An ageing relative (95 years old) has just had her fridge moved from the garage into the kitchen, with the kitchen heate to about 22C, and the fridge doesn't function properly, only getting down to about 12C.
Is this likely to be because the cooling matrix on the back of the fridge cannot dissipate heat once the temperature of the compressed gas has fallen below the ambient room temperature?
gareth scribbled
Yes
That's the opposite of what she has done.
No.
22Deg should be no problem at all. Likely lost gas. Symptom is that it runs continuously but never achieves set temperature.
Yes. The fridge is now only able to maintain a small differential from ambient. Probably because it has lost coolant over the years.
The compressor should be producing an output gas flow that is significantly hotter than 22C. Loss of coolant is the most likely cause and I suspect the thing wasn't really working properly in the garage (either that or you switched it on again too soon after moving it). It is just that most of the time that garage was cool enough that the puny efforts of the heat pump could just about reach 4C (ambient - 10).
If you put it back in the garage check that it is actually working correctly as a fridge and reaching 4C internally. New fridge needed.
The usual problem is the other way around. Many modern fridge and freezers use a refridgerant mix that will only work in a warm house environment and will turn into a liquid in winter garage temperatures. No evaporation means no cooling and is disastrous for a freezer.
Coincidentally my 95 year old mother came home from a three-day stay in hospital yesterday to find that her fridge had packed up completely and the contents were stinking. Prior to that, it was flogging hard to maintain a cool interior. Fridge now on the drive awaiting disposal and replacement.
No. Causes include saturated insulation, loss of refrigerant, faulty thermostat, broken door seal. 1,2,4 cause the compressor to run continuously, with 3 it doesn't.
NT
The problem also is that over time theinsulation of the fridge can degrade, making the heat pump go into overdrive and still not get the temperature down. Might just have been damaged by the move and needs either repairing or a new unit. Brian
Also, no airflow over the condensor (external hot element), due to being clogged with dust or having been installed in a situation which prevents free air circulation over it, or in fridges with compact condensors which use fan driven forced-air cooling, fan not working.
Also, some old fridges with an ice box and a defrost button - button has got pressed.
Also, fridge not leveled on the floor so the door is jarred and not sealing. (Test the door seal grips a till receipt all the way around.)
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