In article ,
Nate Nagel wrote:

Hi all,

got a really old fridge in my kitchen, nothing special just a 15-20 year
old typical white boxy thing. Bought myself a new gadget the other day,
one of those wireless thermometer thingys that also records max and min.
Well here it turns out that while after I'd moved in I thought I'd
calibrated the fridge correctly (PO's of the house were kind of
eco-nuts, and had set the fridge too warm, presumably to save energy) it
was still running a little warm. Tweaked it a little last night, reset
the thermometer thing before I left for work (figuring it'd stabilize
overnight,) and came back home to find that while I'd gone the fridge
temperature had ranged from 32F to 42F. weird. obviously since I was
gone all day nobody had opened a door. So it seems that it's not
holding the temp in a narrow enough range (since the fridge portion
should, ideally, be between 33 and 39F at all times)

Also, it seems like every time I walk through the kitchen, the darn
thing is running. Is this typical? Seems to me I don't recall that
anywhere else I've lived, usually the fridge would only be running 50%
of the time or less, correct? Typical room temp this time of year
ranges from 62F (away) to 67F (morning and evening) so it's not like
it's especially warm in the kitchen. I don't have a kill-a-watt, but
might get one. Would that tell me anything about whether it is time for
replacement or not? (do they tend to draw more or less current if
they're low on freon?) I know for a fact that this is a sealed system
(was just under it not long ago for its first cleaning probably ever)
and it's not a particularly special fridge, so getting a new one
wouldn't make me cry at all.

Along the same lines, were I to buy a new fridge, it'd probably be set
on its side to fit in the back of the truck to get it home. How long
should it sit in its installed position before being plugged in? 12
hours? Longer? Wouldn't want to blow up a new compressor for doing
something dumb...

nate

The internal temperature will normally 'spike' and vary quite a bit as
the refrigerator runs through compressor and defrost cycles, door
openings and whatnot.

A good way to measure the refrigerator average is to put a thermometer
in a fair size container of water... the water has a good bit of thermal
'inertia' and will allow you to accurately monitor and tweak your
average over time.

Same deal for the freezer, only pack the calibration thermometer between
something like bags of frozen vegetables.

40F for the refrigerator, and 0F for the freezer are good target
temperatures for best food life v low energy bill.

Your refrigerator shouldn't run continuously. There are any number of
reasons why it might not... check some common ones first, like the door
gaskets and condenser.

Leaking door gaskets as noted by another poster should grip a piece of
thin paper wherever you place it.

You said you cleaned the condenser, thats good. It should be checked a
couple of times a year, especially in households with pets.

Is the condenser fan (if so equipped) running normally? Sometimes
condenser fan motors develop tight bearings, greatly reducing the actual
fan speed. With the refrigerator unplugged, the fan should spin freely
by hand, or if difficult to reach carefully with a long stick. (A tight
evaporator fan motor can raise hell too...) Fan motors are common, easy
to find and usually child's play to replace.

There are any number of detailed appliance troubleshooting, parts and
repair sites on the internet...

Let us know how it comes out. Good Luck!

Erik