vent. Towards the bottom of the wall I'm thinking one of those removable RV fridge vent cover things.