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Fridge fitting

Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 16:25
by Louey
I want to fit a RM123 3 way fridge in my van but not sure about the venting and flue stuff.

The only space for my fridge is in the middle of my kitchen unit wich sits behind the front seats. - see photo

Image

its a twin slider too. Any ideas before I shell out cash for a 3 way fridge????

Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 16:29
by R0B
dont think it will work there mate.as you need the flue/vent to go on one side of the van.i think you will have to make do with a 12v/240v one

Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 19:38
by Louey
bugger - thats no good for wild camping

Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 19:54
by R0B
not sure if you need a flue with this type.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Combicool-3-Way-C ... dZViewItem

Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 19:58
by Louey
looks good but I would have to completely rebuild my unit

(gets thinking hat on)

Posted: 22 Jun 2006, 19:59
by dbroada
must be the in thing, fridges in twin sliders. You may get some ideas http://sbmcc.co.uk/forum/index.php?showtopic=14343 from this post.

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 10:14
by SteveW
Yep
I am trying to fit a flue to my fridge in a twin slider. But mine is against the door not in the middle of the van as Louey's is. From what I have been told and read do not risk using gas without a proper flue. The fumes will kill you. :cry:

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 10:15
by Louey
I understand the risks thats why I'm asking now and not playing with lives later.

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 11:09
by Horza
Rob, louey; I have one of them and unfortunately it still has a flue.

I can't see as how you have a lot of choices TBH.

You could attempt to manufacture a flue that rises all the way from the fridge to the side of the van at enough of an angle to draw the fumes and then try and find a way out round the B pillar. You'd probably want a qualified fitter person to check this at least if so.

You could do what I do, buy the box and bob it outside when on Gas. You may have to create a cover for it and lock it down to the van also.

You could run your flue straight up and out through the hightop. This may sound like madness but why not? You could make it pretty, chrome perhaps, disguise it or use it to hang mugs on at the bottom and a flat screen TV on at the top. You don't have a walk through any way so what's it going to obstruct?

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 12:47
by dbroada
a potential problem of extending your flue up is that the gas could cool too much. This could then prevent the new gas escaping as quickly as it could.

I have been told I'm talking rubbish here by somebody on JK (must be rubbish, he does it that way) but I would still not do it.

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 13:24
by Horza
I worried about that with both my long pipe proposals. Warm gas only rises as long as it is warmer and lighter than the surrounding air. In a flue though there is no surrounding air, only flue gasses. Cold flue gasses are heavier than warm ones so I would have thought that in any long flue situation you may end up with the system dying under it's own weight as it were. Chimnies and traditional flues rely on draw, air moving over the top of the chimney produces low pressure drawing the gas out. I don't know if this applies in this case or what factors affect it.

We need someone with some combustion gas engineering experience!!

Somthing else occured to me though, older caravans had gas heaters with an under floor flue, no top or side entry required. I wonder how this worked? If it were possible to recreate this you could put the fridge anywhere.

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 13:42
by dbroada
Horza wrote:Somthing else occured to me though, older caravans had gas heaters with an under floor flue, no top or side entry required. I wonder how this worked? If it were possible to recreate this you could put the fridge anywhere.
maybe that's why you don't see old caravanners. :lol:

I'm glad to find somebody else who agrees with me on hot flue gasses!

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 15:10
by kevtherev
Gas ..any gas will move toward a low pressure area. how about some sort of under floor extraction, with the gas moving into a plenum /chamber, then extracted using an electric fan. A fan would create low pressure in the plenum.

Posted: 23 Jun 2006, 17:59
by Tex Ritter
You could always fit extractor fans to your vent !

Tex Ritter

Posted: 25 Jun 2006, 20:09
by kevtherev
Well tell us Leon...............?