My first modification to our DWR Bambi Airstream was to replace the refrigerator fan that howled. Imagine finding a quiet campsite, cuddling up in bed and then the fridge starts making this annoying buzzing sound. Since the fan is controlled by a heat sensor, it turns on and off at intermittent intervals. But, if it is warm outside, the fan never stops. I can’t believe Airstream would ship this beautiful travel trailer with such a cheap, energy-sucking, loud fan.
Airstream external refrigerator access panel with replacement fan by Noctua (NF-S12-800)
I read the forums and found out that other people had the same problem. So, I ordered a fan by Noctua for $50 (Noctua NF-S12-800). I installed it and added some rubber spacers to isolate the fan from the wood panel that it connects to. The Noctua NF-S12-800 is a 12V fan that only uses 0.60 watts and was meant to be used as a super quiet cooling fan for a computer enclosure. The new fan works well to keep air moving through the fridge cooling fins. And, I can’t hear a thing. I have to hold my face near the vent to feel that air is moving. As a trained recording and audio mastering engineer, you could argue that my ears are super sensitive. But, the fan also annoyed my wife as well. So, now, both of our ears are happy campers!
When attending a hiking retreat with Robert Thurman at Menla Mountain Retreat & Conference Center, the staff kindly let us boondock on their beautiful grounds.
I’m sure the old fan moved more air and made the refrigerator more efficient, but the noise was unacceptable. There is another benefit as well. When boon-docking, the battery didn’t drain nearly as fast. In fact, we dry camped at Menla Mountain Retreat Center in the Catskill Mountains in upstate New York for four days and the solar system kept the battery levels around 60%. That would have never happened with the old fan. We would have been lucky to eek out one or two days and would have had to turn the fridge off at night, so that we could sleep.
Reasons to replace the Airstream stock refrigerator fan:
Pros: super quiet; uses much less energy
Cons: makes refrigerator slightly less efficient
