Rmack1 wrote:Strabo wrote:
I've ran ours off level for a few days, didn't harm it. Are you on propane?
I can do propane. I'm on 30 amps now, so I use that mostly. I turn it off to use the microwave, because that trips breakers in my friends system otherwise.
Strabo wrote:
I've ran ours off level for a few days, didn't harm it. Are you on propane?
mchero wrote:Congratulations, you win! Score one point, but don't pass Go.dougrainer wrote:
When you run off level and catch it after a few hours--SHUT IT OFF FOR 24 HOURS. Then restart and you should be back to normal. This allows the Ammonia to migrate back to its liquid form in the correct areas. Doug
Just what i suggested the 2nd post.
Rmack1 wrote:ScottG wrote:
I had a cooling unit rebuilt and had a chance to talk to a local rebuilder at length about how these units work and fail.
Several specifics they commented on were:
When the damage is done, it's done. There is nothing we can do to remove or lesson the blockage. (They showed me a section of tube that was blocked and it was like rock)
Units leak more often when they are turned off between frequesnt trips. They feel this causes thermal stress to the tubing that results in cracks. Leaving it on between trips keeps it warm with very little change in temps.
The damage adds up. Units are hurt a little at a time so the unit gradually gets weaker. This shows up when its hot and it has to run constantly.
They experimented with running them off level and found blockage has already occured within 15 minutes.
Is having the cooling unit rebuilt cheaper than buying a new frig?
ScottG wrote:
Some good and some bad info here.
Fridges have indeed been built the same for at least 30 plus years. They are not as sensitive as they were back in the 80's or earlier.
If you damage a fridge, which begins in as little as 15 minutes, no amount of turning it upside down or letting it sit will fix it. This is because when the amonia over heats, it separates and turns into a solid that resembles ceramic and there's no way to fix it other than replacement.
The damage is also cumulative. You can overheat it many times and create a minor blockage that only shows up as decreased cooing capacity when it hot outside.
As for these fridges being weak, mine has not problem keeping things frozen solid in temps well over 100.
As a final note, many of the fridges are poorly installed. You can pull them out and find roofing material covering the top vents, poorly formed "chimenys" or setbacks from the back wall that aren't per the manucaturers guidelines.
A great winter time project is to get out your manual and pull your firdge out so you can make sure it was installed right.
ScottG wrote:
I had a cooling unit rebuilt and had a chance to talk to a local rebuilder at length about how these units work and fail.
Several specifics they commented on were:
When the damage is done, it's done. There is nothing we can do to remove or lesson the blockage. (They showed me a section of tube that was blocked and it was like rock)
Units leak more often when they are turned off between frequesnt trips. They feel this causes thermal stress to the tubing that results in cracks. Leaving it on between trips keeps it warm with very little change in temps.
The damage adds up. Units are hurt a little at a time so the unit gradually gets weaker. This shows up when its hot and it has to run constantly.
They experimented with running them off level and found blockage has already occured within 15 minutes.
Rmack1 wrote:ScottG wrote:
Some good and some bad info here.
Fridges have indeed been built the same for at least 30 plus years. They are not as sensitive as they were back in the 80's or earlier.
If you damage a fridge, which begins in as little as 15 minutes, no amount of turning it upside down or letting it sit will fix it. This is because when the amonia over heats, it separates and turns into a solid that resembles ceramic and there's no way to fix it other than replacement.
The damage is also cumulative. You can overheat it many times and create a minor blockage that only shows up as decreased cooing capacity when it hot outside.
As for these fridges being weak, mine has not problem keeping things frozen solid in temps well over 100.
As a final note, many of the fridges are poorly installed. You can pull them out and find roofing material covering the top vents, poorly formed "chimenys" or setbacks from the back wall that aren't per the manucaturers guidelines.
A great winter time project is to get out your manual and pull your firdge out so you can make sure it was installed right.
Thank you for your advice.
Does shutting it down for 24 hours or any amount of time have any merit? When the second post in this thread advised me to let it cool down, I assumed maybe an hour or something.
doxiemom11 wrote:
If I put hotdogs in my freezer say from the store, they will not be frozen solid in 4 hours either. I would say it would take 12 or so hours before it was frozen solid.
ScottG wrote:
Some good and some bad info here.
Fridges have indeed been built the same for at least 30 plus years. They are not as sensitive as they were back in the 80's or earlier.
If you damage a fridge, which begins in as little as 15 minutes, no amount of turning it upside down or letting it sit will fix it. This is because when the amonia over heats, it separates and turns into a solid that resembles ceramic and there's no way to fix it other than replacement.
The damage is also cumulative. You can overheat it many times and create a minor blockage that only shows up as decreased cooing capacity when it hot outside.
As for these fridges being weak, mine has not problem keeping things frozen solid in temps well over 100.
As a final note, many of the fridges are poorly installed. You can pull them out and find roofing material covering the top vents, poorly formed "chimenys" or setbacks from the back wall that aren't per the manucaturers guidelines.
A great winter time project is to get out your manual and pull your firdge out so you can make sure it was installed right.
