Fridge in lower bay??

I have a 2000 Xl. Plenty of room in the lower bays.

I am thinking of putting a fridge or a Waeco CoolFreeze Portable Fridge Freezer AC/DC CF

in a storage bay. Is there enough ventilation for a fridge compressor to run in a bay? If I need to put

in a vent going through the floor how difficult is that? Also , does anyone have any experience with

these "compresssor coolers"???

Thanks

Jamie

On our previous coach we had a chest type small freezer/refrigerator and AC/DC type. The bay was not vented to the outside, nor did it appear to be necessary.

I have one and it is not vented (that I can tell). Chest fridge / freezer depending upon the temperature you set. Didn't view it as necessary when looking at buses but we really like it and use it constantly. Go for it.

We had a small wine cooler / refrigerator in our bay. The refrigerator had a vent cut into the floor of the compartment with a fan on a thermostat. We never used the refrigerator and removed it last year when we redid the entertainment bay. When running it would generate a fair amout of heat in the bay even with the fan.

Jamie,

A very good topic. I have a small AC/DC freezer located in the lower bay of my Country Coach. The freezer works well in the winter, but ventilation would make it work better in the summer. I notice that during the summer months, when it is hotter in the bay area, the low temperature achieved by the freezer, will be higher because of the ambient temperature. Mine does not have a vent in the bay, but installing ventilation is on the "to do list".

I also agree with Loc, mine also will generate heat while running, especially during the summer months.


If you do come up with ideas to add ventilation, please post pictures or I will do the same if I get to the job before you do.

Hector

The ventilation for our refrigerator was simply a round approximately 7 inch hole cut into the floor of the bay with a wire mesh on the outside and a plastic (steel wool like) mesh filling the hole with a wire cover over the top. The ventilation hole was directly at the back of the refrigerator adjacent to the compressor. The fan was a computer type electric fan that had an electric thermostat. When activated the fan blew the hot air from around the compressor outside of the bay. I assume that it pulled air from the passenger compartment into the bay when the fan was running. I did not find any addition ventilation in the bay.

Jamie, we've had one for a long time that I have moved from one coach to another over the years. Ventilation has never been an issue and the unit works great.

The bays, unless modified by the converter should be sealed from both the coach living space as well as outdoors. Exceptions to this generally are vents related to the generator, ventilation provided for batteries, and Cruise Airs.

When vents are added, the vented area will soon have a film of all the road dust and debris all over it unless the venting is of an isolated enclosure with its own air intake and exhaust. That coating is subtle and takes time, but it finds its way inside.

Any refrigeration needs air for the condensing coils, but if I felt the need for outside cooling air I would insure the refrigerator to be vented was within an enclosure sealed from the rest of the bay, and that that enclosure had a dedicated air supply and exhaust. One thing to note about bay venting. When cool air is needed most, such as in the summer in the southwest, the heat radiating off the highway far exceeds the internal temperatures of an unvented bay. I would make every attempt to bring supply air to the refrigerator from the bay door, and exhaust from the bottom. Pulling superheated air from the highway in the summer is unlikely to be beneficial. That is why Cruise Airs will shut down when used for cooling while traveling. I'm not sure I would want to punch slots in my bay door just to cool a refrigerator.

Jamie,

I put an AC/DC portable fridge in your bay for a few trips and had to remove it. It just couldn't cool enough because of excessive heat in the bay. Maybe venting is the answer, but Jon brings up some good points.

I thought a refrig in the bay was important when buying a bus. Now after having it I would rather have the storage room it takes up in the bay. It works fine, but goes unused. Planing on taking it out, but when????
I don't know if it is vented or not.


JIM