ARB 12V fridge airflow requirements

B

bfr

Observer
I will soon be making a fridge purchase for my trailer (my first choice would be the ARB 50) and due to space constraints I have a few questions about its airflow requirements. Essentially for layout purposes my ideal place for the fridge would result in the bottom 2" of one long side being blocked for its entire length. I can space it up to 1" away from the obstruction.

1. Does ARB provide specifications for minimum space between their fridges and obstructions to the (long) side? If so, what are they?

2. Has anyone had problems with fridge performance when their fridge was mounted with an obstruction close to the long side? How much space was required to alleviate these problems?
 
jdzl

jdzl

Member
In our Westy we had the long side up against the passenger bulkhead, so I put some 3/4" wood blocks on that side and never had any issues. If I remember correctly the "vent" wraps around the entire back and about 1/4 of the way up each side so I'd say as long as air can get to it and get away from it (it's not in a sealed box) you should be ok.
 
cnynrat

cnynrat

Expedition Leader
The advice I got when I was planning the installation of my ARB was to leave 2-3" clearance on all sides. There is a vent on the left rear corner of the ARB (facing the control panel) that will exhaust warm air to the left side of the unit. I think I've seen degraded performance when I had items close to that vent that bounced the air back at the fridge, but it's hard to say for sure because there are always many variables involved. I now try to keep at least 3" clearance there, more is probably better.
 
motoz

motoz

Adventurer
bfr said:
I will soon be making a fridge purchase for my trailer (my first choice would be the ARB 50) and due to space constraints I have a few questions about its airflow requirements. Essentially for layout purposes my ideal place for the fridge would result in the bottom 2" of one long side being blocked for its entire length. I can space it up to 1" away from the obstruction.

1. Does ARB provide specifications for minimum space between their fridges and obstructions to the (long) side? If so, what are they?

2. Has anyone had problems with fridge performance when their fridge was mounted with an obstruction close to the long side? How much space was required to alleviate these problems?
Click to expand...

G'day mate we use the 60lt version in our setup. The condensor and cooling unit is at the rear on the LHS. The bottom of the condensor is about 50mm (2") from the base of the housing it is also about 2" in from the outer protective blue plastic grill.

c0fdd607.jpg


I don't think the 2" along the bottom length your talking about will effect performance that much. They do need to have the outer insulated canvas cover to maximize cooling though. A lot seems to escapes through the lid without the thermo cover fitted.
 
B

bfr

Observer
Thank you for your responses. It looks like my layout is workable. Now to pick a vendor...
 
motoz

motoz

Adventurer
jdzl said:
$785 at Amazon.com - Free shipping, no tax :smiley_drive:
Click to expand...

It's crazy that you guys can get them cheaper in the US than we can buy them here in Oz. Especially even with the $AU higher than the $USD at the moment !!!

:(
 
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