Anybody know anything about refrigerators?

[Viper GTS]

My family's refrigerator is really pissing me off. I claimed the bottom drawer for my food, I keep all my stuff there.

Only problem is that even with the temperature turned almost all the way to it's warmest setting, it still freezes food that's on the top shelf or in the bottom drawer. The freezer compartment has always been very cold, ice-cream is spoon-bending firm. I've turned it so that the cold air distribution between the freezer & refrigerator compartments is all the way to the freezer, & the temperature for the refrigerator can't get much warmer. My $5 & $6 a pound lunchmeats are frozen solid, & a can of pineapple I had in there became a nice slushie.

Is this repairable? Surely it's not normal? Perhaps an insulation problem between the two compartments?

:|

Viper GTS

 

[jaybittle]

Viper GTS -- My dad's an appliance repair man, and I'll give him a call to see what it is.. Most likely it is repairable, and it could be as simple as a door gasket to something like a thermostat not functioning properly.. I really wish I paid more attention to him when I went on service calls..



I'll try to post back later tonight..

cheers,
--jb

 

[purplehayes]

Sounds like a did thermostat. Have you got a thermometer that you can put in there to see what the temp is?

PH

 

[777joee]

I agree it dosen't sound normal. However cold air goes to the bottom so I cant figure why the top and bottom shelf are freezing. If as you say the vents are directing all or most of the cold air energy to the freezer than it seams like you have it set right. Try setting the air between the two units to normal and turning down (maybee it is running too much)the cooling. Thats the only thing I can think of that might help.

 

[Sigity]

I have a kegerator, but alas, I did not assemble it. Why am I replying? I don't know, maybe I just wanted to brag.


sig

 

[RichieZ]

wut i want to kno is does the little light stay on when u close the door? Somebody go inside and find out

 

[BDawg]

I have a kegerator that actually works!!!

 

[Viper GTS]

Kegerator?

That's really sad.



Viper GTS

 

[kevlarcc]

The way a refrigerator works:

Hot side:
There is refrigerant in a closed loop cycling system. It's presure is raised by a pump/compressor. When the pressure goes up, the temperature goes up. Generally, this temperature is about 15 degrees hotter than the room. The high temp high pressure refrigerant is sent through a set of coils on the back of the fridge so that heat is removed by the air in the room.

Cold side:
The cooled hot refrigerant is sent through a throttling valve that increases the velocity and reduces the pressure and therefore the temperature goes way down. Any heat lost to the room is reflected in the new colder temperature. The COLD refrigerant then is sent through coils that go through the freezer compartment to absorb any heat in there. It then goes through coils in the main compartment to absorb heat from there. The number of coil passes in the freezer are alot higher than the number of passes in the fridge part so that it will remopve more heat.

The fact that the freezer compartment is much colder than the fridge compartment causes heat to transfer from the fridge to the freezer. If the insulation in the roof of the fridge compartment is skimpy, the top shelf of the freidge will freeze. Also, since warm air rises, the bottom will potnetially freeze too.

Hope that helps, or that you at least learned a litle something.

 

[bmd]

<< Hope that helps, or that you at least learned a litle something >>


Very nice explanation, and yes I did.

 

[Viper GTS]

At least there is a plausible explanation for the top & bottom freezing but not the middle, now I just need to convince my parents that it really is worth getting it fixed rather than just living with it.

Viper GTS