1350 fridge baffle got me baffled.

Went to the lot to look at my fridge to prepare for the baffle that I have seen installed in other posts. All the diagrams show the fans about mid way between the two outside vents. My fans are located no more than 2-3 inches below the top vent and not too far under the condenser. The baffle would barely be above the fans if I were to install one. Do I have something different then the diagrams show? I am only doing this as precautionary as I have not had much of a cooling issue, but we are hardly anywhere it gets above 85 degrees.

My DM2862 is the same, with the fan at the top of the refer cabinet, facing upwards. Seems to work fine the way it is.

Do I have something different then the diagrams show?

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The owner-drawn diagrams are approximate and may not be drawn exactly to scale.

The main thing is to have good airflow over the condenser fins before the air exits the top louvers.

This photo is from the plant tour last summer, showing where the fan might be located on some models. Not sure which refer model this is, though.

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Like Danemeyer said, the main thing is to have good airflow across the heat transfer evaporators on the back of the fridge.

The one site I like to reference (http://www.rvmobile.com/Tech/Trouble/vent.htm), likes to compare the refrigerator outside vent air flow to the draft in a chimney. Non-slide mounted ammonia adsorbsion refrigerators have a straight vertical chute like a chimney. Aftermarket fans for these are designed to be mounted in the roof vent cover, enhancing the natural draft upwards of heated air.

After doing some studying if venting is that important why doesn't the fridge manufactures build venting into the back of the refrigerators? It would be so simple to make a sheet metal vent that would work on all fridges no matter the location when it was not installed. From the looks of the link I know mine has more than 1 inch clearance between the wall and the fridge. Its not going to be real easy fixing that with it installed.

why doesn't the fridge manufactures build venting into the back of the refrigerators?

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It's probably a mindset that blames the RV manufacturer for using the refrigerator in an application for which it was not designed. That is, the refrigerator guys designed these things before they were routinely being located in slide-outs. The design engineer expected the air to vent straight up and out through the roof. When the RV manufacturer puts it in a slide, with ventilation on the side wall, it violates the original design assumption.

To any owner, it seems obvious that the refrigerator guy should design something that works in a slide-out. And perhaps one day Heartland, or parent company Thor, or another large RV company, will insist on a redesign that works well in slide-outs. Now that Heartland has moved to Norcold at least in part, maybe Dometic will get the message.

ChopperBill said:

After doing some studying if venting is that important why doesn't the fridge manufactures build venting into the back of the refrigerators? It would be so simple to make a sheet metal vent that would work on all fridges no matter the location when it was not installed. From the looks of the link I know mine has more than 1 inch clearance between the wall and the fridge. Its not going to be real easy fixing that with it installed.

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ChopperBill:
Insulation batt against the refrig compartment outer wall will do the trick pretty easily, and serve double duty in keeping the solar heating of the outside wall away from the refrig. I see no reason you need ANY clearance behind the evaporators other than maybe fire safety, or avoiding striking the cooling unit with a solid baffle piece. Fiberglas insulation is fire resistant. Staples or spray glue will keep the batt in place.