Very hot fridge.

[p414]

My fridge freezer gets very hot at the back.

Is it possible to have the freon checked and topped up,as in A.C's.

Thanks ,in advance, for any response.

[BritManToo]

Fridge needs to be moved further away from the wall, and more ventilation space at the sides.

[dddave]

The heat a fridge removes to make the compartment cold has to go somewhere.  Since fridges don't have outside fan units like AC units do, the heat is usually dissipated by coils located behind the back panel.  Sometimes the sides will get hot as well.  Perfectly normal.

[problemfarang]

1 hour ago, p414 said:

My fridge freezer gets very hot at the back.

Is it possible to have the freon checked and topped up,as in A.C's.

Thanks ,in advance, for any response.

 

i would check it. its cooler might broken or its fan.

 

also yes try to put it somewhere with airflow and at least 5-6cm away from walls

[Kenny202]

21 minutes ago, problemfarang said:

 

i would check it. its cooler might broken or its fan.

 

Why give advice like this if u don't know? Unless a commercial unit fridges and freezers don't have fans or "coolers" whatever you meant by that? Tge freezer itself is a cooler. The heat  is with drawn from the freezer / contents via gas compressed through the pipes out to the back of the unit. We have 2 freezers and what u describe is normal

[p414]

1 hour ago, dddave said:

The heat a fridge removes to make the compartment cold has to go somewhere.  Since fridges don't have outside fan units like AC units do, the heat is usually dissipated by coils located behind the back panel.  Sometimes the sides will get hot as well.  Perfectly normal.

Thanks P.F.. . will check the fan.

 

[p414]

Thanks Kenny.

 

[p414]

2 minutes ago, p414 said:

Thanks P.F.. . will check the fan.

 

Sorry Dave ..you got the wrong quote.

[p414]

Thanks to AL;L responder

s..

[bluejets]

17 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Unless a commercial unit fridges and freezers don't have fans or "coolers" whatever you meant by that?

Yes they do.

Many frost free refrigerators and upright/chest freezers have condensor fans.

The Op's may not as some also run the condensor tubing inside the casing and it is normal for the case to feel hot.

Two fold purpose...one is cooling the refrigerant after compression 

The other is to stop exterior casing from condensation effect.

Edited September 6, 2023 by bluejets

[jacko45k]

One of my fridges gets hot to the touch on the sides...especially if some stuff has recently been put in there, like a case of beer. Try and maximize space around the sides and rear as BritManToo suggests. 

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, p414 said:

Thanks P.F.. . will check the fan.

 

Don't be surprised if you don't find a fan... most don't have one.

Just make sure the unit is away from walls by a reasonable amount to allow natural air-flow

[KhunBENQ]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

One of my fridges gets hot to the touch on the sides...especially if some stuff has recently been put in there, like a case of beer. Try and maximize space around the sides and rear as BritManToo suggests. 

This is completely normal.

Fridges here are different from what is usual in the west.

A fan? Never had a fridge here with a fan on the outside.

These fridges are completely sealed.

Put a western style fridge with an open backside (compressor, cooling coils) and soon you will have a nice zoo of insects/pests of all kinds nesting there.

[tomazbodner]

20 hours ago, Kenny202 said:

Why give advice like this if u don't know? Unless a commercial unit fridges and freezers don't have fans or "coolers" whatever you meant by that? Tge freezer itself is a cooler. The heat  is with drawn from the freezer / contents via gas compressed through the pipes out to the back of the unit. We have 2 freezers and what u describe is normal

Mine isn't commercial fridge but is full of fans... then again, 3 sungs does things their own way...

[Freddy42OZ]

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

This is completely normal.

Fridges here are different from what is usual in the west.

A fan? Never had a fridge here with a fan on the outside.

These fridges are completely sealed.

Put a western style fridge with an open backside (compressor, cooling coils) and soon you will have a nice zoo of insects/pests of all kinds nesting there.

 

My fridge has a Western style (?) open back. 

One side gets very hot the rest of it stays cold.  It has been working perfectly for the 8 years I've owned it and I bought it second hand off another Farang, who had it for at least 5 years I reckon, making it at least 13 years old at this point.  It's a very large unit with a built in ice-maker. 

[The Theory]

Depends on age, make and model. 
A commen problem is a "damper", not small size fridge. 

[CygnusX1]

I’ve been travelling for a long while, stayed at dozens of hotels and Airbnbs, and at almost every one the unfortunate fridge has been wedged into some kind of decorative cabinet that leaves barely a centimetre clearance on each side for heat dissipation.

 

[safarimike11]

On 9/6/2023 at 12:12 PM, Kenny202 said:

Why give advice like this if u don't know? Unless a commercial unit fridges and freezers don't have fans or "coolers" whatever you meant by that? Tge freezer itself is a cooler. The heat  is with drawn from the freezer / contents via gas compressed through the pipes out to the back of the unit. We have 2 freezers and what u describe is normal

I had a Panasonic fridge several years ago, where the "fan" failed; luckily it was still under warranty and was replaced by the service technicians in situ.

[pacovl46]

There's fridges that were specifically made to be built in, these are usually not as deep as regular ones because they need more space behind them to be able to dissipate the heat. Regular fridges are not suitable to be built in because they don't have that additional space and if they do get built in then they can overheat and cause a fire. Im assuming your fridge is free-standing, but I still thought I throw that piece of info in.

[xtrnuno41]

Of course the fridge gets hot on one (heath release) side.

Where you think the heat, from cooling section, should go otherwise?

AC is on same principle, you cool one section and heat has to go out on other section.

Only with AC it goes outside the room, otherwise it would be worthless.

 

Yes, there are fridges with fans but only inside the fridge to circulate the cool air.

Outside? Never met one. Natural proces by getting rit of heat by convection, radiation.

Always wondered why in Thailand, there is no open cooling system, but had the idea as Khunbenq wrote, insects and other animals to nestel there. Maybe also to prevent from corrosion, as Thailand is very moist.

You will notice a growth of ice inside the fridge on your cooling elements. The more you open and close the door, the faster the ice will grow, due to moist air flowing in the fridge.

That is also why you take care, products are sealed and can not dry out your products, as it will happen if you dont prevent. And the moist will go to the cooling elements to create ice.

If you have a good fridge, it will auto defrost. IF not then regular, you have to manual defrost the cooling elements. Most of the time, cheaper fridges with freezing and cooling sections in one .

The thicker the ice gets, the less in efficient your fridge and wasted energy. So keep fridge as less as possible open, especially in Thailand with very moist air.

Hot on one side? Good, your fridge is working. 

[transam]

Pull it away from the wall to check the fan is working.

Use brush/vacuum cleaner to get all the dust build up, so the fan can do its job to cool the gas.

[windas]

Hi Guys

My sister in law has a fridge/freezer that will not freeze. The heat is dissipated via the sides of the cabinet.

She insists on covering it with a blanket to make it look nice therefore no heat dissipation. 

But she is unable to understand the theory of the refrigeration process.

So never buys frozen food.

 

[nglodnig]

On 9/6/2023 at 7:13 AM, p414 said:

Thanks P.F.. . will check the fan.

 

Good luck finding the (non-existent) fan.... ???? 

[bbko]

In addition to giving your fridge enough wall space and the occasional cleaning, don't forget about the drip tray, empty the water tray every now & again.

[Stevemercer]

Cooling fans, drip trays? Am I missing something here? Do people in Thailand still have working refrigerators from the 1960s?

Edited September 7, 2023 by Stevemercer

[p414]

Thanks to everyone for your comments...This is an L.G. fridge freezer..I have had many fridhes and 2 still in the house.... This L.G [ no frost] got really hot  almost too hot to touch...Homepro gave me the number to call the 'L.G. 'specialists' to check my fridge..Their call out fee is/was 700 baht yes 700   .they came with some kind of thermometer and said there is nothing wrong with the compressor or anything...It is open back at the bottom and the compressor is usually very hot.I have installed a small fan at the rear to blow air on the compressor when it is too hot..I would never buy another L.G.

[phetphet]

Check the vents at the back haven't become clogged with fluff too. clearing them can improve airflow.

[Hugh Cow]

On 9/6/2023 at 3:12 PM, Kenny202 said:

Why give advice like this if u don't know? Unless a commercial unit fridges and freezers don't have fans or "coolers" whatever you meant by that? Tge freezer itself is a cooler. The heat  is with drawn from the freezer / contents via gas compressed through the pipes out to the back of the unit. We have 2 freezers and what u describe is normal

By fridge/freezer I assume he is talking about a domestic fridge that incorporates a freezer at the top, bottom if drawer style or side by side as opposed to a separate domestic fridge and a separate freezer. most fridge/freezers are all generally "frost free" unless quit old or comparatively small. In nearly all cases the compressor is located at the back at the base of the fridge.

Many of these fridge/freezers incorporate fans to circulate the cold air and most have an aircooled condenser (like small car radiator) located near the compressor to remove the heat absorbed from the cooling coils (evaporators) plus the heat of compression caused by the circulating compressor. The fan draws air through the condenser and discharges it from the bottom of the fridge and therefore needs a space at the back from the wall (approx 75mm) and preferably at least 50mm gap around the top and sides to disipate the hot air and prevent overheating. Overtime lint builds up on the condenser coil and fan blades and reduces the airflow causing overheating. If the gap is sufficient, turn off the fridge check for dust/lint and gently clean the fan and condenserwith a soft brush and then vacuum. Restart the fridge.

NB after turning off fridge wait 20 minutes before restarting to prevent damage to the compressor motor unless you know the fridge has an auto start delay.

[p414]

4 hours ago, Hugh Cow said:

By fridge/freezer I assume he is talking about a domestic fridge that incorporates a freezer at the top, bottom if drawer style or side by side as opposed to a separate domestic fridge and a separate freezer. most fridge/freezers are all generally "frost free" unless quit old or comparatively small. In nearly all cases the compressor is located at the back at the base of the fridge.

Many of these fridge/freezers incorporate fans to circulate the cold air and most have an aircooled condenser (like small car radiator) located near the compressor to remove the heat absorbed from the cooling coils (evaporators) plus the heat of compression caused by the circulating compressor. The fan draws air through the condenser and discharges it from the bottom of the fridge and therefore needs a space at the back from the wall (approx 75mm) and preferably at least 50mm gap around the top and sides to disipate the hot air and prevent overheating. Overtime lint builds up on the condenser coil and fan blades and reduces the airflow causing overheating. If the gap is sufficient, turn off the fridge check for dust/lint and gently clean the fan and condenserwith a soft brush and then vacuum. Restart the fridge.

NB after turning off fridge wait 20 minutes before restarting to prevent damage to the compressor motor unless you know the fridge has an auto start delay.

Thanks Hugh

[Hugh Cow]

On 9/8/2023 at 12:02 PM, p414 said:

Thanks to everyone for your comments...This is an L.G. fridge freezer..I have had many fridhes and 2 still in the house.... This L.G [ no frost] got really hot  almost too hot to touch...Homepro gave me the number to call the 'L.G. 'specialists' to check my fridge..Their call out fee is/was 700 baht yes 700   .they came with some kind of thermometer and said there is nothing wrong with the compressor or anything...It is open back at the bottom and the compressor is usually very hot.I have installed a small fan at the rear to blow air on the compressor when it is too hot..I would never buy another L.G.

I will buy phones TVs etc from Korean companies but absolutely nothing else especially A/C and white goods. My background/qualifications are in Aircon and refrigeration.