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Old 06-11-2014, 05:43 PM   #1
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Fridge fan on steroids

I had one of those blue aluminum twin CPU fan clip on fan goodies but the fan bearings started to get noisy, they don't move much air and it looks ghetto all clipped on and such.

Enter the repurposed VFD cooling fan! I salvaged it already mounted to a brushed stainless steel plate with wire fan guard and everything. The plate fits perfectly and there is a small lip on the top and both sides so it can hang on the fins and not move side to side. The nuts from the fan mounting bolts snap in between the fins exactly and hold it in place. I salvaged a tiny rocker switch from some other piece of junk in the hopper and it also fits just right in between two fins. One leg of the switch runs to a sheet metal screw that holds the fin assembly to the back of the fridge and the other leg is wired to the fan. The other fan lead goes to the spade connector on the fridge light bulb holder.

All this for $0.00
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Fridge fan 001.jpg   Fridge fan 002.jpg  
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Old 06-11-2014, 06:39 PM   #2
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Holy Vortex Batman!......that took some creativity. Nice!
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Old 06-14-2014, 02:58 AM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mcfarmall View Post
I had one of those blue aluminum twin CPU fan clip on fan goodies but the fan bearings started to get noisy, they don't move much air and it looks ghetto all clipped on and such.

Enter the repurposed VFD cooling fan! I salvaged it already mounted to a brushed stainless steel plate with wire fan guard and everything. The plate fits perfectly and there is a small lip on the top and both sides so it can hang on the fins and not move side to side. The nuts from the fan mounting bolts snap in between the fins exactly and hold it in place. I salvaged a tiny rocker switch from some other piece of junk in the hopper and it also fits just right in between two fins. One leg of the switch runs to a sheet metal screw that holds the fin assembly to the back of the fridge and the other leg is wired to the fan. The other fan lead goes to the spade connector on the fridge light bulb holder.

All this for $0.00

Nice mod! In this application does the fan run at a constant speed? Has this made it possible to lower your fridge setting? Thanks in advance.
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Old 06-14-2014, 06:02 AM   #4
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The fan runs at a constant speed. I haven't really come to any conclusions on whether or not it makes a difference on the temperature setting. There are 3 teenagers in my family so they are constantly hungry and stand in front of the fridge with the door open all the time. This makes it hard to draw any firm conclusions.
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Old 06-17-2014, 02:05 PM   #5
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I can attest to fans lowering the required setting. Without them, I needed to be on 3 to achieve temps a few degrees above freezing. With fans going, setting 2 produces the same results. Well worth it!
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Old 07-08-2014, 10:44 PM   #6
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Great idea. I have 4 fans salvaged from a stupid heat exchanger fridge from Target. $120 and it never really kept the beer cold and only lasted 2 years. Two of them have cold sink fins. First time out we noticed the fridge was not getting cold because we had the tortillas and a few other things blocking airflow. I will try something like this. I want to get something out of it for my money.
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Old 07-11-2014, 03:16 PM   #7
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I have a smaller mod, using two computer CPU fans. I bought it on ebay, about $15.
Sold by seller "rflkt1".


Here's a link to the photo.


This setup worked great for about 9 months, at which time the fans started getting noisy. I inquired with the seller about it, even though I've got no recourse, he offered to replace it. Instead, I bought 2 higher quality ball-bearing fans and put those in the same location.

The fan (IMHO) helps the fridge reach cooled off temperatures more quickly. It also helps decrease ice build up on those fins. This setup in stock form pulls like .15A, so it's not much power and works off the power that runs the fridge light.


I don't think this is better than Murphie's solution - it might just be easier for those who aren't so fabrication oriented.
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