On Sat 27 Sep 2008 01:46:53a, told us...

Frigidaire sells a $29 5303918301 laminated "garage heater kit," with
2 wires that wraps around the cold control of a fridge to allow it to
work in to work in a cooler room, down to about 40 F.

It apparently heats the thermostat to fool the compressor into turning
on, even if the fridge compartment is cool enough (eg 40 F in a 40 F
room. Without this kit, the compressor does not run often enough to keep
ice cream from melting.

How does this work, exactly? Is the heater always on? Is it just adding
enough heat to the fridge compartment to make the compressor run long
enough to keep the freezer compartment frozen? If so, why is it
wrapped around the cold control, vs somewhere else in the fridge box?

I just bought an 18.2 CF Hotpoint fridge.

Maybe you should have bought the Frigidaire. Problem solved.

I'd like to cover the outside
with 2" foamboard and run it in a cool kitchen to reduce the energy used
from 480 kWh/year to 240 or so, but Hotpoints don't come with these
kits. Would leaving the light on all the time in the fridge compartment
do the same thing? Is there a more energy-efficient way to do this?
Warming the whole fridge box takes more power than just warming the
thermostat.

How cold do you plan on keeping the kitchen? Most refrigerators perform
perfectly well down to around 60°F. Unless you're always dressed for
winter, anything lower could hardly be considered comfortable. I must
say, a refrigerator encased in 2" foamboard sounds really "attractive".
Not! Why on earth would you really want to do this? I don't think you'll
be saving a thing and you need a different project. :-)

--
Wayne Boatwright

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Date: Saturday, 09(IX)/27(XXVII)/08(MMVIII)
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Countdown till Veteran's Day
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