Cold Weather Warning for Residential Refrigerators

Golden_HVAC wrote:
The 75 watt light bulb will make at the most about 3 Btu's per watt, or 225 Btu's. That is not much heat, and the open grill with 25F air entering it will take away all that heat. Also the warmer the compartment is, then the more air will draft through it. So air that is 25F warmer than the outside air will flow up to the top vent faster than if only 10F warmer than the outside air.

By blocking the side compartment with aluminum foil, or plastic wrap, then you will not have a large volume of air quickly entering the vent. Then the 75 watt light heat will stay in the compartment.

One problem is that the condenser is colder than the inside temperature. Normally a 100F condenser requires about 110 PSI freon to change over to a liquid, and this high pressure liquid flows through the tiny tubing into the evaporator because that pressure is less, say 0 - 4 PSI. When the condenser is 50F, then the pressure is only about 50 PSI, and less will flow into the indoor coils. At 10F, then very little freon will flow inside, the tubing is sized more to flow the correct amount while the outside temp is at least 70F and the pressure difference is over 60 PSI.

Good luck,

Fred.

You nailed it. I upped it to 135 watts and the compressor is functioning again. Temps are dropping.

Now to figure out an easy on/off insulating material to block the grill openings in that panel on the inside. Reflectex on Velcro?

Thanks,

Bill

Hmmm... I've had a residential fridge and freezer in my unheated garage for twenty years now. Neither has ever had a problem with keeping the contents at the appropriate temp. It's been below zero F this year already with no issues, just like virtually every previous year. They are up against the wall that joins to the house. Maybe that makes a difference.

With that said, I believe a residential fridge is intended to perform in typical household temps around 70F. I would permanently block and insulate those outside vents and run it like it's designed. In the heat of summer I've never noticed excess heat coming off our fridge in the sticks and bricks. I used to imagine how great it would be to vent the excess heat to the out doors, but now I just don't think there is enough to worry about.

I have a residential fridge in my garage at home (upstate NY). I solved this problem by bypassing the door light switch and running a 25 watt bulb in the fridge light socket. Keeps the fridge compartment warm enough to keep the compressor running and keeps everything cold and freezer frozen.
In the summer, I remove bypass on light switch.

wjell wrote:

Jim-Linda wrote:
Puzzled, our Whirlpool is installed as it would be in a S&B. The exterior grill is blocked and insulated, the roof vent is blocked and insulated. Using an IR gun, the space on the sides and rear of fridge and the same as interior of trailer.

Do you still have an open rear grill?

Jim

Great thinking. Yes, we are still open (for now) side and roof for three reasons.

#1 I just figured this out a little over a week ago.

#2 I wanted to get and idea were the "tipping points" were temperature wise. (Seems to be at about 25 degrees)

#3 During warm weather I want that ventilation to keep the unit from having to work too hard. Here in Asheville temperature swings can be pretty wide. We could easily go into the 60's with the next week.

So I need to figure out a solution that doesn't require constant installation/de-installation of insulation. Thought I try a little additional heating via an incandescent bulb first. I will probably go to a 75 watt now.

That being said, insulating the exterior side panel access door would be easier to "maintain" than the roof vent.

The 75 watt light bulb will make at the most about 3 Btu's per watt, or 225 Btu's. That is not much heat, and the open grill with 25F air entering it will take away all that heat. Also the warmer the compartment is, then the more air will draft through it. So air that is 25F warmer than the outside air will flow up to the top vent faster than if only 10F warmer than the outside air.

By blocking the side compartment with aluminum foil, or plastic wrap, then you will not have a large volume of air quickly entering the vent. Then the 75 watt light heat will stay in the compartment.

One problem is that the condenser is colder than the inside temperature. Normally a 100F condenser requires about 110 PSI freon to change over to a liquid, and this high pressure liquid flows through the tiny tubing into the evaporator because that pressure is less, say 0 - 4 PSI. When the condenser is 50F, then the pressure is only about 50 PSI, and less will flow into the indoor coils. At 10F, then very little freon will flow inside, the tubing is sized more to flow the correct amount while the outside temp is at least 70F and the pressure difference is over 60 PSI.

Good luck,

Fred.

Who knows WHAT I have been blissfully chomping away on for the last 2 winters. Yuck!

Baggie with ice cubes in it and placed in freezer.......

If you find that baggie with flat frozen water in it?
Don't eat ANY of the food in the fridge! :W

Cheap easy way to avoid food poisoning and KNOW that your fridge didn't have power for an unsafe length of time.

Jim-Linda wrote:
Puzzled, our Whirlpool is installed as it would be in a S&B. The exterior grill is blocked and insulated, the roof vent is blocked and insulated. Using an IR gun, the space on the sides and rear of fridge and the same as interior of trailer.

Do you still have an open rear grill?

Jim

Great thinking. Yes, we are still open (for now) side and roof for three reasons.

#1 I just figured this out a little over a week ago.

#2 I wanted to get and idea were the "tipping points" were temperature wise. (Seems to be at about 25 degrees)

#3 During warm weather I want that ventilation to keep the unit from having to work too hard. Here in Asheville temperature swings can be pretty wide. We could easily go into the 60's with the next week.

So I need to figure out a solution that doesn't require constant installation/de-installation of insulation. Thought I try a little additional heating via an incandescent bulb first. I will probably go to a 75 watt now.

That being said, insulating the exterior side panel access door would be easier to "maintain" than the roof vent.

Puzzled, our Whirlpool is installed as it would be in a S&B. The exterior grill is blocked and insulated, the roof vent is blocked and insulated. Using an IR gun, the space on the sides and rear of fridge and the same as interior of trailer.

Do you still have an open rear grill?

Jim

rrupert wrote:
Having a refrigerator/freezer in an unheated garage can do the same thing.

Correct. Having been full-timing for almost 2 years, I am SO GLAD this happened to me so I know about it. Who knows WHAT I have been blissfully chomping away on for the last 2 winters. Yuck!

2 pizzas, some soup and meat are sitting outside right now at 20 degrees instead of the 40+ that the freezer went up to early this morning.

Thanks,

Bill

Having a refrigerator/freezer in an unheated garage can do the same thing.