❤ Next thing you will have to get Ray is a temperature monitor or fridge alarm. I was worried that you were going to splice after the switch. Then I said to my self, wait a minute, this is Ray. He knows what he's doing. That would have made for a good blooper though you have to admit. 👍👍
The virus travel lockdown has got Ray doing crazy stuff. I'm afraid if the border shutdown continues much longer, we apt to see a video of Ray disassembling his wheel bearings and replacing the balls.
I installed a ARP in my RV fridge with four additional fans. Two in the back of the fridge and two small fans inside the same as inside your white case. I ran a small two wire electrical wire up through the drain tube and fastened a relay so I can turn the small fans on and off with a fob. Works well. The two fans on the outside back of the fridge ran quite often while we were on a month camping trip.
Nice work! I made my own for free…ish (salvaged from what I already had)! I disassembled a USB laptop cooling pad and attached one of the fans to a broken 10ft USB cable then plugged it into a fast charger! I do have to run the cable outside the fridge door but the latch seems to keep it well sealed anyways. Not the nicest or prettiest solution but cheap and it works.
Ray, this exactly the kind of info I was looking for with these in fridge fans. I wanted to know about the vapor protection, the footprint, and if it could be hardwired if it works! Let us know if it helps with the fins! Great video.
18650batterystore dot com has a good selection and better prices than most brick and mortar. You've got to admit eliminating the batteries was a great idea though.
Nice DC-DC Buck Converter and at $18 not a bad price. I like the display yours has plus I see it has current and voltage controls, very useful. I got 10 bare bones tiny units for wall wart elimination, 10 for $19.99 but I think I will order one or more like yours for the reasons mentioned above.
I will consider a DC fridge it when this ones cooling system fails, currently it works OK, and is paid for. :) plus I have a small portable 50 liter AC/DC fridge freezer for extra space.
Great video Ray! I wonder how that "Buck" converter works with the moisture inside the fridge? Time will tell. I actually just did your weather station/buck converter mod to my trailer. My weather station ran on 3 AA batteries and the wall adapter. When unplugged the display dimmed. I believe the batteries just keep the settings. So now it's running off the trailer batteries and no wire/adapter hanging on the wall.
Thanks, I added conformal circuit board coating to the board to waterproof it. Hoping that will help out just in case of any frost. But not sure of the little controls and switches.
I will be installing a 12v 11cuft refrigerator this weekend so I won’t need the fan. BUT, the power converter is what I need. I have a LevelMatePRO which uses batteries and I keep forgetting to turn it off which kills the batteries. So the dc to dc converter is what I need. Perhaps this would also work on our propane sensors! No more replacing batteries! Thanks for the tip.
I just got a LevelMatePRO and it has a sleep mode setting. I assume that will help with battery life, but when I get round to it I will use one of my buck-boost modules to eliminate the battery.
I saw a video that showed the linked product. Nothing against making one, but I’m not so gifted so I purchased this. But the idea of using an auxiliary power supply instead of batteries is your wonderful idea. DC-DC Buck, DROK Power Supply Module LM2596 DC Buck Converter 5V-36V to 1.25-32V Step Down Voltage Regulator Stabilizer 3A 5A CC Volt Transformer Reducer www.amazon.com/dp/B07LCHTVCM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_E9SAHBZ06TQVVVPM7Q4F?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
In my fridge there is a drain line which goes through the fridge that a wire can fit through. I'm going to use that and use solar to power my inside fan.
Thanks Ray! I’m curious if you have done any testing comparing the fan inside the fridge with the fans outside the fridge. Do you recommend both or would one system suffice?
I find the outside fans do more for overall cooling efficiency. The inside fan helps a bit but is more for even cold distribution for the food, especially if its really packed in there and keeping the cooling fins from building up frost and ice on them. Cheers, Ray
I got the fan after I saw your initial video, got another one that took 2 d cell batteries so I now have two fans inside my fridge but the question is will it help the fridge run more efficient? Can you drop the coolness settings from 4 out of 5 to to let’s say 2-3 and maintain the inside temps. Let us know if you come up with those findings. The other fan I got was from Amazon called beech lane rv fridge fan
Won't be able to test that since my fridge doesn't have a dial setting. It uses a thermistor that is attached to a plastic slider on the fridge fins. Higher for more cooling, lower for less. But I already use the lowest setting and still get frozen food on the top self occasionally and lots of frost build-up on the metal fins. So I'm hoping this fan will circulate the air better, to get rid of the frost build-up and make it have more even cooling top to bottom. I have to admit being full-time and liking fresh foods we really end up constantly packing the fridge and much of it vegetables that give off moisture. So airflow and humidity are a concern. Will be interesting to see if the fan can make a significant difference. I remember I had an old campervan back in the day and a little battery-operated fridge fan did help it out a lot. Cheers, Ray
Not ready to spend that much money yet and I like to boondock, usually 4 months a year so nice to have the LP gas option during those months. When this fridge every packs it in I'll likely look at one of the new 12V fridges that have been coming out lately. Cheers, Ray
You always have something to tinker with (Doc Brown), now how to get the Cougar up to 88 mph (142 kmh)......you have the extra lithium batteries from the flashlight!
Wowww incredible neat job! Does that fan really seem to improve cooling inside the fridge any? Here in USA I think we can get those 18650s fairly easy, even from Amazon. There are also some companies just selling these types of batteries. Samsung 30Q I think is a good one with 2,800 or 3,000 mAhr. Thanks
Thanks. :) That is the theory. I already use the lowest setting and still get frozen food on the top self occasionally and lots of frost build-up on the metal fins. So I'm hoping this fan will circulate the air better, to get rid of the frost build-up and make it have more even cooling top to bottom. I have to admit being full-time and liking fresh foods we really end up constantly packing the fridge and much of it vegetables that give off moisture. So airflow and humidity are a concern. Will be interesting to see if the fan can make a significant difference. I remember I had an old campervan back in the day and a little battery-operated fridge fan did help it out a lot. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV Oh, sorry about that. Maybe on the medium or high setting it will be better🙏🤞 I have the little Camco and Valterra ones. They look slightly different from each other, but about the same size.They take regular batteries, the larger D or C size if I remember correctly because I haven't had a chance to use em yet. I wish they made D size lithium ion rechargeable batteries like they do for AA and AAA. Glad to hear from you that it helps. It makes some sense that the circulation helps. I already have a couple excellent flashlights that take the 18650s and am so glad they are lithium ion rechargeable. Good quality rechargeable lithium ion batteries are wonderful. Thanks, keep cool 💦
Try charging the batteries one at a time. I have lithium batteries and charger, if I try to charge two (small charger) I get a fault with no charge at all. Good luck.
I wonder if you would be interested to measure the TOTAL daily power consumption of your fridge, not just the factory installed parts, but include all your add ons and mods. I am curious how close you are getting to a residential fridge.
That would be quite variable depending on outside temp and humidity and how much we were to open the door that day and whether new food/beverages has been added or not and how warm the newly added food/beverages was. Also how much already cooled food was in the fridge and freezer. So could be a chore to get an accurate comparison. How much does a comparable residential fridge use? My gut feeling is I'm still way more efficient if using gas. I have heard from a few people that say residential cool better but really draw down the batteries when boondocking. Some of the new 12V RV fridges are getting better though I understand. All the fans I've added are very efficient running flat out are still likely under 10 watts. And they would only be flat out running when really hot out. So for say 70 degree days the draw would likely be more like 5 watts. The biggest draw of the my Dometic fridge is the electric element 335W but in LP gas mode the flame does the heating job. In LP gas mode the only OEM power draw is 12VDC to the fridge controller board and the fridge lights. I bet the controller board draws less than an amp since it has a 3 amp fuse and the fridge light draw about 1.5 amps itself.
What was your average? Judging from what others have said in various forums about their Dometic 12V power draw in LP mode and adding in the average load of my fans the fridge would average about 15-20 amp-hours or 180-240 watt-hours a day in the summer. In the winter when I do the bulk of my boondocking down south or shoulder seasons on the coast, I'm sure that would be much less as the fans and burner would run significantly less.
@@LoveYourRV I used a kill-a-watt meter for 2 weeks so the average should be good. Like any others who have done this test, the 28 cu ft residential fridge/freezer uses 1,500 wH per day. That was one of the reasons to switch to Lithium, an equivalent 3 day supply of Pb would weigh 804 lbs vs 186. We have had several traditional RV refrigerators and there is NO comparison, the residential is bigger and works all the time and ice cream freezes. Many forum posts testify to the fact many RV fridges do not work well.
Wow, 28 cu ft is huge! My Dometic absorption actually works pretty well, ice cream is hard even though we always fill the fridge. This is the second one I've had, the first was not nearly as good. When it failed it was still under a 6 year rig extended warranty. Even though it got replaced with the exact model DM2652LBX I noticed they had changed the piping in the back quite a bit and the fridge/freezer performed much better than the old one. My theory is they saw the competition from the residential style and knew they had to make them work better. I generally use the lowest setting and still get frozen food on the top self occasionally and lots of frost build-up on the metal fins. So I'm hoping this inside fan will circulate the air better, to get rid of the frost build-up and make it have more even cooling top to bottom. I have to admit being full-time and liking fresh foods we really end up constantly packing the fridge and much of it vegetables that give off moisture. So airflow and humidity are a concern. Will be interesting to see if the fan can make a significant difference. I remember I had an old campervan back in the day and a little battery-operated fridge fan did help it out a lot. Cheers, Ray
And the additional heat coming from the electronic will be dissipated inside the fridge as well? Not good? And the board may as well not last for long inside there? (Cold moisture plus solder?) Usually there is no need for an inside Fan, otherwise there would be one. Cause the cooling plate is mounted high inside, and vegetables, they need it cool and dry, go low. So we have a circulation inside anyway. Cool air falls down, this forcing the warmer air up in return. 18650s as well can be rated just by wheiging them. According to spec they should be 48 gramms. Some from China come with 36 or even just 25 gramms, providing only 50%. The use of a proper 18650 and charging outside should, if any, be best. Because outside charging lets the heat from charging outside.
Because the fan current is so low 250 milliamps there is be barely any heat created. I added conformal circuit board coating to the board to waterproof it. I find the fan is useful in our fridge as we tend to being full-time living in the RV really cram it fully which reduces the air circulation. The fan gives it a boost which evens out the temps and reduces frosting of the metal fins in humid locations. Cheers, Ray
Yeah, definitely would be. This was more an experiment showing how the DROK converters can be used and I had the little 3-speed fan with case and power button anyway. Cheers, Ray
ultra fire lol super garbage 18650's . get brand name like samsung or LG , other brand name. the mAh in the ultra fires are a lie! 18650's are 4.2 volts charged and 3 volts dead. 3.6 is resting voltage. also there not great in below average room temp, special a fridge.
Yeah, Titan needs to provide appropriate batteries, and not just make the consumer have to pick themselves and hope they work. The buyer shouldn't have to be a battery expert.
*Previous Titan Fan Installation Videos* - www.loveyourrv.com/installing-12v-rv-fridge-and-vent-cooling-fans-from-titan/
Ray can’t help himself folks. He has to take electric things apart and improve them. Or just see what makes the tick:). Great video! 😎🇺🇸
What DIY'er doesn't do that.
I've been using a fridge fan for years. I just hang a 12V computer fan from the shelf. Runs at 12V, job done.
❤ Next thing you will have to get Ray is a temperature monitor or fridge alarm.
I was worried that you were going to splice after the switch.
Then I said to my self, wait a minute, this is Ray. He knows what he's doing.
That would have made for a good blooper though you have to admit. 👍👍
The virus travel lockdown has got Ray doing crazy stuff. I'm afraid if the border shutdown continues much longer, we apt to see a video of Ray disassembling his wheel bearings and replacing the balls.
I installed a ARP in my RV fridge with four additional fans. Two in the back of the fridge and two small fans inside the same as inside your white case. I ran a small two wire electrical wire up through the drain tube and fastened a relay so I can turn the small fans on and off with a fob. Works well. The two fans on the outside back of the fridge ran quite often while we were on a month camping trip.
Read about the ARP but that is just part of your solution. Not getting good performance from my new Norcold.
Nice work! I made my own for free…ish (salvaged from what I already had)! I disassembled a USB laptop cooling pad and attached one of the fans to a broken 10ft USB cable then plugged it into a fast charger! I do have to run the cable outside the fridge door but the latch seems to keep it well sealed anyways. Not the nicest or prettiest solution but cheap and it works.
Always fun to take stuff apart and see how they put them together isn't it Ray.
You bet. :)
Ray, this exactly the kind of info I was looking for with these in fridge fans. I wanted to know about the vapor protection, the footprint, and if it could be hardwired if it works! Let us know if it helps with the fins! Great video.
after one season I spent so much money on batteries I put it in the trash great idea Ray
Most smoke shops and vape stores will have those 18650s tons of e-cigs and vapes use them. They should have the charger to go along with them too 🤙
18650batterystore dot com has a good selection and better prices than most brick and mortar. You've got to admit eliminating the batteries was a great idea though.
seems like you can just get a cheap pc fan and wiring in some power, controller, etc
Nice DC-DC Buck Converter and at $18 not a bad price. I like the display yours has plus I see it has current and voltage controls, very useful. I got 10 bare bones tiny units for wall wart elimination, 10 for $19.99 but I think I will order one or more like yours for the reasons mentioned above.
I think I would have just returned for another option. However, you like this kind of modification. Nice video as always.
Ray, you should look into the Everchill dc compressor refrigerator. We upgraded and love it.
I will consider a DC fridge it when this ones cooling system fails, currently it works OK, and is paid for. :) plus I have a small portable 50 liter AC/DC fridge freezer for extra space.
Another brilliant DIY. Thank you!
Great video Ray! I wonder how that "Buck" converter works with the moisture inside the fridge? Time will tell.
I actually just did your weather station/buck converter mod to my trailer. My weather station ran on 3 AA batteries and the wall adapter. When unplugged the display dimmed. I believe the batteries just keep the settings. So now it's running off the trailer batteries and no wire/adapter hanging on the wall.
Thanks, I added conformal circuit board coating to the board to waterproof it. Hoping that will help out just in case of any frost. But not sure of the little controls and switches.
I will be installing a 12v 11cuft refrigerator this weekend so I won’t need the fan. BUT, the power converter is what I need. I have a LevelMatePRO which uses batteries and I keep forgetting to turn it off which kills the batteries. So the dc to dc converter is what I need. Perhaps this would also work on our propane sensors! No more replacing batteries! Thanks for the tip.
You're welcome. :)
I just got a LevelMatePRO and it has a sleep mode setting. I assume that will help with battery life, but when I get round to it I will use one of my buck-boost modules to eliminate the battery.
I saw a video that showed the linked product. Nothing against making one, but I’m not so gifted so I purchased this. But the idea of using an auxiliary power supply instead of batteries is your wonderful idea.
DC-DC Buck, DROK Power Supply Module LM2596 DC Buck Converter 5V-36V to 1.25-32V Step Down Voltage Regulator Stabilizer 3A 5A CC Volt Transformer Reducer www.amazon.com/dp/B07LCHTVCM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_E9SAHBZ06TQVVVPM7Q4F?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1
👍👌❤️🇨🇦, Ray you are the man, thanks
Ray has a mod! Tell me it isn't so. LOL
In my fridge there is a drain line which goes through the fridge that a wire can fit through. I'm going to use that and use solar to power my inside fan.
Good idea.
18650 batteries are commonly used in Ebike batteries
Thanks Ray! I’m curious if you have done any testing comparing the fan inside the fridge with the fans outside the fridge. Do you recommend both or would one system suffice?
I find the outside fans do more for overall cooling efficiency. The inside fan helps a bit but is more for even cold distribution for the food, especially if its really packed in there and keeping the cooling fins from building up frost and ice on them. Cheers, Ray
I got the fan after I saw your initial video, got another one that took 2 d cell batteries so I now have two fans inside my fridge but the question is will it help the fridge run more efficient? Can you drop the coolness settings from 4 out of 5 to to let’s say 2-3 and maintain the inside temps. Let us know if you come up with those findings. The other fan I got was from Amazon called beech lane rv fridge fan
Won't be able to test that since my fridge doesn't have a dial setting. It uses a thermistor that is attached to a plastic slider on the fridge fins. Higher for more cooling, lower for less. But I already use the lowest setting and still get frozen food on the top self occasionally and lots of frost build-up on the metal fins. So I'm hoping this fan will circulate the air better, to get rid of the frost build-up and make it have more even cooling top to bottom. I have to admit being full-time and liking fresh foods we really end up constantly packing the fridge and much of it vegetables that give off moisture. So airflow and humidity are a concern. Will be interesting to see if the fan can make a significant difference. I remember I had an old campervan back in the day and a little battery-operated fridge fan did help it out a lot. Cheers, Ray
Ray isn’t it time to move on to a compressor frig?! Just asking.
Not ready to spend that much money yet and I like to boondock, usually 4 months a year so nice to have the LP gas option during those months. When this fridge every packs it in I'll likely look at one of the new 12V fridges that have been coming out lately. Cheers, Ray
My blue Valtera fridge fan from Amazon takes 2 D batteries. They last about two months.
Does the Valtera fan provide enough power to actually move air? I read many negative comments about the Titan not moving any air to make a difference
@@kenmusil8076 Mine works well, but I have a small fridge
Same batteries used in vape devices. You can get batteries and chargers at any vape store.
You always have something to tinker with (Doc Brown), now how to get the Cougar up to 88 mph (142 kmh)......you have the extra lithium batteries from the flashlight!
The required batteries and charger will cost over $66 from Batteries Plus.
Wowww incredible neat job! Does that fan really seem to improve cooling inside the fridge any? Here in USA I think we can get those 18650s fairly easy, even from Amazon. There are also some companies just selling these types of batteries. Samsung 30Q I think is a good one with 2,800 or 3,000 mAhr. Thanks
Thanks. :) That is the theory. I already use the lowest setting and still get frozen food on the top self occasionally and lots of frost build-up on the metal fins. So I'm hoping this fan will circulate the air better, to get rid of the frost build-up and make it have more even cooling top to bottom. I have to admit being full-time and liking fresh foods we really end up constantly packing the fridge and much of it vegetables that give off moisture. So airflow and humidity are a concern. Will be interesting to see if the fan can make a significant difference. I remember I had an old campervan back in the day and a little battery-operated fridge fan did help it out a lot. Cheers, Ray
@@LoveYourRV Oh, sorry about that. Maybe on the medium or high setting it will be better🙏🤞 I have the little Camco and Valterra ones. They look slightly different from each other, but about the same size.They take regular batteries, the larger D or C size if I remember correctly because I haven't had a chance to use em yet. I wish they made D size lithium ion rechargeable batteries like they do for AA and AAA. Glad to hear from you that it helps. It makes some sense that the circulation helps. I already have a couple excellent flashlights that take the 18650s and am so glad they are lithium ion rechargeable. Good quality rechargeable lithium ion batteries are wonderful. Thanks, keep cool 💦
Try charging the batteries one at a time. I have lithium batteries and charger, if I try to charge two (small charger) I get a fault with no charge at all. Good luck.
Interesting, thanks for the tip
I wonder if you would be interested to measure the TOTAL daily power consumption of your fridge, not just the factory installed parts, but include all your add ons and mods. I am curious how close you are getting to a residential fridge.
That would be quite variable depending on outside temp and humidity and how much we were to open the door that day and whether new food/beverages has been added or not and how warm the newly added food/beverages was. Also how much already cooled food was in the fridge and freezer. So could be a chore to get an accurate comparison.
How much does a comparable residential fridge use? My gut feeling is I'm still way more efficient if using gas. I have heard from a few people that say residential cool better but really draw down the batteries when boondocking. Some of the new 12V RV fridges are getting better though I understand.
All the fans I've added are very efficient running flat out are still likely under 10 watts. And they would only be flat out running when really hot out. So for say 70 degree days the draw would likely be more like 5 watts.
The biggest draw of the my Dometic fridge is the electric element 335W but in LP gas mode the flame does the heating job. In LP gas mode the only OEM power draw is 12VDC to the fridge controller board and the fridge lights. I bet the controller board draws less than an amp since it has a 3 amp fuse and the fridge light draw about 1.5 amps itself.
@@LoveYourRV True, but I measured mine for several weeks then computed the average.
What was your average? Judging from what others have said in various forums about their Dometic 12V power draw in LP mode and adding in the average load of my fans the fridge would average about 15-20 amp-hours or 180-240 watt-hours a day in the summer. In the winter when I do the bulk of my boondocking down south or shoulder seasons on the coast, I'm sure that would be much less as the fans and burner would run significantly less.
@@LoveYourRV I used a kill-a-watt meter for 2 weeks so the average should be good. Like any others who have done this test, the 28 cu ft residential fridge/freezer uses 1,500 wH per day. That was one of the reasons to switch to Lithium, an equivalent 3 day supply of Pb would weigh 804 lbs vs 186. We have had several traditional RV refrigerators and there is NO comparison, the residential is bigger and works all the time and ice cream freezes. Many forum posts testify to the fact many RV fridges do not work well.
Wow, 28 cu ft is huge! My Dometic absorption actually works pretty well, ice cream is hard even though we always fill the fridge. This is the second one I've had, the first was not nearly as good. When it failed it was still under a 6 year rig extended warranty. Even though it got replaced with the exact model DM2652LBX I noticed they had changed the piping in the back quite a bit and the fridge/freezer performed much better than the old one. My theory is they saw the competition from the residential style and knew they had to make them work better.
I generally use the lowest setting and still get frozen food on the top self occasionally and lots of frost build-up on the metal fins. So I'm hoping this inside fan will circulate the air better, to get rid of the frost build-up and make it have more even cooling top to bottom. I have to admit being full-time and liking fresh foods we really end up constantly packing the fridge and much of it vegetables that give off moisture. So airflow and humidity are a concern. Will be interesting to see if the fan can make a significant difference. I remember I had an old campervan back in the day and a little battery-operated fridge fan did help it out a lot. Cheers, Ray
And the additional heat coming from the electronic will be dissipated inside the fridge as well? Not good? And the board may as well not last for long inside there? (Cold moisture plus solder?)
Usually there is no need for an inside Fan, otherwise there would be one. Cause the cooling plate is mounted high inside, and vegetables, they need it cool and dry, go low. So we have a circulation inside anyway. Cool air falls down, this forcing the warmer air up in return.
18650s as well can be rated just by wheiging them. According to spec they should be 48 gramms. Some from China come with 36 or even just 25 gramms, providing only 50%.
The use of a proper 18650 and charging outside should, if any, be best. Because outside charging lets the heat from charging outside.
Because the fan current is so low 250 milliamps there is be barely any heat created. I added conformal circuit board coating to the board to waterproof it. I find the fan is useful in our fridge as we tend to being full-time living in the RV really cram it fully which reduces the air circulation. The fan gives it a boost which evens out the temps and reduces frosting of the metal fins in humid locations. Cheers, Ray
They should pay you for product development 💵💵💵💵💵
Much simpler to just mount a 12v fan in the fridge.
Yeah, definitely would be. This was more an experiment showing how the DROK converters can be used and I had the little 3-speed fan with case and power button anyway. Cheers, Ray
'Improvements for a nation on the dicline - small, almost no problem, huge effort for a better - it used to be called 'decadence'?
Definitely not a mod that most of us will be able to do.
ultra fire lol super garbage 18650's . get brand name like samsung or LG , other brand name. the mAh in the ultra fires are a lie! 18650's are 4.2 volts charged and 3 volts dead. 3.6 is resting voltage. also there not great in below average room temp, special a fridge.
Yeah, Titan needs to provide appropriate batteries, and not just make the consumer have to pick themselves and hope they work. The buyer shouldn't have to be a battery expert.
Same batteries used in vape devices. You can get batteries and chargers at any vape store.