Hi, please can someone tell me what transfomer (750W, 1KW, 2KW etc.) to use for my USA side by side fridge freezer which is rated at 102 KW/month at 110V. Screwfix sell a 750W for £35 and a 3.3KW for £47. Thank you, Neil
Well, at 102KW/month, you'll pass the 80A limit of most houses in about a week :) Assuming you mean 102KWh/month, that's about 3 units a day, or 3/24, or
1/8Kw, or 125W. About the same as many UK fridges. However. You cannot connect this to a 750W transformer. The average power when on will probably be around 2-300W, but the peak power when starting can easily be 1.5KW, even sustained for several seconds if you have a short power cut. Use the 3.3KW one. It will waste maybe 30-50W of power, taking it up to maybe a third more power use.
At that price difference, I'd go for the 3.3kW. 750W is almost certainly too small. You might get away with something in between.
Remember that the average consumption over time is nothing compared to the inrush current when the compressor fires.
Another alternative, if the design is simple, is to remotor it with a 230V unit, although this won't be the cheap option even if the compressor is available, and the ancilliary components and wiring might not be OK on 230V.
Christian.
Nah. A transformer won't even notice a 200% overload for a couple of seconds.
To the OP : There will be a rating plate somewhere on the fridge (probably down the back near the compressor), which will give current and power rating. Use this to work out what size transformer you need, but I would think 750W would be enough.
However, frequency may stop the whole scheme anyway. Feeding UK 50Hz power into a US 60Hz motor will not only cause it to run slowly, but may saturate the core. This is not a good thing. Again check the rating plate or contact the manufacturer. If the plate says 50/60Hz, you're likely OK, if it only mentions 60Hz, then its a show stopper.
Unfortunately I can't find a rating plate on the apliance. It is rated for 50 or 60 Hz though. Thank you, Neil
Current? I dpoubt whether its more than a horsepower motor in a freezer. The switch on surge may be a buit hefty,
1KW should be OK.
If there is a half-few seconds power cut, then the compressor will be trying to start, but not be able to deliver enough torque, as it is starting against the pressure it had just built up.
It then stalls until the thermal cutout goes, which may be several tens of seconds, at about 1-2Kw.
In message , nafuk writes
It must have had one somewhere, and it shouldn't have fallen off. Such things are mandatory under product approval / safety legislation.
I'd concur with that. A colleague has run his huge ex-USA fridge for the last 5+years on a 1Kw transformer. My large Bosch upright freezer, which is located near to the gas boiler in a small utility room, has consumed 58.46Kwh over the last 482 hours That works out at 121watts on average
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