Thanks everybody for the great info!  Especially the photo set linked
below.  I somehow missed that one before.

How do you guys handle the little door on the city water fan
setup?  It sounds like you run it even while driving?

Phil says:
>The material for this was sourced at a FLAPS. Aluminized ceramic
>cloth with a velcro
>zipper. Cut to length and wrap around bare Al exhaust pipe.

I want to look at that product at the FLAPS, what purpose is it sold
for?  I thought about the exhaust wrap tape but worry it might not be
good for indoors given the previous warnings about some insulation
causing a smell there.

Running my fridge outside the van I was impressed at the amount of
air convecting straight up the back.  Works great with unlimited free
air available...

Edward

At 01:03 PM 9/25/2011, neil n wrote:
>I followed other peoples leads by:
>
>- installing a city water fan
>- improving insulation behind fridge and making a channel to improve
>air flow (first and second pic starting here:):
>
>  https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/DometicPics#5508482295562306834
>
>I think this helps to make city water and stock Dometic fan a bit more
>efficient in pulling cooler air from floor area of van up and past
>rear of fridge and of course, pulling hotter air away from rear of
>fridge.
>
>Caveat to the "channel":  I leave the city water fan on almost all the
>time in hot weather as the "channel" may be a double edged sword; it
>allows fan to pull air mostly from channel area, and not surrounding
>areas, but also may not allow as much natural air movement
>(convection) and/or may contain air warmed by fridge and sun hitting
>side of van.
>
>Phil Zimmerman pointed me toward insulating the exhaust tube. Maybe
>that race car exhaust insulating tape would work? Be careful what you
>use. Roger Sisler commented (archives) that using non stock fiberglass
>insulation here:
>
>https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/DometicPics#5308396270878924818
>
>caused a bad smell when fridge running. Maybe exhaust tape would smell?
>
>Taking Alistairs cue I re did the insulation behind the fridge. Not
>that scientific, but pointing my IR gun at bare panel and insulated
>yielded quite a difference in temps
>
>https://picasaweb.google.com/musomuso/DometicPics#5364783078257333666
>
>I redid that particular insulation with blue rigid foam.
>
>Neil.