HELP Installing Refrigerator
 

HELP!!

Several years ago we purchased a 70's something Hi-Lo. The man we bought it from "restored" it. He removed the refrigerator that came with with camper and replaced it with a standard mini fridge. We have recently bought a three-way camper fridge (Dometic Americana) from a Hi-Lo that was severely damaged and parted out. Do we need to run a gas vent or are the vents on the camper sufficient for venting the gas?

Need advice.

Thanks

d

Venting is VERY important as is the placement of the unit. I would i aspect the u it very carefully and take plenty of notes and pictures. The unit will not run properly for you of the air for venting does not flow across the could. You will need a fresh air vent. This vent must go thru the wall of the trailer. The vent must also have the ability to open from the outside so you can check that everything is operating correctly or to change a part that has failed. This should not happen often but if the card should arise you will need to get behind the the unit to do most repairs. Next thing is a way to get rid of the bad air. Most units have a roof vent for this some do have a wall mount vent.
Please check with the manufacture and follow ALL of the proper venting procedures. The last thing you want is to head out on the road and end up in an emergency room or WORSE. Venting is important to your safety and the proper unit operation don't cut corners here.

Moderator Note: Although this post was deleted earlier I felt it was not spam

Oh my, this post is quite old, I do hope she got the proper advice.

A 3 day forum post is not an old post.

I think she hasn't gotten much response because the hilo refer is an anomaly.
Exhaust is included in the design.
I have rebuilt my refer so have good knowledge.
I wont give any advice about something I can't see or is DANGEROUS. And exhaust of the refer is dangerous if not done correctly.

I agree! Safety means some things need to be done right.

I typed my original responce on my phone during an acupuncture appt. I mistakenly confused the dates and thought the post date was actually the date the member joined.
I do hope the message got thru either way and was understood. I did notice quite a few typos when I read over the post
The important thing is to be sure the refrigeration unit has an air inlet and an air exhaust. They don't have any metal piping, just a gravity fed flow of low temperature exhaust.
I was in the heating and air conditioning field for 30 years and always amazed by this type of system since the cooling is actually made from a heat source.
I wish you the best of luck. Your project is not overly difficult as long as you have correct ventilation.

Original venting is sufficient.
Concerns are what the guy did with the vents and rear compartment of the fridge area. Did he close anything off? Seal any of the vents?
There should be the lower vent, with the door that comes off, and the upper vent, on the upper clamshell, and that one should be just the louvered cover. Make sure there is no board or insulation blocking the vent.
Important to check that the seal to the camper area, where you live, is sealed. Originally this would have some sort of seal to keep the propane gases from leaking in. This will be the hardest to check.

Side note. When I run the water heater I blow air in from the roof vent, not out as out would tend to suck in the gases. At night maybe blow air into the cabin so you do not allow any fridge gases to get in. It's the same cooling air wether it comes in or goes out…

Marinn that is really some top-tier advice. Brilliant in it’s simplicity, and spot-on for taking advantage of how things work. To be honest I would’ve done the opposite (vented) because of not thinking it through. Positive pressure is the safe approach - make the heating elements *have* to vent through their systems.

I’m going to quote this every time a ventilation discussion pops up. This should almost be stickied somewhere with any heat/fridge questions.