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

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Text inserted.

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Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


"Nate Nagel" wrote in message
...
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.

CY: Sounds like fun. Are you an engineer?

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,)

CY: Yes, overnight should do it.

and came back home to find that while I'd gone the fridge
temperature had ranged from 32F to 42F. weird.

CY: Not really. Sounds like a model with a defrost cycle.

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)

CY: Except in defrost.

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?

CY: 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?

CY: Not really.

(do they tend to draw more or less current if
they're low on freon?)

CY: The running amperage goes down if low. The totaly watt
usage goes up, cause it's running all the time.

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.

CY: It's not all dificult for a refrigeration tech to add
freon to a refrigerator. I've done it enough times.

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...

CY: No way to know. Different models of fridge, compressor
turned in different directions. It's a gamble in any case.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

On Mar 10, 6:01*pm, Nate Nagel


*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...

I just went thru the same thing with a 15 yo refrig running 90% of the
time & off about 10%. I never liked it anyway so decided to get a new
one. The new one runs maybe 20-25% and off 75-80%.
I had to transport the new one from town to the country so I asked the
salesperson about laying it on it's side. Answer was to let it stand
upright for a minimum of 24hrs so the oil could return to the
compressor before plugging it in. I waited about 27 hours. Been
running for 2 weeks now without any problems.

KC

On Mar 10, 7:41*pm, KC wrote:
On Mar 10, 6:01*pm, Nate Nagel



*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...

I just went thru the same thing with a 15 yo refrig running 90% of the
time & off about 10%. I never liked it anyway so decided to get a new
one. *The new one runs maybe 20-25% and off 75-80%.
I had to transport the new one from town to the country so I asked the
salesperson about laying it on it's side. *Answer was to let it stand
upright for a minimum of 24hrs so the oil could return to the
compressor before plugging it in. *I waited about 27 hours. *Been
running for 2 weeks now without any problems.

KC


Am I the only one here wondering how a wireless thermometer works
inside a fridge? I'm assuming this is the RF kind that has a remote
probe, typically placed outdoors and a display that stays inside? If
so, I would think if you put the sensor in a fridge and left the
display outside the fridge, the RF would be blocked and you'd get no
reading?

On Tue, 10 Mar 2009 19:01:48 -0400, 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

Check the door seal. If it leaks, the appliance will run longer.

Transport: position the compressor on the resting (down) side.

Allow to set for a day and THEN plug it in.

In article , Nate Nagel wrote:

Also, it seems like every time I walk through the kitchen, the darn
thing is running. Is this typical?

Same with my 20 year old fridge.

I guessed it was costing a fortune in power and was
getting ready to select a replacement when I decided
to stick a Kill A Watt on the thing for 24 hours. I
don't recall the exact number but the consumption was
insignificant.

I'll wait until the old thing dies before replacing.

--
|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
| Malcolm Hoar "The more I practice, the luckier I get". |
| Gary Player. |
| http://www.malch.com/ Shpx gur PQN. |
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Or, house with the old aluminum siding?

--
Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..


wrote in message
...

Am I the only one here wondering how a wireless thermometer
works
inside a fridge? I'm assuming this is the RF kind that has
a remote
probe, typically placed outdoors and a display that stays
inside? If
so, I would think if you put the sensor in a fridge and left
the
display outside the fridge, the RF would be blocked and
you'd get no
reading?

wrote:
On Mar 10, 7:41 pm, KC wrote:
On Mar 10, 6:01 pm, Nate Nagel



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...
I just went thru the same thing with a 15 yo refrig running 90% of the
time & off about 10%. I never liked it anyway so decided to get a new
one. The new one runs maybe 20-25% and off 75-80%.
I had to transport the new one from town to the country so I asked the
salesperson about laying it on it's side. Answer was to let it stand
upright for a minimum of 24hrs so the oil could return to the
compressor before plugging it in. I waited about 27 hours. Been
running for 2 weeks now without any problems.

KC


Am I the only one here wondering how a wireless thermometer works
inside a fridge? I'm assuming this is the RF kind that has a remote
probe, typically placed outdoors and a display that stays inside? If
so, I would think if you put the sensor in a fridge and left the
display outside the fridge, the RF would be blocked and you'd get no
reading?


I wondered the same thing myself, but it does produce readings that seem
reasonable... I guess it's all done by elves or something.

nate

--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

Stormin Mormon wrote:

Bought myself a new gadget
the other day,
one of those wireless thermometer thingys that also records
max and min.

Sounds like fun. Are you an engineer?

Does it show that badly? (I *am* an engineer by degree at least, if not
practicing)

The actual impetus for buying gadget was a) it's cheap and b) it
incorporates this little alarm thingy that beeps when the temp. in
either the fridge or freezer goes "out of range" which I thought would
be a useful thing to have (hey, a $20 electronic gadget is cheaper than
a new fridge; I figured if I could verify that fridge was operating
correctly then I could with confidence not purchase a new one for a good
long time) However, the default settings are the NSF recommendations
(fridge: 33-40F; freezer: 0F or below) and it appears that at least for
the fridge I cannot enable the alarm as the temp has varied both above
and below the set points without me playing with the setting. I *could*
jigger with the alarm settings, but I'm going to let it ride for a
couple days before doing so to see what happens. In any case I am
wondering if this is the Beginning of the End for said fridge - it is
probably already past its design life; while I have a habit of letting
things run until they die, green, slimy roast beef is not an appealing
foodstuff, no matter how much horseradish you slather on it.

nate



--
replace "roosters" with "cox" to reply.
http://members.cox.net/njnagel

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