Norcold 3-Way Fridge Exhaust Fan Kit

JiroTX

If your Norcold 3-Way refrigerator is creating a lot of heat on your countertop/sink/cabinets, you should contact LittleGuy and ask for the refrigerator Fan Kit. You will receive a side vent with a fan attached to it and should be able to install it yourself (or at your dealer).

These are the parts you will receive from LittleGuy. You will need 13/16" drill bit, square screwdriver (S2) and caulking/caulking remover).





I am also attaching the installation instructions (FanKitInstall.pdf).
Here's their instruction video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=afQqYz88RpM

Original Post:
http://www.tab-rv.com/forum#/discussion/1402/just-got-a-2015-outback/p1

Verna

Thank you, Jiro. 

Nomad

Yep - Thanks - Keep us all posted on how the install goes.

Cyclonic

Great info, thanks Jiro!

ChanW

Thanks Jiro. Please let us know how well it keeps your counter cool, especially when the Norcold is in LP mode.

JiroTX

Ok, I just installed the fan kit.

I peeked inside after I removed the old vent slots... There's a pretty big gap between the fridge and the front panel. I thought adding some insulation there could prevent heat coming from the front panel...


I don't know if you can see this or not, very back of this picture (left side of the fridge) has some insulations, but it is covering only half of the side of the cabinet under the sink. So only insulation I saw was the back right side of the cabinet under the sink....


Now, I tried to install the fan kit, but it just didn't fit there. The fan was too big (sticking out of the frame of the vent), and I had to scrape the panel and push it really hard to make it fit. Because the panel/metal frame was pushing the fan, it did not run. I pulled it out (it was really hard to put it out) and scraped some more and finally got it working. Anyway, I was able to install it and now it's running and pushing a pretty good amount of air out of the area.






I had the A/C on with a little clip fan since 1pm.


I finished the installation at 6:30pm and started the fridge. Inside my T@b was pretty cool with the A/C and the fan even though the outside temp was 98F.

I let the fridge running with the A/C and fan on for 2 hours and checked the temperature. Initial temp inside the fridge was over 90F.




This is just after 2 hours. I think this is acceptable. I touched the countertop, but it wasn't hot at all. It was a little bit warm but was completely acceptable.





Ok, this was the only place that was still hot.


I turned off the A/C at 8:30pm and left the fridge running with the new fan on. I will check the temp around 11pm and check the temp again.

Nomad

When you say you "scraped the panel" are you talking about the T@B wall panel? Enlarging the hole slightly?

Nomad

Was it hard to wire in? Where did you mount the on/off switch?

JiroTX

Yes, scraping the body panel to make the hole bigger.
Wiring was pretty easy. You will immediately see the yellow and white wires when you remove the old vent. I just followed the instructions and installed the switch right about the fridge control panel. If the opening for the vent is large enough, you can probably install this in less than 30 mins.

Nomad

Cool.
No pun intended;-)

Nomad

By the way, good job on the pics - Thanks

JiroTX

Update at 11pm (2.5 hours after shutting of the A/C and the clip fan; the newly installed fridge fan is still running):
I did say "Wow."




The countertop and the cabinet under the sink were still warm, but not as bad as before:






I just cut of the newly installed fridge vent fan. The other fridge fan immediately started running. I will check the temp before I go to bed and post it here.

JiroTX

Update at 12:15 (75 mins after shutting down the new vent fan; a/c off):
So, the vent fan kit works pretty good. If your countertop is warmer than normal, you really need to give it a try.

TnMtnCmper

Thank you for posting all of this info. I am gonna have to do this also, since I have the same problem.

Do you have any info concerning the how many amps the little fan uses? A dual golf cart battery setup may also be in my future!

ChanW

Jiro, thanks for the detailed info.

The last set of photos that show 97, 100, and 102 degrees, I take it that your AC is no longer on? What was the outdoor temp at that point? Why is the counter so hot in these last photos?

JiroTX

TnMtnCmper:
I am not sure how many amps it uses, but it is a small computer fan. I assume it is less than 1.5W. So 1.5W/12V=0.125A (or 125mA) at most. I'm just guessing...

ChanW:
The last set of pictures were with A/C off and the newly installed fan off. I was just testing to see how much heat it produces in an hour if I shut down the vent fan.

Jiro

ChanW

Ah, I see. I guess I don't read so well...

Thanks.

bgualtieri

Thanks Jiro for ALL of your work. My totally excellent dealer - Tom's Camperland in PHX just got the kit for my rig and Andy is going to install tomorrow. I told Andy that I'd send him a link to this thread just in case he wanted to check it out.

JiroTX

bgualtieri,

I asked Scott and Ed from LG about the fan sticking out of the vent bracket and insulation around the fridge. I wanted to add some insulation between the fridge and front panel but was wondering that would cause some issues with air flow.

****Here's their answer****
Yes, we are looking for a smaller fan – this is what we had in stock and are looking for something ¼” shorter.

The front panel already has insulation in the roof panels but if you want you could add more, I’m not aware that we install any insulation on the cabinet divider panels at all.

I believe it could be done if you wish it would help cut back on heat transferring the rest of the cabinet. (you would need to pull the fridge to do it and that isn’t an easy tasks with the vent pipes going out the front of trailer)

It shouldn’t be a problem with air flow.

There is a hole coming up from the bottom of the cabinet that provides fresh air intake for the fridge cabinet be careful that doesn’t get covered up in any way.

****end****

I was thinking about cutting insulation in pieces and just drop them in between the front panel and fridge when I removed the vent. You might want to bring some insulation and ask the dealer to stick it in there when they replace the vent. It is easily reachable.

But remember, installing the fan itself make a huge difference. Adding some more insulation is just an option you might want to consider if you camp under direct sunlight often.

Jiro

bgualtieri

Well, since we live in the Phoenix area, it's sunshine pretty much all the time unless we drive a good distance!

source3

Just installed the fan upgrade today.  What a pain, I had to trim both the fan housing and the hole in the T@B.  Hey FACTORY, use two smaller fans!  The pdf was helpful for wiring.  However, illuminated rocker switches commonly use the middle terminal for 12v+ coming from the battery.  I switch the red and yellow wires on the switch.  I confirmed that the yellow wire was from the 12v+ battery looking at the Norcold wiring diagram.

R&DAndrews

source3 said:

Just installed the fan upgrade today.  What a pain, I had to trim both the fan housing and the hole in the T@B.  Hey FACTORY, use two smaller fans!  The pdf was helpful for wiring.  However, illuminated rocker switches commonly use the middle terminal for 12v+ coming from the battery.  I switch the red and yellow wires on the switch.  I confirmed that the yellow wire was from the 12v+ battery looking at the Norcold wiring diagram.

That sounds like a great idea.  I know that my husband does this for his computers and it works quite well moving the hot air out. Would probably work just as good with the T@B.

Nomad

Source3 - I think the factory guys said they are sourcing smaller fans - this version of the kit was put out fast with what they had - kudos for a quick response - I guess we should treat this as a beta :-)

R&DAndrews

PXLated said:

Source3 - I think the factory guys said they are sourcing smaller fans - this version of the kit was put out fast with what they had - kudos for a quick response - I guess we should treat this as a beta :-)

So the new 2016's will have the smaller fans once they get them or since the fans are being installed when they are made, it's not an issue?  Just the kits will be made with smaller fans, anyone know?  Since we are special ordering, just wanted to know.

bgualtieri

When we dropped our 2015 for the fan install this afternoon, the service guy said the most recent arrivals were coming with it already installed. They had 8 T@bs on the lot, including a T@bitha and two Sofitels.

Nomad

If you're special ordering, you don't have to worry about it, it'll just be there. Kind of like the A/C fan, don't have a clue what kind of fan's in there.

JiroTX

If you are currently using the 3-way fridge without the vent fan and installing it. You need to test the temperature after the installation and see what temp settings you need to use. Prior to the installation, I was always using the coldest settings. I tried "5" last night and left it running all night. It got down to 24F (when I opened up the fridge, the thermometer said 24F, so I assume the back of the fridge was even colder). I think I am going to use 3-4 from now on. This test was with only 3 bottles of water on the door and basically empty inside, so this might not be the case with the fridge full of food.

bgualtieri

Thanks for the heads up. Our service person/dealer was all booked up yesterday, so we didn't pick it back up yet.

jkjenn

These results make me want to install the kit. Thanks fir the detailed write up.

Verna

I had the new fan/vent installed last week.  The A/C was even cooler at night, and the counter was very much cooler.  There is the on/off switch that is installed above the fridge, so you don't have to use the fan in the winter when the heat can be put to good use. 

Yes, Marvin told me they are making the fan/vent fixtures in-house, and even he and Austin had to trim the walls and still pound the vent into place.  As PXLated said, we're fortunate that we're working with a small company who can make quick changes within a week or so and come up with a solution.  Many larger companies would still be trying to come up with a solution.

And, I did discover that due to the cooler temps last summer, the hot counter was not discovered in the 2014 models until this year with the warmer temps.  Therefore, the problem has surfaced only this year and once again Pleasant Valley listened to what we say on the forum.  I only have praise for their quick response.

jkjenn

I wonder if there is a way we can get notified when they source a smaller fan? I don't really want to have to trim away the wall.