I'd like to make my small refrigerator more efficient. If I add several inches of insulation to the sides of the refrigerator, will it then become as efficient as a chest freezer ( while closed of course ).
I have a small 3.1 cu. ft. Frigidaire model that is a real power hog. ( 354 kWh per year )
Can I add more insulation to the sides, or would this be a bad idea ?
I notice the sides of the unit get warm to the touch when i cover the refrigerator with several blankets ( as a test.)
I would convert the unit to be a chest refrigerator, but I am worried that I would lose the freezer function on the top of the unit if I tipped it on its back.
Thanks !
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/appliances-gadgets/478-turn-my-frig-its-side.html
I started this post, but the site does not see much traffic. I thought I'd ask here for a second opinion.
( Thanks )
The way your refrigerator works, is the top freezer gets cold, and the cold air drops to the bottom of the refrigerator cooling the milk. The compressor you have is a freezer compressor, but it is not big enough to freeze the entire box, no matter how much you insulate the box.
The way a chest freezer works, is refrigerant piping is wrapped around the inside of the walls of the box, so that all of the walls get cold, and then they are foamed in place.
The compressor of a chest freezer is bigger and the amount of refrigerant is a lot more than your small refrigerator, so you would have to redesign your refrigerator and gut the walls and install a bigger compressor and thermostatic expansion valve.
By throwing a blanket over your refrigerator, you probably blocked the airflow to the compressor and the compressor started to get hot, and that can cause everything to warm up.
Good idea though, but it would cost a few hundred to do, and would take several days to complete.
By the way Thor, the more the box is insulated, the more efficient it is. The more you can keep the hot air from entering the box, the less it has to run. You can put closed cell foam around it as long as you don't block any air flow, and it will run less and cost less.
Manufactures use as little foam as possible to insulate the walls, so go ahead and add some. You won't rust anything and you'll save some money.
3 users commented in " How are chest freezers different from refrigerators ( insulation ? )? "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackWill it become more efficient?
No
The insulation on both is the same.
It's the amount of air coming from the compressor that is different.
References :
Adding insulation won't do much. The efficiency is a result of the design. And if you put insulation on the sides you will rust it out. In spots you keep the sides cold and that will attract moisture. And as you noticed on newer ones they now run the hot condenser line along the outside metal case and use the case to help dissipate the heat. So you would be trapping in the heat making it worse!
With a chest freezer you open the top and all the cold stays in it. Cold air being heavier than warm air, heat rises.
But with an upright refrigerator and/or freezer, every time you open the door all the cold air falls out on to the floor and it fills up with warm air that needs to be cooled.
That is why keeping it full is more efficient, less air to lose. Plus the cold mass gives a more even temperature by storing the "cold".
You will wreck it if you tip it on it's back. Refrigerators should never be put on their backs. There is oil in the bottom of the compressor for lubrication and cooling of the motor, that needs to stay in the bottom. So the compressor must stay upright.
354 KWH per year at $0.07 per kilowatt is less than $30 a year to operate. And if you saved, improved it by, 10% you save $3? It is not worth it.
References :
The way your refrigerator works, is the top freezer gets cold, and the cold air drops to the bottom of the refrigerator cooling the milk. The compressor you have is a freezer compressor, but it is not big enough to freeze the entire box, no matter how much you insulate the box.
The way a chest freezer works, is refrigerant piping is wrapped around the inside of the walls of the box, so that all of the walls get cold, and then they are foamed in place.
The compressor of a chest freezer is bigger and the amount of refrigerant is a lot more than your small refrigerator, so you would have to redesign your refrigerator and gut the walls and install a bigger compressor and thermostatic expansion valve.
By throwing a blanket over your refrigerator, you probably blocked the airflow to the compressor and the compressor started to get hot, and that can cause everything to warm up.
Good idea though, but it would cost a few hundred to do, and would take several days to complete.
By the way Thor, the more the box is insulated, the more efficient it is. The more you can keep the hot air from entering the box, the less it has to run. You can put closed cell foam around it as long as you don't block any air flow, and it will run less and cost less.
Manufactures use as little foam as possible to insulate the walls, so go ahead and add some. You won't rust anything and you'll save some money.
References :
Commercial appliance repair and design for 20 years.