On Sat, 08 Aug 2009 12:45:32 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:


There appears to be just one motor/compressor for the upper
fridge and
the lower freezer. If so, how do they get 2 different
temperatures?

They rely on the fridge being opened/heat gain and that calling
for
coldth, the freezer part is cooled as part of the process
hopefully
to low enough temperatures. This is why a fridge/freezer in a
place
outside it's design temperature range, say a garage might let the
freezer get to warm because the fridge part doesn't gain enough
heat
to trigger the heat pump.

Very poor design - even misleading by the manufacturer!

All fridges, freezers, fridge/freezers etc have a "Class" normally a
letter or combination. It is this that determines the environmental
operating temperature range. I would say it is up to the buyer to
tell the seller where they want to use the device and the seller to
sell them one of suitable class. Unfortunately I doubt many of the
droids in the white goods box shifter places are aware of the various
classes, "It's a 'fridge innit".

Thanks for that explanation Dave, which makes sense to me.

By 'misleading', I was referring to the control panel that has 2
discrete temperature-setting controls - one for the fridge and one for
the freezer.

And then to discover that the freezer temperature actually relies on
the fridge door being opened regularly, is misleading, wouldn't you
agree?

Regarding 'topping up' the refrigerant, I can see no obvious access
point that isn't soldered. As the stuff is flammable, do you know how
they get the refill in?

DJ