Ventilation for 12V/24V Fridges & Freezers
Caravan and camping 12V/24V fridges use less power if they are externally vented in your car, caravan, motorhome or camper. The warmer it is behind your fridge or freezer, the more power you use, it really is that simple.
Your fridge is taking heat from inside the cabinet and getting rid of it through the compressor and heat exchanger. If all of that heat is trapped behind the fridge, the fridge has to keep working in hotter and hotter air.
Bushman describes airflow around the compressor area as critical once a 12V/24V fridge is installed into an enclosed space, and says good ventilation helps the fridge use less power and cool more consistently.
I Would Always Recommend External Venting
I would always recommend external venting on caravans, motorhomes or campers whenever the fridge is locked up in a hot van or canopy. A caravan can get up into the high 40s when it is locked up all day in the middle of summer.
Now think about where your fridge is. It may be sitting inside a cabinet with a compressor producing heat at the back and nowhere for that hot air to go. The compressor may still keep the fridge cold, but it is going to work harder and run longer to do it. That means more power out of your batteries.
Bushman gives exactly the same advice for 4WD canopy installations: lower temperatures and better airflow make it easier for the fridge to do its job and reduce the amount of power it needs.
Get the Hot Air Out
Good ventilation is not just putting a small gap behind the fridge and hoping for the best. You want cool air to be able to get into the fridge area and, just as importantly, you want the hot air to be able to get out. This becomes even more important when an upright or drawer fridge is built tightly into cabinetry. There needs to be a path for air to move around the compressor and heat exchanger instead of the same hot air being continually trapped behind the fridge.
Bushman's own installation guidance calls for as close to unrestricted airflow around the compressor area as practical. See this extraction from the Bushman owner's manual for the DC-X-HD series, on page 6:
Portable Camping Fridges Need Air Too
Also allow a gap around your portable camping fridges so they can breathe. Don't pack the fridge tightly between or against boxes, chairs, bedding and camping gear and then wonder why it seems to be running all the time. The vents and compressor area need clear air around them. The same applies when a portable fridge lives permanently in the back of a car, 4WD or canopy.
A little thought about airflow can make a big difference, especially in the Sunshine State, Queensland summer ☀️. Ventilation for 12V/24V fridges & freezers matters, especially in the heat.
See below a customer's camping fridge set up in their ute, with a spacer between the seat and fridge. Also note that they have zip-tied the seat belt to the handles to keep it from covering the vents:
Before you Install. think about Ventilation for 12V/24V Fridges & Freezers
If you are fitting a 12V or 24V compressor fridge into a caravan, motorhome, camper or 4WD canopy, think about the ventilation before the fridge goes in. It is much easier (and cheaper) to allow for proper airflow during the installation than to try and fix an overheating fridge cavity afterwards.
If you're not sure what your fridge needs, talk to The Fridge Whisperer about your application.
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