3 Way Fridge Caravan Mod: KLEVACOOL Caravan Fridge Fans | Review and Install | Caravan Tips

แชร์
ฝัง
  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ธ.ค. 2024

ความคิดเห็น • 69

  • @foss5011
    @foss5011 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    G'day Brad. I also have the Klevacool internal & external fans fitted to my van for my 183L Dometic 3 way fridge. Can I offer a couple of suggestions to improve the efficiency of your fridge with the fans fitted? (1) Grab some roof insulation from the BGS or similar and completely fill/seal the sides and top of your fridge to stop heat from going around the sides and over the top. (2) At the top of the fridge, you have a sizeable gap b/w the outside van wall & the condensor fins. Dometic states the fins should be from memory no more than 25mm b/w van wall & fins. You have what looks like about 100mm. Make up an angled deflector from thin sheet metal from the outside wall upwards to the fins of the condensor. This will force all rising air through the fins & not bypass them in the blank air space in front of them. The more air you can get passing through the fins, the more efficient the cooling process will be. I also made a curved shroud that sits on top of the fridge & curves outwards to the vent. This creates a smoother path for the rising hot air to be expelled through the vents. If you have a look at Dometic's install instructions, you will see these hints. Apologies for the long winded comment. Hard to condense everything down. Cheers. Dave

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hi Dave & appreciate the tips! I had a look in the manual and you are spot on. When park up for a bit I will definitely have a look at doing this. I have also heard positive things regarding the insulation. Thanks for the comment mate 😊

  • @bradyfilm
    @bradyfilm ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Yep, I think this is a must have if you are running a three way fridge..
    Well done on the review mate.👍👍

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Cheers Brady! We are pretty happy with the benefits that come with these fans & will recommend them to anyone who has issues with their 3 way.. seems to be most people I talk to 😂 Also keen to see the longevity of the units, the fans don't seem to be running flat out so most likely programmed that way for a better life span.

  • @robertarmbruster5650
    @robertarmbruster5650 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Another great episode, thanks for your rundown on the absorption fridge. The fins up top on the outside of the fridge is the condenser, where you remove heat from the ammonium gas and condense it back to a liquid where it runs into the evaporator with heat collecting fins (extending the heat conducting surfaces) inside the top of your fridge. heat in turn from food stuffs and insulation heat leakage evaporates the liquid again to gas to remove heat from products being cooled, latent heat of vapourisation. The fans are a very good idea, but not much helps on those high temp and high humidity days. The internal fans are a good idea, without them all you have is convection heat transfer, energy travels from a hot spot to a cold spot.

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Great thorough run through mate, explained it much better than I could have off the top of my head!

  • @discoveringwa2204
    @discoveringwa2204 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Thanks for that, Brad. I bought the fans, and your review vid was a great help to fit

  • @tonyfindlay1225
    @tonyfindlay1225 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Keep up the good work, my experience over the last 10 years with a 3 way fridge has been good, I have a Tropical rated fridge, check for a T on the sticker inside the fridge, I did fit computer fans but zip clipped then to the inlet and outlet vents with a small toggle switch inside the van, I am using Engel wireless thermometer to monitor the temps, with the 12 volt operation, I upgraded the wiring with a Anderson plug and heavy wiring from the towbar to the fridge, their was a bad voltage drop to the fridge from new, the way to test the voltage properly is the check the voltage with the car running, then turn the fridge to 12 volt operation, my voltage went down to 10.5 volts, get your volt meter out and test, my fridge will maintain 6 deg all day while towing. Your gas usage seems high, the biggest user of gas is the hot water, I only turn on in the morning for a shower and dishes then off till even shower then turn off, if your gas hot water is turning on and off 24 hours that would chew up the gas, I often hear gas hot water going even in caravan parks when you can heat the water for free on 240 volt, I hope this info helps

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey mate! Thanks for leaving a comment & i value your input massively. I want to test this out, do i check the voltage on the fridge somewhere? As for the gas, I never give it much thought, just accepted we get 10/11 days out of a bottle. Admittedly we are probably pretty heavy users of the gas, run the hot water once or twice a day, use oven and stove inside regularly and fridge runs on gas 95% of the time. What sort of life do you get out of a bottle? Unfortunately for whatever reason our suburban unit is one without the 240v function... it is gas only which is a bit of a bummer!

    • @tonyfindlay1225
      @tonyfindlay1225 ปีที่แล้ว

      Another thought check your 12 volts element is working, remove and test direct to the battery, see if it heats up

  • @andyhopper2100
    @andyhopper2100 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    spot on !! you gave all the answers I was looking for :) cheers mate

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Glad to hear it! Thanks Andy 😊

    • @andyhopperart470
      @andyhopperart470 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@our.australia.trip. …And have just bought the triple interior fan :)
      Thanks again mate 👍👍

  • @thervmate3326
    @thervmate3326 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Hi mate, first of all nice channel! To give you another advice...it's a pain in the ass job but get the fridge out...turn it upside down for 24 hours. (Has to do sth with chems inside the pipes)
    Also get the heatsink inside the fridge out and put on some new thermal paste on it!
    This + your fans will make your fridge ice cold on gas! I did the same with mine...best result!
    All the best from Germany! :)

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks for the tips mate!! Hope your enjoying your weekend over there & getting into a stein!! 🍻🤙🏼

  • @wellfuladventures
    @wellfuladventures ปีที่แล้ว +1

    What a awesome video guys we will defiantly be looking into installing this before we start the lap later in the year

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks guys! How exciting 🙌🏼
      See you on the road 😁

  • @cruisin_our_country
    @cruisin_our_country ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Great review Brad👍

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks Steve. Something different for the channel & hopefully helpful for the people like us who want to improve our 3 way fridges performance!

  • @ronrogers9610
    @ronrogers9610 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Interesting video I been thinking of doing that to my fridge but haven't found anyone who has done it to see if it works also where did you get the expansion ladder from thanks Ron

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Gday Ron. Hope it helps in making your decision. Snowys.com. It is the ducks nuts. I just checked and they are out of stock. I'll leave the product description here: AUSTRALIAN RV TELESCOPIC ALUMINIUM LADDER 3.2M

    • @ronrogers9610
      @ronrogers9610 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@our.australia.trip. thanks yes it does help all the best Ron

  • @yamumatittys
    @yamumatittys ปีที่แล้ว +1

    That would be a lot cheaper than buying a new fridge, awesome idea

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Too right, new 12v compressor fridge is around $3000, plus an extra 200AH of battery to run it $2300, not to mention solar to feed that... it stacks up pretty quick! On the other hand $300/400 worth of fans is a no brainer for us at this point!

  • @jpowyer
    @jpowyer 2 หลายเดือนก่อน

    May I ask where did you get the smart hydrometer from please? Thank you

  • @brendan7007
    @brendan7007 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Hi Brad this is a great review, a couple of questions. Does the internal fan stay fixed in position whilst traveling? as the clips on the video don't appear to be that strong. The other is do you run the factory fans along with the after-market product? and does this also help? Where do you recommend placing the internal thermostat?

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      The clips are metal and very solid & secure. The internal fan is really quite tight when attached to the fins and the fan shroud loops over the top of the fins stopping any up/down movement. We have been bombing some pretty corrugated roads too & have had no movement whatsoever. Yes I run the factory fans, I think why not if they are there.. Although the factory fans are much nosier. You can hear them running from the inside of the fan. The Klevacool fans are very quiet and you cannot hear them running. I have the thermostat mounted in the same place you saw in the install on the shroud as I have a secondary thermostat located in the door. If only running one thermometer, Split the difference I reckon and mount it somewhere in the middle of the fridge.

    • @brendan7007
      @brendan7007 ปีที่แล้ว +2

      @@our.australia.trip. Thank you, I appreciate the response👍👍

    • @grahamkemsley5381
      @grahamkemsley5381 ปีที่แล้ว

      @our.australia.trip. did the internal fan stop the fins from icing up and which direction is the air flow blowing

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@grahamkemsley5381 It does exactly that & works a treat. The fan blows toward the door which is where you want to direct the cool air 😄

  • @jorjimaco5331
    @jorjimaco5331 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I run it on my 240v inverter while travelling and caravan parks. Gas free camping, not using 12v power anymore.

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey Jorji, I did try this after your suggestion in a previous video. It seemed to chew through our battery though. What sort of electrical system are you running?

  • @adamplummer7369
    @adamplummer7369 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi Brad, Does it suck in much dust on dirt roads ?

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Hi Adam, we use dust covers over the vents when on dirt roads. However we do run the fans pretty well 24/7 & they have very minimal dust. The dust in SA is like talcum powder by the way 😂

  • @wwfgumby
    @wwfgumby ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Does runing the wire through the drain hole block it ?

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      It is a tight fit, but haven't had any issues with water in the fridge

  • @adamvincent6005
    @adamvincent6005 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    G'day guys ..first of all thanks for the great vids..question is there a mesh between the van and the fans at all? As 12 volt fans attract dust and clog easily plus bugs etc..also do you guys put an outside cover over them when not running in very dusty conditions while driving ? Thanks Adam &Julie ...

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  10 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      No mesh, that would probably enable the accumulation of dust etc. I run the fans non stop for 12mths without cleaning them & regularly inspected them. Strangely there was never an accumulation of dust there. We always used vent covers when travelling on dirt roads.

    • @adamvincent6005
      @adamvincent6005 10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      @@our.australia.trip. thanks guys appreciate it. Keep up the great work and enjoy yourselves ..thanks again

  • @karenedson2198
    @karenedson2198 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I’m wondering if you have noticed any reduction in the amount of gas you’re using if the fridge is now running more efficiently?

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      We have picked up an extra day on our gas bottles. I expect this to only increase as we run into the cooler months and run the fridge on a lower setting 😁👍🏼
      I’ll be keeping and eye on & will keep you posted if I remember!

    • @karenedson2198
      @karenedson2198 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@our.australia.trip. Very interesting, it’s a win win because it will pay for itself!

  • @lachlanmcfarlane7579
    @lachlanmcfarlane7579 ปีที่แล้ว

    Hi Brad just wondering if you've noticed a significant difference in the fridge temps

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Hey mate, yes 16:10 onwards goes through our testing and results

  • @jamescullis
    @jamescullis ปีที่แล้ว

    Good vid guys, off the topic, what brand of ladder did you go with?

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Hi James. It’s an Australian RV 3.2m telescopic aluminium ladder. It’s the best 🙌🏼

  • @samdee2974
    @samdee2974 9 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Why cant I mount the INTERNAL fans on the side wall rather than the fins

  • @sharonwoodall6223
    @sharonwoodall6223 11 หลายเดือนก่อน

    Hey guys does your discount code still work ?

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  10 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Hi Sharon, we never had a discount code for Klevacool

  • @michaelf5292
    @michaelf5292 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Aldinga/Silver Sands! 🙂

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Good eye mate! A cracking morning there by the way 🙏😁

    • @michaelf5292
      @michaelf5292 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      I'm a local! LOL. If near Second Valley gimme a bell! 🙂

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@michaelf5292 We most definitely will be back mate. We did spend a few hours in there when we stayed at Rapid Bay and filmed a whole section of an episode on SV. However some numbnuts deleted all the footage 😳😅

    • @michaelf5292
      @michaelf5292 ปีที่แล้ว

      @@our.australia.trip. That'll happen! LOL Best Wishes :-)

  • @bennylaz1
    @bennylaz1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I think its awesome that we spend 100000 on a caravan and you have to spend money on it to make the fridge work satisfactorily. My fridge in my caravan retails for 3500, its circulation is shit

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah they are pretty poor the old 3 ways. Some don’t have an issue, but sounds like we are the unlucky ones

  • @Accolades70
    @Accolades70 ปีที่แล้ว

    hmmmmmm

  • @argonengineering9378
    @argonengineering9378 หลายเดือนก่อน

    I'm curious to know if you realise you already have two exhaust fans of this model of fridge?
    you're saying efficient but you aren't taking into account the power draw of the fans. Not that it matters, but anything added adds to power draw. Gas fridges are trash always have been always will be replace it with a compressor you'll be much happier, those fans would probably draw more power than the entire compressor fridge. You wont have to worry about your food, spend the extra money you paid for this unit to put more solar on the roof. Gas fridges in the NT are a waste of time.
    Replacing your fridge is gonna cost $2000ish
    more solar on the roof $300
    bottles of gas p/y 36x$26=$1008
    running on 12v roughly 17amps per hour when running, not including fans.
    Compressor replacement fridge = 2amps on average an hour = 48amps p/day
    Worth the investment if you are living and traveling in your van, and it takes the stress out of worrying if your food is going to spoil. not sure why they even put gas fridges in vans anymore we used them back in the day because we didn't have solar or genies, times have changed, we now have lithium batteries and small solar panels that work even in cloudy days.
    Good video though.

  • @jimmycook872
    @jimmycook872 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I find this highly uncompelling. The newer fridges will work up to 43 degrees C ambient temperature and cool down to -15.
    Maybe you should look into buying a newer more efficient model. LOL

    • @our.australia.trip.
      @our.australia.trip.  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      I address this at 22:46. I think you missed the point though. This video is for the many people who do not wish to replace their fridge.

    • @jorjimaco5331
      @jorjimaco5331 ปีที่แล้ว +5

      It’s not just a new fridge it’s lithium batteries to run a fridge for 10 days without any sun so 3,500 k turns into 10k quick.

    • @jimmycook872
      @jimmycook872 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@our.australia.trip. but isn't that classed as false economy.
      The results were inconclusive the benefit didn't outweigh the cost and time to install that.
      You could say that's misleading what you stated. LOL

    • @jimmycook872
      @jimmycook872 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      @@jorjimaco5331 I'm not sure what you're trying to say but these fridges run mainly on gas and 240v. 12v only during transport.
      LOL

    • @bennylaz1
      @bennylaz1 ปีที่แล้ว

      New compressor fridges cost 3000 odd dollars and their circulation fans aren't worth a pinch of shit. Almost useless. Very disappointing for the price. Mine is a dometic compressor. 1 year old.