How to Vent everything low profile

SovereignCitizen · 06-25-2011, 05:41 AM

I have been looking at pictures of many different rigs to try and find out how you all are venting fridges and ovens without ugly return vent style louvers on the sides of your vehicles. How is this done? Any links to products like vent hoods or low profile vents for ranges would be greatly appreciated thanks in advance.

dhally · 06-25-2011, 01:44 PM

A range doesn't need a vent. I don't think an electric refrigerator needs a vent. The only thing that really needs a vent is a heater. The Espar, Webasto, and Propex heaters use flexible pipe under the van for venting, which is quite stealthy.

The big vents you see on motorhomes are for propane refrigerators and water heaters.

BACKRDS · 06-25-2011, 05:33 PM

The refrigerator will benefit from a vent of some type. I did a previous post of adding a fan to exchange air behind my Norcold. As an example today in Salt Lake City, outside temp was in the low 80's, and I had the SMB parked in the sun, with the refrigerator running. I have a temperature probe in the space behind the frig, and it registered 122 degrees (fan off). After I turned the fan on (a tiny computer case fan), the temp in back of the frig dropped to the low 90's. That makes a big difference in the run time, and even the ability of the frig to keep things cool.

SovereignCitizen · 06-27-2011, 10:43 PM

thanks for the responses guys. I appreciate how helpful everyone on this forum is. What if one were to run their fridge on propane as well as electricity would it need to be vented then? BACRDS: what do you use to go through the sheet metal to allow the computer fan to vent out?

SovereignCitizen · 06-27-2011, 10:45 PM

My van came with a suburban furnace and it has a two vent plate on the rear passenger side. Old school RV style vent with chrome that is peeling and looks kinda knarly. Any suggestions on using the same holes but getting a new vent?

jage · 06-28-2011, 07:27 AM

That's probably still a standard vent:

and you can just replace it.

I thought 3-way fridges had a vent stack, meaning they actually need a chimney going vertical not just the side vents of the suburban and water heater. But I don't know much about 3-ways...

BACKRDS · 06-28-2011, 09:39 AM

I did not vent to the outside, but just greatly enhanced the air exchange behind the Frig. by adding an opening in the base of the cabinet, then adding a fan. See my earlier post called "Norcold performance improvement".

Steve

dhally · 06-28-2011, 09:42 AM

Here are the vents for the smallest Dometic propane frig. They are mounted as low as possible recommended by Dometic. Obviously they would be more stealthy if painted to match the van.

SovereignCitizen · 06-28-2011, 06:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jage

That's probably still a standard vent:

and you can just replace it.

I thought 3-way fridges had a vent stack, meaning they actually need a chimney going vertical not just the side vents of the suburban and water heater. But I don't know much about 3-ways...

Jage that is what my furnace vent looks like. The two circles in an oval frame. My question to you is what is to the rear of that furnace vent (water heater?) And is the vent behind the rear passenger window near the rain gutter a vent for your fridge?

jage · 06-28-2011, 08:39 PM

Suburban Water Heater - and it's more a cover for the whole works then a vent specifically:

viewtopic.php?f=13&t=2303&hilit=anode

The other one is the porch light. The fridge in mine and most SMBs (past, what, the late 1990s?) are 2-way 12v/110 so they're not vented externally.