Club 80-90 Forums

After stripping out the interior of my van because of the normal rot caused by condensation from fridge , I have finally got all the welding done and am now starting to put it all back together.

On the weekend i cut the bottom louvred fridge vent into the new panel (had bottom section of side panel replaced) and lined inside with thermo wrap insulation.
Then , fitted new strip of ply onto floor , adjacent to panel.

Went visiting across london yesterday in the rain and noticed that the new ply was soaked
Couldnt work it out at first but then got my wife to watch as we drove back home. She said you could , literally , see the spray coming in off of the road and in through the bottom vent and even the top vent!!!

So , although i appreciate that the whole fridge condensation thing is an issue , it got me thinking that that is not the only problem!
Was really suprised at how much water came in through those vents on a rainy day. Of course , would never normally see it when the cupboards are all in-situ.
It seems that for the last 22 years the area behind the fridge has been getting soaked whenever the van was driven it the rain!!!

So , now gonna source some winter covers for those louvred vents cos i reckon they could be causing as much of a proplem as the fridge!!!

Just thought i would share my thoughts with you all!!
Food for thought , aye?

Yeah I keep meaning to buy some vent covers but never seem to get round to it

cool cheers

i never under stood the ned for a lower vent as well as a top one?

aids air circulation, warm out top, cold in lower

1664 wrote:aids air circulation, warm out top, cold in lower

aw my vans got enough draughts as it is lol

i have the vent covers, i leave them on most of the year, it really dont get warm enough in this so called "global warming" to need any vents for the fridge.........infact im going to remove the lower one, and pop a patch in there before the respray

mine only has a top vent and the fridge works fine on gas, westies dont have louvered vents do they?

Mocki wrote:i have the vent covers, i leave them on most of the year, it really dont get warm enough in this so called "global warming" to need any vents for the fridge.........infact im going to remove the lower one, and pop a patch in there before the respray

Blimey , i have just cut that vent in!
Do you want the bit of metal i just cut out?! Could be a perfect fit!

joshb wrote:mine only has a top vent and the fridge works fine on gas, westies dont have louvered vents do they?

There is a joker just up the road and that has no vents at all!
He says he uses the fridge all the time and has no problems!
I found that out as he reckoned i was wasting my time in cutting that bottom vent in on saturday! Bit bloody late though!!

My fridge does not have any outside vents other than the one from the gas flue.

There is a gap under the fridge and therefore draws in the cooling air from the floor of the interior, the usual space at the back where the cooling fins are and a space at the top (which in my camper is under the sink). There is then a vent above the fridge front allowing the warmed air to come into the van and keep us nice and warm.

Certainly, in the UK there is never any problem about the fridge not being cold enough or the van being too warm. In the south of France we just leave a side louvered window open and the roof vent open to keep the interior a bit cooler, when we leave the van parked.

Can't see there is really any need for exterior vents, but you may have a bigger fridge than mine.

Trundletruc.

Hi,
Before I fitted my new fridge I painted the woodwork in the area behind the fridge with primer, undercoat and top coat. That way any moisture that gets in, condensation or rain, should not do any harm. I also used sealant where floor and cupboards meet van sides.
Don