Screen on fridge vents?

Rolltide82

I have a 2017 outback with the 2 square fridge vents to the right of the door.  I noticed there is no screen to keep bugs out.   Has anyone added any?  If so how?

Jdcouple

Been wanting to do this as well but haven't really noticed any bugs. I wanted it more for wasp/mud dobbers I guess. 

ChrisK

Both the one that came with my T@b and the replacement one that NuCamp sent me with the fan in it had the screen. Are you sure its not there? Its not right at the front but near the back of the vent.

Rolltide82

Nope..I took them off and you can see the condenser I assume.  No screen whatsoever.  Do you have the square vents or the older round?

ScottG

Unlike the older Norcold models, I think the newer ones (i.e., the ones with the two vents behind the door) feature closed ductwork between the intake and the exhaust. That doesn't mean the ductwork won't fill up with bugs, but they shouldn't find their way into the cabin.

Somebody with a newer model correct me if I'm wrong on this!

Mae

i put screen on and held in place with HVAC tape   not the best but it works

Rolltide82

I was thinking about that same route...I just found a stink bug and 2 spiders in there so..  I'll give it a shot if I can find my aluminum tape

ChanW

Yeah, definitely screen those vents! Rumor has it that the mud daubers are attracted to propane exhaust... They can make a mess in any tube/opening.

I went over the whole shebang and covered every tube and vent I could find with course screening...

However, the screen over the Alde intake/exhaust vent and the fridge intake and exhaust covers I made removable, and we take them off when in use, so's not to hinder combustion. 

It seems the Alde especially is sensitive to air-fuel mixture.

Roamey

Screen I cut out and just placed inside vent cover, then reattached. The black is an air filter to prevent the refrigerator flame from blowing out, it didn't work ☹️. 

Rolltide82

I pretty much did the same thing tonight after I found my tape.   I actually put a pedistal fan next to my door and blow air through the vents.  Not sure if it helps or not but....this weekend it will be 95 degrees...gotta love middle Ga camping

4ncar

My 2018 320s was lacking. I epoxied window screen to both fridge vents almost the 1st week I had it....

dhauf

My new 2019 doesn’t have the screens either, just checked today.  I will be installing them, don’t want wasps and things building nests inside.  Great idea whoever mentioned it first!

Homebodyatheart

These screens are another item I check before towing because I’ve had one disappear on a long drive. I still want to add screening.

CJvagabond

What type screening material did you use @Roamey? Does matter if it is fiberglass screening or must it be metal? I just bought mine and watched a wasp fly into it the other day. I put plastic wrap over it for now. It's not being used. 

Roamey

I used the metal which holds its shape and stays put once I pressed it in place. Just put holes in it for the vent attachment clips. 

CJvagabond

Sounds good. Thanks a lot.

Bayliss

@CJvagabond , this is what @BrianZ did:

https://tab-rv.vanillacommunity.com/discussion/8261/permanent-screens-for-exterior-vents

He did a fantastic job.  Very clean.  I was thinking of doing the same thing, but have decided not to, because I would have to remove the frame of the vent cover, which is sealed in place with caulk, to accomplish that modification.  I want to be able to easily access the compartment in that area for cleaning by turning the twist locks and removing the exterior cover.  Therefore, I am going to do something similar to what @Roamey did, using a slightly heavy metal screen (not lightweight household window screen) with approximately 1/8" (or close to that) holes.  I have not yet decided if I want to cut a single rectangular piece of screen to fit the whole vent, or cut strips of screen to cover each individual section of vent opening.  If I do not find a better way of fastening the screen to the vent cover, I will likely use HVAC tape, which is how nuCamp sealed the screen on the A/C vent on the upper driver side wall of my 2019 320S.  (Greg) 

CJvagabond

Thank you Greg! That sounds like a good plan and I'll do something similar to that. I don't have the tools for a lot of alterations but will probably add them along the way. The tape sounds like something I could do. I have seen that Camco has the long individual screens for each vent but none of their sizes fit the TAB. (Christine)

Bayliss

Yeah, @CJvagabond , it is unfortunate that Camco does not make a screen for ours.  Maybe someday.......  One good thing is that there are a lot of ingenious folks on this forum who find workarounds for just about anything.  I learn something new every day.

CJvagabond

I've been browsing around the site and totally agree. Very clever and ingenious. 

PJ123

  Hi Ya'all ! Just a caution. We have an '18 Boondock with three way box. As we're in a waspy area DW covered the inside of both icebox vents with very lite but fine mesh plastic window screen.  When cooling everything down for the next trip we noticed the three way not cooling well.  It would get down to a certain point then shut down altogether.  Also the counter top next to the door was very hot. 

  Thought possibly a thermostat issue but if so the heated counter didn't fit.  As a last resort I removed the screen and lo and behold all cooled perfectly.  Evidently the screen mesh was fine enough to keep enough heat in to cause an issue.

  I've covered every vent on every RV we've ever owned but this is the first time such fine mesh was used.  Going to redo with a larger mesh metal screen.

ChanW

With a search online you can actually find the specifications for airflow through screening, which explains how screening limits flow.

We've seen how the Alde is sensitive to air-fuel mixture issues, with the "high altitude rumble" syndrome, so for the Alde I used the largest mesh that would still keep out the ladybugs and wasps. (I've since replaced that though, with the pre-formed screen you can get online - discussed in another thread - and have had no issues with the Alde)

Because the three-way can be so persnickety, I only cut plastic covers for the three way intake and exhaust, from gallon maple syrup jugs, and we only remove them when we're camping.

All the other openings I used standard stainless-steel window screening.