EcoRenovator - View Single Post - How about a chimney on the back of the fridge?

Piwoslaw · 07-25-11, 02:36 AM

Ryland, did you test a chimney behind your fridge?

I recently noticed that my fridge seems to be on for much longer now than during the winter months, this is probably because of higher temperature in the kitchen (21°-24°C/70°-75°F vs 17°-19°C/63°-66°F). I had a closer look at the coils on the back and noticed that they are not totally vertical, instead the top is about twice as far from the back wall (~4cm/1.6in) than at the bottom (~2cm/0.8in). This allows cooler air to 'wash' over the whole length instead of the top half sitting in the heat released by the lower half and compressor.

There is already a slight chimney effect since there is a cabinet on one side of the fridge. Now, what if I added a small computer fan to increase circulation? I'd run it through a transformer at a lower voltage to keep it slow and quiet, the transformer being wired so it turns on and off with the compressor. Would this airflow increase the heat exchange efficiency (resulting in shorter compressor on-time) by enough to compensate for the extra load of the fan+transformer?

I also checked that the coils' temperature was ~30°C/86°F with the compressor running, while the kitchen's temp was 21°C/70°F.
I might also close up the gap on the open side, leaving room at the bottom for fresh air.

07-25-11, 02:36 AM	#7
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 961 Thanks: 188 Thanked 110 Times in 86 Posts	Ryland, did you test a chimney behind your fridge? I recently noticed that my fridge seems to be on for much longer now than during the winter months, this is probably because of higher temperature in the kitchen (21°-24°C/70°-75°F vs 17°-19°C/63°-66°F). I had a closer look at the coils on the back and noticed that they are not totally vertical, instead the top is about twice as far from the back wall (~4cm/1.6in) than at the bottom (~2cm/0.8in). This allows cooler air to 'wash' over the whole length instead of the top half sitting in the heat released by the lower half and compressor. There is already a slight chimney effect since there is a cabinet on one side of the fridge. Now, what if I added a small computer fan to increase circulation? I'd run it through a transformer at a lower voltage to keep it slow and quiet, the transformer being wired so it turns on and off with the compressor. Would this airflow increase the heat exchange efficiency (resulting in shorter compressor on-time) by enough to compensate for the extra load of the fan+transformer? I also checked that the coils' temperature was ~30°C/86°F with the compressor running, while the kitchen's temp was 21°C/70°F. I might also close up the gap on the open side, leaving room at the bottom for fresh air. __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog. Last edited by Piwoslaw; 07-25-11 at 05:26 AM..