My fridge heats up the whole room!

[Daffy D]

Well not quite but it defiantly radiates a lot of heat, you can feel it as you walk past and the side is almost hot enough to fry an egg. A bit of an exaggeration but it does put out a lot of heat and in this hot weather when trying to keep the house cool don't really need this extra heat.

I realize all fridges generate heat but as ours is a 10 year old Samsung I was wondering if technology had moved on and newer fridges put out less heat ?

I have also noticed some (expensive) "Inverter" fridges in the shops. These are presumably more efficient and cheaper to run, would they also put out less heat?

Any constructive thoughts and personal experiences (about fridges) welcome.

Thanks.

[lopburi3]

It operates the on the same principle as a home airconditioner so if inside a closed space the heat it removes from inside unit has to go somewhere inside room. So if hot it is likely working as designed as coils for heat transfer are normally in sides these days. So now you need an airconditioner to remove that heat to the outside or get some airflow to move it? Agree with you they do transfer a lot of heat this time of the year so keeping ref door closed as much as possible is more important than ever.

[Patsycat]

Vacuum behind it, there may me a build up of dust.

[7000gods]

The evap coils get hotter the harder it works.Patsycat is right on-clean the coils and detox the drip tray.(they can generate smell when wet and warm)

After that..

A walk in costs 6k usd +/-

There will be a comment soon to leave the door open...

Edited March 18, 2014 by 7000gods

[FiftyTwo]

If it gets cold on the inside, then it will be hot on the outside.

This is the law of thermodynamics.

Stand the fridge by an open window.

[sdanielmcev]

Generating a lot of heat means it is probably working too hard to maintain internal temperature. Get a new one, or get it fixed. And, yes, always clean the coils.

Also, make sure there is at least a 1" gap between the refrigerator and the walls, and 2" at top to allow it to ventilate.

Edited March 18, 2014 by sdanielmcev

[thepool]

Place the fridge against an outside wall and install an extraction fan behind it -----------problem solved!

[Tywais]

Also if it is a frost freeze refrigerator it actually has heating coils in it that will cause the sides to get quite hot. My 15 year old frost freeze Electrolux did it, my new inverter based refrig does it and most is due to the frost freeze heating coils. The two newer ones I have seem to be not quite as bad as the 15 year old but maybe down to better side insulation.

So the side heat will be from the heating coils that are just below the freezer compartment, again assuming a frost free refrig.

[JesseFrank]

Also if it is a frost freeze refrigerator it actually has heating coils in it that will cause the sides to get quite hot. My 15 year old frost freeze Electrolux did it, my new inverter based refrig does it and most is due to the frost freeze heating coils. The two newer ones I have seem to be not quite as bad as the 15 year old but maybe down to better side insulation.

So the side heat will be from the heating coils that are just below the freezer compartment, again assuming a frost free refrig.

Are those inverter fridges much more energy efficient as the conventional ones, as i've read a lot of conflicting info about it.

How about the noise. I have 10 year old side by side, and when defrosting the elements it would make a lot of banging, especially during the cold months. With the hotter weather it seems to be much less.

[Tywais]

Also if it is a frost freeze refrigerator it actually has heating coils in it that will cause the sides to get quite hot. My 15 year old frost freeze Electrolux did it, my new inverter based refrig does it and most is due to the frost freeze heating coils. The two newer ones I have seem to be not quite as bad as the 15 year old but maybe down to better side insulation.

So the side heat will be from the heating coils that are just below the freezer compartment, again assuming a frost free refrig.

Are those inverter fridges much more energy efficient as the conventional ones, as i've read a lot of conflicting info about it.

How about the noise. I have 10 year old side by side, and when defrosting the elements it would make a lot of banging, especially during the cold months. With the hotter weather it seems to be much less.

I have a new large Samsung two door conventional frost free and a new Samsung two door inverter based unit and they are both very quiet with only a very slight hum when running. Really can't tell about the inverter efficiency, it was on sale and AC inverters are known for their efficiency under certain conditions so figured what the heck.

Even my 15 year old Electrolux you could barely tell it was running unless you got up right next to it. But the rubber feet and isolators were drying out and got quite noisy from the vibration until I added some isolation foam around it and was quiet again.

[sirineou]

as it has being mentioned by others, the heat you feel behind is the heat it removes from the inside, of the refrigerator to keep the food cold.

If it is radiating a lot of heat from the back, it means that for some reason it is working hard to remove a lot of heat from inside.

did it always do that?

Maybe people are opening the door too often, and leaving it open too long, maybe the seal in the door is not sealing properly, have you noticed too much ice build up inside the refrigerator?

Are people putting hot food in the refrigerator?

These would be some of the things I would check,

[IMHO]

Vacuum behind it, there may me a build up of dust.

+1.

This is your prime suspect - if you' ve never dragged the fridge out of hiding for 10 years, you're going to be shocked by what you see

[mmh8]

its bin a while since I did them but the energy is neither created nor destroyed thing is what you are on about. Put your a/c on higher or move the fridge outside your room.

newer technology will have improved efficiency, there is a high possibility that your fridge is losing a lot of electrical enrgy through heat as well. I've noticed this with things such as electric toothbrush,

[Dellboy218]

This may sound daft but make sure the compressor works for as short a time as possible. The only way to run any fridge is full. If you are trying to cool an empty fridge the compressors will be running for a long period of time causing the problems you have mentioned. If you unable to fill the fridge then use polystyrene blocks, as an example, to fill up the empty spaces. Is any of it iced up? It takes energy to keep that ice. As others have said check the door seals. There has to be a reason why your compressor appears to be running a long time.

[jacko45k]

I just touched my older fridge and the side is pretty hot too.

New fridges are more efficient and much better insulated, whether you get a new one is between you and your electricity bill.

I keep it in a vestibule near the open door.

[recycler]

Check if the door(s) are closing good, the magnetic strips can wear with older fridges causing cold air to get out.

Last year we got a huge (600 liter) Hitachi inverter and it's a lot more efficient than conventional fridges. It uses the same amount as the about 200 liter fridge we had before.

But it still needs to cool, so the outside is radiating heat. Ventilation I guess would do the job.

[lucjoker]

if fridge is heating up your room

check if it is cold inside the fridge

if not : kick this broken fridge out

if yes: open the fridge door and let the cold come into your room !

Sometimes the solution is so obvious .

Einstein

[KhunBENQ]

As others said: cold inside means hot outside.

With western style fridges you will probably not notice, as the heat is on the backside while here the heat develops on the sides of the fridge.

In general no way to get around, just take care for ventilation and cleaning.

Better efficiency/insulation will reduce the overall heat (energy consumption).

Energy efficiency: every fridge in the shops has exact specifications about avarage (standardized) energy consumption.

Best devices will save up to 50 percent compared to the worst.

Attachment:

its from our new Samsung inverter model and shows fairly good values,

Avarage consumption is 301.13 kWh per year.

Size of the fridge is 330.1 liter (11.7 cubic feet).

Older models with comparable size will reach 600 kWh or more.

Click the attachment.

Edited March 19, 2014 by KhunBENQ

[nuananddon]

Here are few cures that you should try or correct.

1. Make sure the coils that transfer the heat are clean

2. Make sure the door seals are in good repair

3. A fuller refrig will be more efficient than one which is near empty ,use numberous water bottles to fill empty space

4. If it is a frost free refrig, the defrost timer could be bad and continually on causing the heat, it's only supposed to operate intermittently.

Try these, but being dirty and dusty is a big problem in any refrigeration unit.

[IMHO]

As others said: cold inside means hot outside.

With western style fridges you will probably not notice, as the heat is on the backside while here the heat develops on the sides of the fridge.

In general no way to get around, just take care for ventilation and cleaning.

Better efficiency/insulation will reduce the overall heat (energy consumption).

Energy efficiency: every fridge in the shops has exact specifications about avarage (standardized) energy consumption.

Best devices will save up to 50 percent compared to the worst.

Attachment:

its from our new Samsung inverter model and shows fairly good values,

Avarage consumption is 301.13 kWh per year.

Size of the fridge is 330.1 liter (11.7 cubic feet).

Older models with comparable size will reach 600 kWh or more.

Click the attachment.

Yep, inverter fridges are definitely more energy efficient I have a 3.1 cu ft bar fridge that uses 290 units/yr, and a 12.9 cu ft inverter that uses 340 units/yr.. not much difference in power usage, but huge difference in size.

[little mary sunshine]

Get a new frige...their cheap !!!

[Suradit69]

The evap coils get hotter the harder it works.Patsycat is right on-clean the coils and detox the drip tray.(they can generate smell when wet and warm)

After that..

A walk in costs 6k usd +/-

There will be a comment soon to leave the door open...

"There will be a comment soon to leave the door open..."

It's like you're clairvoyant.

if fridge is heating up your room

check if it is cold inside the fridge

if not : kick this broken fridge out

if yes: open the fridge door and let the cold come into your room !

Sometimes the solution is so obvious .

Einstein

Incidentally, I doubt the heat removed from the inside is exactly equal to the heat produced by the refrigerator as has been suggested by some. The motor is producing some of the heat that's being generated, just as is true for any electric appliance you have running. If you set the thermostat too high (or low depending on your point of view) and/or the fridge is running too long because it's become inefficient, then it's producing more heat than is necessary. If it's 10 years old, it's reached its retirement age.

My fairly new Panasonic double door f rost free fridge/freezer is often warm to the touch, but it doesn't throw off that much heat that you'd notice it when walking past it.

but it defiantly radiates a lot of heat,

Defiantly, hmm? Have you said anything that offended it?

Edited March 19, 2014 by Suradit69

[Suradit69]

Get a new frige...their cheap !!!

The mind boggles.

Why not make it a hat trick ... Get a new "frige" ... "their" "cheep.!!!"

[je777je]

Get another room.

[jero]

Heat from fridge? Yes new ones far more efficient use less electricity and generate less heat. Buy new one with inverter. Will save you money and less heat to your room.

[Daffy D]

The fridge is generally in good working order. The doors close properly and the magnetic strips make a good seal. It comes on and goes off like it should and hardly makes a sound.

I recently had it away from the wall (no, not the first time in 10 years) and cleaned out the accumulated dust and stuff from round the compressor and the few pipes I could see.

The evaporator coils must be inside the body of the fridge as they are not visible. I'm sure back in Farang land I had fridges where the coils were visible on the back of the fridge and easy to clean if necessary.

There is plenty of room round the fridge for heat to dissipate, at least 6in on one side and enough room to walk past on the other, that's where I feel it each time I walk by, and several inches away from the back wall. Due to the layout of the house it's not possible to move the fridge without major remodeling so we are stuck with it where it is. (Another room would be one solution but we don't have the room )

Does seem like a new fridge may be part of the answer though as pointed out they all generate heat so is it worth it?

Meanwhile half the air-con is working just to compensate for the extra heat and the fridge just stands there Defiantly mocking while pumping out heat like some giant storage heater.

Now if it had been doing that during the cold spell.....................

[sdanielmcev]

You really shouldn't feel too much heat from around a properly working fridge. Warm, maybe, but never hot.

[F4UCorsair]

If this is a recent phenomena, something has changed to make the refrigerator compressor work harder/longer.

It may be as simple as dust build up on the coils, or need regassing, or possibly another problem.

[Tywais]

As another member mentioned, it could be a faulty timer for the frost freeze part of the system, if it is a frost freeze frig. That is what happened with my 15 year old unit as I noticed the side walls toward the top were getting very hot. The timer was replaced for a few hundred Baht.

[Daffy D]

As another member mentioned, it could be a faulty timer for the frost freeze part of the system, if it is a frost freeze frig. That is what happened with my 15 year old unit as I noticed the side walls toward the top were getting very hot. The timer was replaced for a few hundred Baht.

Ours is just a normal size, two doors with freezer above the fridge section.

There is no timer only a temp control that is set about midway. The top section of the side panels do get hotter than the rest but I would put that down to heat rising within the panels.

Reading other peoples comments it seems hot fridges are the norm, maybe I just notice it more.

Will just live with it till it breaks down or we win the lottery