On Mon, Mar 2, 2009 at 11:19 AM, Florian Speier
<groups.florian@gmail.com> wrote:
> I just have the kitchen and fridge out of the van as I am fighting rust
> behind it..... so are there procedures I should do while the fridge is
> anyway out? I bought some fridge update valve from gowesty ages ago that i
> guess i will install. should one clean any combustion chambers or what-not?
> there is a really funny fan on the back of the fridge, should one install
> something more modern there? Anything else?
> I am aware it would be best to just junk the fridge and put in a vitrifrigo
> but I don't have that cash at the moment.
>
> florian
>

If it's been more than, say, 2 years, open and clean the combustion
chamber. Lot's in archives about procedure. Check to make sure drain
tube is clear.

Install better insulation? (once rust repair is made)

Check all water connections?

Any wiring you want to put in place for future use?

Maybe take the time to add a little CPU fan to interior (imagine that
the cooling unit is in place!):

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_01e3MpPuKwI/Saw6TE92ivI/AAAAAAAAAEs/tOZeCQgjcpY/s640/DometicInternalFan.jpg

I'm quite sure that it's a great little upgrade.

I used little pieces of 3/8" grey (PVC?) plumbing line bits as
standoffs. I also made this fan switchable.

Re: rear fridge fan

I read an interesting post in the archives from Richard Jones
regarding the rear fan. In essence, he wrote that installing 2 muffin
type fans in place of the stock fan, wasn't any advantage. (possibly
due to them blocking flow of convection air rising up) My
understanding too, is that a CPU case fan (aka muffin fan) may not be
an advantage over the stock design, unless it pushes a fair amount of
CFM and isn't too large. The muffin fan I used, in hindsight, looks
too big. i.e. you can get a general idea from the pic below, that it
is slightly larger than the stock "boat prop" fan, and due to it's
design, likely blocks some of the convection air flow. I think I'd
have been better off with a smaller dimension muffin fan that pushed
more than 33 CFM.

If you swap the fan, the GoWesty upgrade should perform better than
stock. (A similar fan can likely be had from an electronics store)
Just make sure it's not huge, but pushes enough air.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_01e3MpPuKwI/Saw6TQRyHhI/AAAAAAAAAE0/gFnvVypOi-4/s640/DometicRearFanUpgrade.jpg

Part of the mods I did to my Dometic was to add a bypass switch to the
rear fan. Ironically though, when it's hot out (ambient) that fan is
on most of the time anyway.

Cheers,

Neil.

--
Neil Nicholson '81 VanaJetta 2.0 "Jaco"

http://tubaneil.googlepages.com/

http://groups.google.com/group/vanagons-with-vw-inline-4-cylinder-gas-engines