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Why aren't refrigerators & freezers designed to benefit from outside cold air?

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blueman

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Jan 28, 2010, 10:39:00 AM1/28/10
to
I have always wondered about this one...
Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
temperature at least 6 months of the year.

Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
not frigid external air?

Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
loading the AC?

Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
draw on the compressor during winter months.

Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?

Message has been deleted

jeffthedrunk

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Jan 28, 2010, 11:01:11 AM1/28/10
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Because it's impractical and adds to the expense. Besides that it
wouldn't make a huge difference in the economics of operation seeing
you are not cooling more than 30 cubic feet for a home fridge.

When you consider commercial refrigerators/walk in coolers and
freezers and refrigerated displays in grocery stores, 99 percent of
those have a remote condensing unit.

tra...@optonline.net

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Jan 28, 2010, 11:11:10 AM1/28/10
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On Jan 28, 10:54 am, gfretw...@aol.com wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0500, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote:


A little more expensive? The cost of the install of a coventional
refrigerator is zero, you just plug it in. I replaced mine last year
with a 23 cft side by side with water and ice at the door. Operating
cost is about $95 a year. How much do you think you're going to save
in operating costs by moving the condenser outside? In many houses
you'd have to run how many feet of refrigerant tubing to get from the
fridge to a suitable location to house the outside unit? Factor in
installation costs (see the other thread here about permitting
requirements for similar installs) a more complex system, more points
of failure, shorter life due to exposure to the elements and you
clearly have a non-starter.

Also, what happens when it's 10 degrees outside? A regular
refrigerator won't operate below a certain ambient temperature because
of issues with the refrigerant and compressor.

>
> Cost, complexity and reliability.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Jules

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Jan 28, 2010, 11:13:34 AM1/28/10
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On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0500, blueman wrote:

> I have always wondered about this one...
> Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
> In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
> temperature at least 6 months of the year.
>
> Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
> not frigid external air?

If my freezer wasn't dumping hot air into the kitchen then for the 6
months it's cold outside I'd just be paying to heat that room by other
means anyway.

Besides, any modern bells-and-whistles replacement would likely be built
in a country with a poor environmental record, shipped halfway around the
world to me, and be built to the same shitty standards as everything seems
to be these days - such that it has a lifespan better measured in months
rather than decades, and I'd be buying another one quickly, then
another...


Red Green

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Jan 28, 2010, 11:39:51 AM1/28/10
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blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote in news:m2sk9qu...@consult.pretender:

Because neighbors with a grudge would eat hard boiled eggs and chili, back
their ass up to the intake and let 'er rip.

terry

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Jan 28, 2010, 12:00:19 PM1/28/10
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On Jan 28, 12:54 pm, gfretw...@aol.com wrote:
> Cost, complexity and reliability.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Yes: Cool idea. Maybe.If fridges could draw in (and exchange) cool
outside air instead of using electrcity. But some refrigeration and
air controls would still be needed. Not sure the saving would be
significant if at all?

And with existing conventional electric fridges! Within the house all
the electricity used by the fridge ends up as heat. In our cool
Newfoundland climate some heating is needed most months of the year.

So in a house that is electrically heated (as most are these days) the
fridge heat merely replaces that from the electric heaters or other
means used for heating the home.

A fridge is basically an electric motor driving a pump that takes heat
out of the inside of the fridge and pumps it into those coils on the
back of the fridge. It's a heat pump. The motor also wastes some of
it's input (nothing is 100% efficient); it gets a little warm and that
heat stays within the house.

By putting say the coils outside might mean the fridge would run less,
thus saving electricity. But outside during a cold winter would
basically waste that heat outdoors. Warmth that originally leaked into
the fridge from the house and/or every time its door was opened, being
pumped outdoors. Same thing as running an air conditioner except in
this case it's only the fridge interior that is being cooled not a
room!

And since a 300 watt fridge can pump something say of the order of
1000 watts of heat; better IMO in cold weather to keep all the energy
used by the whole system within the house.

In a very hot climate the idea 'might' have some merit, if the cost/
complexity was reasonable? But pumping fridge heat outside into say 30
or 40 Celsius (90 to 110 F) atmosphere (Does it EVER get that warm
here?) outside might mean the fridge would have to run longer; thus
using more electrcity!

Overall the best course might be to have bulk of ones house
underground and utilize any/all sources of energy (mainly electricity
these days) entering it as a source of warmth. One of the bigger
'wasters' at moment being clothes dryers which chuck their warm damp
air outside. But anywhere else in the home that moisture can cause
mould/rot. That's why ventilation (especially attics) is so important.

Have seen a few homes here where there was a cold room built out fom
the basement, say under the front steps that stayed something close to
the temperature of a typical fridge. Useful for beer, potatos etc.

Thomas

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Jan 28, 2010, 1:01:53 PM1/28/10
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> Have seen a few homes here where there was a cold room built out fom
> the basement, say under the front steps that stayed something close to
> the temperature of a typical fridge. Useful for beer, potatos etc.- Hide quoted text -
>

I have a 30 pack of beer on my back porch right now. 35 deg F.
I have often thought the OP's question was a good one. Good answers.

Van Chocstraw

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Jan 28, 2010, 2:24:55 PM1/28/10
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It's not in the interest of the power company and the corporations.

Tony

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Jan 28, 2010, 3:00:05 PM1/28/10
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blueman wrote:
> I have always wondered about this one...
> Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
> In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
> temperature at least 6 months of the year.

> Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
> not frigid external air?


A refrigerator in a closed environment (in a home) will not only use
electric to keep it cold on the inside, but 100% of it's losses are heat
that is put into the home. You can't make anything cold. You can only
remove the heat and put the heat somewhere else. So it takes the little
bit of heat inside itself and puts it into your home, just like a heat
pump. Also every watt it uses is turned to heat that also warms your
home. The only way to benifit from cold outdoor air would be to put it
outside. But then we sometimes run into other problems.


> Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
> vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
> loading the AC?

Using warm or hot outside air will make it run longer and less
efficiently. If there would be any savings, it would be so small that
it wouldn't be worth the trouble.


> Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
> outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
> draw on the compressor during winter months.
>
> Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
> the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?

I think I covered that.

Larry Fishel

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Jan 28, 2010, 3:34:04 PM1/28/10
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On Jan 28, 10:39 am, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote:
> Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
> not frigid external air?

Because it would be too difficult to remove dead mice from behind the
fridge. :)

Harry L

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Jan 28, 2010, 4:52:39 PM1/28/10
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On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 15:00:05 -0500, Tony <tony....@gmail.com>
wrote:

[snip]

>A refrigerator in a closed environment (in a home) will not only use
>electric to keep it cold on the inside, but 100% of it's losses are heat
>that is put into the home. You can't make anything cold.

Sure you can. It generates electricity too. You just need to reverse
entropy. THAT is what you can't do.

[snip]

John Grabowski

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Jan 28, 2010, 5:30:51 PM1/28/10
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*You reminded me of something that I saw in several homes and apartments in
Sweden many, many years ago. In the kitchens they had a dedicated cabinet
that had a vent pipe to the outside. This made the cabinet cold enough to
keep things fresh, but not frozen. The winters are cold, dark and long
there so these cabinets could be used for many months.

ransley

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Jan 28, 2010, 5:51:10 PM1/28/10
to

It would be real complex and an expensive instal, it would almost have
to be a frige and exterior wall section sold as a unit, so when its a
certain point above inside room temp outside it wont be as efficent as
the cooler inside air cooling the coil and it would have to know if AC
is on to decide for it self what to do.It would have to computinside,
outside temps, AC on or off, heat on or of, so how does it switch back
and forth to use inside or outside air, and insulate and seal the
opening to withstand winters cold and wind to high R values. It could
be done but a frige would cost thousands and would you ever get a
payback. I could see some custom room frige using outside air in
winter with vents that operate by thermostat, that would cost little.
In alaska the have real efficent friges, the outdoors.

Stormin Mormon

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Jan 28, 2010, 7:27:41 PM1/28/10
to
>I have always wondered about this one...
>Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in
homes.
>In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder
than indoor
>temperature at least 6 months of the year.

>Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit
from cool if
>not frigid external air?

CY: It does make sense, to me. It would be possible to put
the refrig backed up to external wall. Some kind of gasket
around the exterior of the fridge. Draw outdoor air for the
condensor. Winter time, that would provide better cooling.
Summer, to dump the heat outdoors. Window AC do that. Why
not refrigerators?

>Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same
principle used to
>vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside
rather than
>loading the AC?

>Presumably this could all be done by putting the
evaporator coils
>outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold
enough) the
>draw on the compressor during winter months.

CY: I suspect you mean condensor coils, but I know what you
mean.

>
>Of course, installation might be a little more expensive,
but with all
>the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this
being done?

CY: Coordination between fridge makers, and home builders,
comes to mind.


Stormin Mormon

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Jan 28, 2010, 7:29:39 PM1/28/10
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It's much less than 99%, but the numbers are signifigant.

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


<Jeff The Drunk> wrote in message
news:3fp1t9....@news.alt.net...


On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0500

When you consider commercial refrigerators/walk in coolers

ilbe...@gmail.com

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Jan 28, 2010, 7:32:19 PM1/28/10
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On Jan 28, 9:39 am, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote:

The electrical operating expense of a domestic refrigerator isnt high
enough to justify modding it as you described. If you could find a
suitable way to bring in cold outdoor air into the fridge while
exhausting the fridge interior during winter months, it would save
some money . Im sure someone has tried it at some time in the past.

chaniarts

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Jan 29, 2010, 9:50:56 AM1/29/10
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when i lived in sweden, we kept a lot of the fridge stuff outside, and all
of the freezer stuff.

especially the vodka bottles.


bud--

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Jan 28, 2010, 11:37:57 PM1/28/10
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Jeff The Drunk wrote:
> On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0500, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com>wrote:
>
>> I have always wondered about this one...
>> Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
>> In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
>> temperature at least 6 months of the year.
>>
>> Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
>> not frigid external air?
>>
>> Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
>> vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
>> loading the AC?
>>
>> Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
>> outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
>> draw on the compressor during winter months.
>>
>> Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
>> the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?
>
> Because it's impractical and adds to the expense. Besides that it
> wouldn't make a huge difference in the economics of operation seeing
> you are not cooling more than 30 cubic feet for a home fridge.

A home refrig is really a simple system.

>
> When you consider commercial refrigerators/walk in coolers and
> freezers and refrigerated displays in grocery stores, 99 percent of
> those have a remote condensing unit.

I heard over 20 years ago that large grocery stores vent the condenser
heat to outside in the summer - the refrigeration does some of the space
cooling. In the winter they capture the heat and blow it back into the
store for space heating.

--
bud--

Tony

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Jan 29, 2010, 1:40:13 PM1/29/10
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Does that sort of mean you can make something cold, but you can't?
Or maybe you just don't know how to yet?

Bill

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Jan 29, 2010, 3:15:02 PM1/29/10
to
That is a *very* good question!

I would say the answer is that in the past, it has not mattered. Electric
rates have been low in the past and it would have been silly to bother.

But now the electric and energy rates are quite high, so time to think about
these things...

This is something I have thought about and would like to incorporate into my
kitchen design when I remodel it.

Basically it would be with the design of the house, not the refrigerator. I
would place the refrigerator on an outside wall. Perhaps build a
"compartment" for it sort of like a closet. Just the front doors showing
through. Then upper and lower vents on the outside wall so the cold outside
air could circulate around the refrigerator in the winter. And fine mesh
screen over these vents so bugs can't crawl in. Maybe be able to close these
vents if it gets too cold outside so the refrigerator portion will not go
below freezing.

I do have my freezer in the garage and it is quite cold out there in the
winter. It runs very little.

Note that if you have electric heating, it would be pointless to do this.
The heat from the refrigerator would help to heat the house. So in that case
no point in venting it to the outside.

And in the summer it would get tricky. I have not thought about this. But
you could be paying to cool the house. And there might be times when it is
very hot outside. Other times it would be cooler outside. Perhaps use the
cool inside air as an intake for the coils of the refrigerator, but vent the
warm output air to the outside? But if cooler outside at night than in the
house, switch to using outside air.

And use the cool inside air to surround the refrigerator if that is cooler
than outside.


"blueman" wrote in message

Phisherman

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Jan 30, 2010, 9:02:55 AM1/30/10
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On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0500, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote:


We have not seen this because a practical design has not yet been
considered. I'd like to use the 55-degree water from my spring-fed
pond to cool my house during hot summer days, but it is easier just to
get into the pond. If you want an efficent refrigerator, the one
with the thickest insulation is the one to get.

Bob Villa

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Jan 30, 2010, 9:19:59 AM1/30/10
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On Jan 28, 9:39 am, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote:

If you want to take full advantage of freezing temperatures: move
frozen items to outside and use a thermoelectric cooler for the rest.

Stormin Mormon

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Jan 30, 2010, 10:09:26 AM1/30/10
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There are water cooled condensors on the market. It might
not be cost effective to build a system using such. A
commercial refrigeratiron company can build something.

Or, you can run the cold water through automtove radiator,
and use a fan to blow air through the fins. Return the
warmer water to the pond.

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


"Phisherman" <nob...@noone.com> wrote in message
news:9je8m51o2jb67cita...@4ax.com...

Jerry L

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Jan 30, 2010, 12:37:56 PM1/30/10
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On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 13:40:13 -0500, Tony <tony....@gmail.com>
wrote:

The appropriate negentropic universe is at subchronon offset
SC.768564000007 precisely. However very strange things happen when you
run refrigerant lines into that.

BTW, consider that negentropic universes DON'T CARE if you don't know
what "negentropic" means.

mm

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Jan 30, 2010, 1:39:55 PM1/30/10
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On Thu, 28 Jan 2010 10:39:00 -0500, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote:

>I have always wondered about this one...
>Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
>In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
>temperature at least 6 months of the year.
>
>Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
>not frigid external air?
>
>Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
>vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
>loading the AC?
>
>Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
>outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
>draw on the compressor during winter months.

IIUC they tried this with air conditioning and it didnt' work.

>
>Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
>the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?

All kidding aside, I think you have a very good idea, actually. The
one problem I see is that if the condenser were only outside, in the
hot summer it would be hard and/or electrically-expensive to get it
cold in the fridge. And I don't know an easy way to switch condensers
with the season**. I wonder what they do in areas very north or very
south when it is always or almost always less than 70 degrees outside.
Surely, at polar locations, where fuel must be hard to import, they
don't waste fuel the way fridges do (or do they?) in the USA in the
winter.

The fuel isn't really wasted in that the fridge heats the home. It
does so electrically which is expensive, but in polar outposts, maybe
all heat is electric? I don't know what they use.

**The way around this for home heating cooling is to have the
condensor outside and the furnace inside, but people use heat pumps in
Maryland and areas south of here.

I turn the vent from my clothes dryer to vent outside in the summer
and inside in the winter, but that's a lot simpler than redoing a
condenser connection. (Yes, I know some people here think that causes
humidity problems in the house but it doesnt' for me. Most houses are
dry in the winter and that's why they put humidifiers on furnaces.)

tra...@optonline.net

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Jan 31, 2010, 11:24:01 AM1/31/10
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On Jan 29, 3:15 pm, "Bill" <billnomailnosp...@yahoo.com> wrote:
> That is a *very* good question!
>
> I would say the answer is that in the past, it has not mattered. Electric
> rates have been low in the past and it would have been silly to bother.
>
> But now the electric and energy rates are quite high, so time to think about
> these things...

And I'd say it still matter not a wit. As I previously posted, the
TOTAL annual electric usage of a new 23 cft refrigerator, with ice and
water at the door is around $95. And that's here in NJ, with
electricity around 17c KWH. So, where is the big savings to be had?

>
> This is something I have thought about and would like to incorporate into my
> kitchen design when I remodel it.
>
> Basically it would be with the design of the house, not the refrigerator. I
> would place the refrigerator on an outside wall. Perhaps build a
> "compartment" for it sort of like a closet. Just the front doors showing
> through. Then upper and lower vents on the outside wall so the cold outside
> air could circulate around the refrigerator in the winter. And fine mesh
> screen over these vents so bugs can't crawl in. Maybe be able to close these
> vents if it gets too cold outside so the refrigerator portion will not go
> below freezing.

And I'll bet that by the time it's all done. you'll LOSE money
because:

A - There will be enough leakage of air and energy that more than
offset the gain

B - The incremental cost of installing and maintaining all this
nonsense is more than you gain.

Then whe have little issues like people don't want to design their
kitchen around your idea of where the refrigerator has to go instead
of just putting the fridge where it makes the most sense
ergonomically, just to save $5 a year.


>
> I do have my freezer in the garage and it is quite cold out there in the
> winter. It runs very little.
>
> Note that if you have electric heating, it would be pointless to do this.
> The heat from the refrigerator would help to heat the house. So in that case
> no point in venting it to the outside.

More illogical conclusions. It doesn't matter whether the house is
heated with electric, heat pump, gas or a wood stove. The only issue
is in the grand scheme of things is $5 or $10 a year worth it?

>
> And in the summer it would get tricky. I have not thought about this.

Obviously


>But
> you could be paying to cool the house. And there might be times when it is
> very hot outside. Other times it would be cooler outside. Perhaps use the
> cool inside air as an intake for the coils of the refrigerator, but vent the
> warm output air to the outside? But if cooler outside at night than in the
> house, switch to using outside air.
>
> And use the cool inside air to surround the refrigerator if that is cooler
> than outside.
>
>

And how much is that whole system going to cost compared to the small
savings? My fridge uses a whopping $95 a year in electricity.

Geez, now I know why Best Buy sells so many extended warranty
contracts.


Bill

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Jan 31, 2010, 1:44:45 PM1/31/10
to
> As I previously posted, the
> TOTAL annual electric usage of a new 23 cft refrigerator, with ice and
> water at the door is around $95. And that's here in NJ, with
> electricity around 17c KWH. So, where is the big savings to be had?
>

My last electric bill for one month was $26!

10 years ago my electric bill was $150 a month.

How did I reduce my electric bill? I know how to add!

There was not any one thing which greatly reduced my electric bill. Rather
*many* things combined which ADD up to that savings.

And this is something people don't understand these days. That small things
add up. Same with spending. Buy a soda pop at a store once a day for $1 and
they say that is just a dollar. (It is actually $365 a year!)

But I assure you large billion dollar corporations know how to add. The guys
who get the big bucks there know how to search for a penny to be saved per
transaction. If the corporation has 300 retail outlets and each retail
outlet has 5,000 transactions per day, and they are saving a penny per
transaction, that is $50 per store per day!

$15,000 for all 300 stores per day!
$5,475,000 per year!
(All from saving a penny!)

It adds up... Learn how to add, you will save quite a bit!


Jim Elbrecht

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Jan 31, 2010, 3:27:10 PM1/31/10
to
On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:44:45 -0800, "Bill"
<billnoma...@yahoo.com> wrote:

>> As I previously posted, the
>> TOTAL annual electric usage of a new 23 cft refrigerator, with ice and
>> water at the door is around $95. And that's here in NJ, with
>> electricity around 17c KWH. So, where is the big savings to be had?
>>
>
>My last electric bill for one month was $26!
>
>10 years ago my electric bill was $150 a month.
>
>How did I reduce my electric bill? I know how to add!

I'll bite. Give us the figures you added-- or subtracted. What
were your electrical appliances then and how much did they use, and
what are they now & how much do they use?

My bill runs between $200-300 a month, but I'm not complaining. The
convenience it supplies is worth every penny to me.

But tell us what you've done to save so much.

Jim
[BTW- I don't think that $26 would keep you connected to the grid in
my part of the world.]

Bill

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Jan 31, 2010, 10:14:50 PM1/31/10
to
> ...tell us what you've done to save so much.
>

Oh geeze... What haven't I done! This has been an ongoing project over 10
years.

Let's see...
Redesigned a "room full of single pane windows" to fewer windows and
replaced with double pane energy star windows.
Installed insulation.
Replaced all bulbs with CFL's
Replaced all appliances with new energy star appliances.
Installed woodstove.
Rewired doorbell to only use electricity when the button is pressed.

Replaced 3 old window air conditioners with 1 new energy star window air
conditioner (with new windows and insulation - just one keeps house cool
now!)

Installed two 50 gallon water tanks next to woodstove. The heat from the
woodstove gives me hot water in winter! (My electric hot water tank has been
turned off since October.)

Power strips or switches on everything electronic. Turn off when not in use.
And this means almost everything these days. Every single gadget with an
electronic control always uses a small amount of electricity. Blender, HEPA
air filter, coffee maker, phone, fan, you name it!

And of course turn off TV/stereo/playstation/VCR/DVD, etc. Also I have
individual switches on each of these. I only turn on what is needed. Like
just TV and VCR - then playstation, DVD, stereo off. I don't have paid TV as
I like to read books, so no problem turning off the whole works when not in
use. (If you have paid TV, leave the cable box ON!)

Switch to turn off garage door opener when not in use.
Switch off TV antenna amplifier when not in use.

All phones are unplugged from power except answering machine phone. Wired
phones will still work without power.

Switches on rechargers like for cell phone, cordless rechargers, etc. These
are switched off or unplugged when not in use.

Switch for microwave. Off when not in use. (These use more electricity when
off than on. The clock is always on and this uses more electricity than you
use to periodically heat something up. It adds up to leave something on
24/7!)

Disconnected the clock on the electric range.

For cooking I place pots of water on the woodstove to heat them up. Then
bring to boiling on the electric range. Only a few seconds more of heat to
get to boiling. Then back to woodstove to cook.

If I have a big pot of stew or whatever, I place it outside to cool down
first before I place it in the refrigerator.

Then I bought GFCI receptacles which have one outlet and a switch. I wired
the switch to turn off the GFCI outlet when not being used. Even the GFCI
outlets always use a small amount of electricity.

I have a separate power strip for my computer printer. I turn this off when
not using the printer, but using the computer. (Always uses electricity when
plugged in.)

Everything I do lately is paid for with the money I am saving from my
previous energy saving projects, so it costs me nothing basically to buy
switches, power strips, etc.

And this all started out as a fun challenging project. The electric company
kept raising my rates. So each time I would find a way to lower my bill back
down.

My future projects will be to get hot water in the summer (from the sun) and
solar electricity. My electric use is so small now, the solar electric will
not require very much power.

On parasitic loads...
http://enduse.lbl.gov/info/ACEEE-Leaking.pdf


Don Klipstein

unread,
Jan 31, 2010, 10:39:56 PM1/31/10
to
In article <7smv9l...@mid.individual.net>, Bill wrote:

<A large number of ways to reduce electricity consumption, including but
not limited to disconnecting from power when-not-in-use the many things
that draw half a watt to a dozen watts when not doing anything,

including:>

>Switch for microwave. Off when not in use. (These use more electricity when
>off than on. The clock is always on and this uses more electricity than you
>use to periodically heat something up. It adds up to leave something on
>24/7!)

My microwave clock, including the power supply stuff for the microwave's
control electronics, draws 1 to 2 watts (reads 1 watt on my Kill-A-Watt
meter).

If 2 watts is the case, then it draws 48 watt-hours in a day. That is
20 cents a month or a bit more, almost $2.50 per year, with my electric
rate in suburban Philadelphia. I would switch it off with a power
strip when not in use, except that I like to have that clock on.

Although your other posted material makes sense and I agree with it
including disconnecting those low-power continuously-running loads, I take
issue with the microwave consuming more energy when not being used than it
does when it is being used.

My microwave consumes maybe 48 watt-hours per day when it is not being
used. It consumes a good 1300 watts when it is heating something up at
full power. That amounts to 48 watt-hours in 2 minutes 13 seconds.

On the other hand, if I did not powerstrip-switch my printer, it
probably would consume more energy when it is not being used than it does
when it is.

- Don Klipstein (d...@misty.com)

blueman

unread,
Feb 1, 2010, 12:10:24 AM2/1/10
to
"Bill" <billnoma...@yahoo.com> writes:

Very interesting list...
- Some are useful and significant to all (like turning off printers or
using Energy Star appliances)
- Others are more about general energy saving than just electricity for
those of us who heat our house or water with gas or oil (such as
insulation)
- Some may save power but there is a big trade-off in convenience like
switching pot from wood stove to electric stove -- or even the whole
bother of maintaining a wood stove vs. running a clean, efficient gas
furnace. Also, I think many of us just value our time more than
turning off every single last wall-wart.
- And some I think save such trivial amounts of electricity that you
will never payback the cost of the switch let alone the cost of your
time and the hassle factor -- shutting off a GFCI comes to mind as an
example.

Not criticizing what you have done -- and it sounds like you enjoy the
challenge. Just saying that some of the things you have done are either
not relevant, not practical, not significant, or not worth the hassle to
the average Joe...

mkir...@rochester.rr.com

unread,
Feb 1, 2010, 3:23:53 PM2/1/10
to
On Jan 28, 10:39 am, blueman <NOS...@nospam.com> wrote:
> Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
> not frigid external air?

The "beer fridge" at my parents' house is "designed" to do just
that... It's out in the unheated wood shed. It barely, if ever runs,
from November to April, and during the warm months it contributes
nothing to the cooling load of the house.

It's not real convenient to keep food in there, though. Need an egg?
You gotta walk clear across the house and out the back door to get
from the kitchen to the fridge.

DerbyDad03

unread,
Feb 1, 2010, 3:58:20 PM2/1/10
to
> there so these cabinets could be used for many months.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

re: "In Sweden...In the kitchens they had a dedicated cabinet that had


a vent pipe to the outside."

When I was in the Coast Guard and stationed in Alaska, the windows in
our sleeping quarters were sealed shut, but there were 3 or 4 holes in
the bottom of the wooden sashes. The holes were filled with corks that
could be removed for fresh air.

I (as well as many others) removed the corks and screwed a styrofoam
lined wooden box to the window sill. The box had a hinged door and was
big enough room to hold a six-pack of your favorite beverage.

I used to enjoy the Miller nips (7-oz bottles). On the coldest days, I
could come back to my room, put a couple of warm beers in the box and
by the time I had washed up and changed into my civvies, the beers
would be ice cold.

You had to be careful...you could freeze a 12 oz can in under 10
minutes on some days.

Phisherman

unread,
Feb 2, 2010, 8:19:50 AM2/2/10
to
On Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:44:45 -0800, "Bill"
<billnoma...@yahoo.com> wrote:


My city sells electricity. The problem with it is the kilowatt hours
costs $80 but the total bill is over $150. Over time, the city
decided to include water usage in the bill. Then based on the water
usage you got a sewer charge added, about double that of the water
bill (I know you can water the lawn and not use the sewer, but that
doesn't count). Last year they decided in lew of higher property
taxes they added the garbage collection to the bill, whether you put
out garbage or not. Having one bill is convenient, but these local
politicians are thinking all day long how to add another charge. Now
can anyone explain my land-line phone bill?

DerbyDad03

unread,
Feb 2, 2010, 9:23:12 AM2/2/10
to
On Jan 31, 10:39 pm, d...@manx.misty.com (Don Klipstein) wrote:

re: "On the other hand, if I did not powerstrip-switch my printer, it


probably would consume more energy when it is not being used than it
does when it is."

I question this in 2 ways:

1 - From a power saving perspective, I wonder how much power the
printer uses when it runs through it's POST vs. it's total usage when
idle. When my printer powers on, it calibrates the printhead, using
it's blue-light sighting device and moving the printhead around within
the unit for a few seconds.It also runs through other tests which must
consume power - unless the LCD screen is lying to me. Granted, extra
long idle times might use more power than the POST, but the power used
during the POST has to factored into the equation. In additon, my
printer also goes into a PowerSave mode after an idle period. It does
not run through the full POST when woken up with a print job.

2 - From a strictly convenience perspective, this would be a pain in
my as...errr....house. We have a single All-In-One printer/scanner/
copier networked for the 3 computers in my house. To power it down
when not in use would mean a trip to the printer from the far end of
the house when any of the users wanted to print. First the error
message that the printer wasn't available, then a trip to the printer
to turn it on, back to the computer to click OK and back to the
printer to collect the printout and turn the printer off, assuming
it's not going to be used again soon. If there's any thought that it
might be used again, then it would be left on and the user would have
to remember to make another trip to the printer to turn it off
eventually.

Wait, maybe that's not a bad idea. The extra walking would be healthy
for us plus keep us warm so we could turn the heat down. ;-)

Wayne Boatwright

unread,
Feb 3, 2010, 12:39:36 AM2/3/10
to
On Thu 28 Jan 2010 08:39:00a, blueman told us...

> I have always wondered about this one...

> Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
> In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
> temperature at least 6 months of the year.
>
> Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
> not frigid external air?
>
> Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
> vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
> loading the AC?
>
> Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
> outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
> draw on the compressor during winter months.
>
> Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
> the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?

High end designer line units often have remote mechanical systems that are
usually mounted in the basement. However, IMO, the goal is for completely
silent operation in the kitchen rather than energy conservation.

It's not financially feasible to produce lower end units with such a
feature.

--

~~ If there's a nit to pick, some nitwit will pick it. ~~

~~ A mind is a terrible thing to lose. ~~

**********************************************************

Wayne Boatwright

kevin...@gmail.com

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 12:12:05 AM7/6/15
to
On Thursday, January 28, 2010 at 7:39:00 AM UTC-8, blueman wrote:
> I have always wondered about this one...
> Refrigerators are one of the top energy consumers in homes.
> In Northern climates, the outside temperature is colder than indoor
> temperature at least 6 months of the year.
>
> Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
> not frigid external air?
>
> Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
> vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
> loading the AC?
>
> Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
> outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
> draw on the compressor during winter months.
>
> Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
> the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?

all of the responses I've read make the assumption we have A/C. my house doesn't. I live in Oregon. the few weeks when it gets very hot the refrigerator feels like the range has been left on. simply venting this hot air out thru the roof or exterior wall doesn't seem too difficult. I could add a bathroom vent fan if needed and have it turn on when the refr runs. all of this is a comfort issue, not $ savings.

J Burns

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 1:14:33 AM7/6/15
to
If your house it too hot because it's hot outside, turning on a vent fan
will bring in hot air, any way it can get in.

You can probably get a Kill-o-watt digital meter for under $20. It will
tell you how much electricity your refrigerator uses. Mine averages 50
watts or 36kwh a month. If yours uses much more, you could be a little
cooler by replacing it.

Home is where I hang my hat

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 6:35:38 AM7/6/15
to
Move ur fridge to the garage during the hot weather. I can see how that
might benefit most of us in more ways than just keeping the kitchen a
bit cooler.

micky

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 6:38:21 AM7/6/15
to
JB is right, if you vent air out of the house, it will have to be
replaced by other air, warm air from outside the house. If you used
the same air, sucked in air from outside just to cool the coils, it
would not cool the coils as well, because it woudl be hotter than the
air iln the rest of your house** So you'd need more air, that is a
faster fan.

** (My house at least is much cooler than outside on the first floor.
Tnat's not always true on the seocnd floor)

You'd have to have the coils that are on the back of the fridge outside
the house instead.

> I could add a bathroom vent fan if needed and have it turn on when the refr runs. all of this is a comfort issue, not $ savings.

When I had AC, I only used it 20 or 30 days a year, in Baltimore, but
even when I wasn't using it, I never noticed heat coming from the
fridge. Now that my AC is broken for the last 2 years or so, I still
don't noticed any heat. Admittedly, the coils are in the back and the
heat from them gradually spreads into the rest of the kitchen, but I
think what really makes the difference is that I don't open the fridge
door very much. If the door isn't opened, like for 8 hours every night,
I'll bet the thing hardly runs at all.

Again, there's only one of me, but otoh some people just open the door
and stare at the food for a while.

bob haller

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 7:05:41 AM7/6/15
to
ahh, another old thread, this one is from 2010.

lets hope the same google groups IT techs arent put in charge of google self driving vehicles:(

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 8:57:27 AM7/6/15
to
Doing the outside air thing makes sense. But it would
need coordination between the builders, the HVAC folks,
and the refrigerator designers.

BTW, the coils which get hot are condenser coils, the
cold ones are evaporator. If you put the evaporator
coils outdoors, the food would be warm.

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

bob haller

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:08:10 AM7/6/15
to
one could probably have a heat echanger outside, run pex to the kitchen attach somehow the condensor coils to say copper line then pump the water of antifreeze from outside thru the coils attached to the fridges heat exchanger.

its a interesting thought

trader_4

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:10:10 AM7/6/15
to
On Monday, July 6, 2015 at 8:57:27 AM UTC-4, Stormin Mormon wrote:
It doesn't make sense. The heat generated by a modern refrigerator
is minimal. In winter, it adds to the heat you want in the house.
Spring/Fall, you typically have windows open, so it doesn't matter.
In summer, if you have no AC, you typically have the windows open,
so it isn't going to matter much. If you have AC it's a small
negative impact on the energy balance. A refrigerator costs less
that $100 a year to run. That isn't much heat. Now compare that
to the cost of the venting, the problems with running the venting,
connecting the venting somehow to the fridge, the electric used to
power the venting, etc and it doesn't add up.

Mayayana

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:29:40 AM7/6/15
to
I'd suggest you get a real newsreader and stop
using Google's abomination. You've responded
to a 5-year-old post. By now the poster has
no doubt invented the refrigerator he dreamed of.



Stormin Mormon

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:35:12 AM7/6/15
to
On 7/6/2015 9:08 AM, bob haller wrote:
> On Monday, July 6, 2015 at 8:57:27 AM UTC-4, Stormin Mormon wrote:
>>
>> Doing the outside air thing makes sense. But it would
>> need coordination between the builders, the HVAC folks,
>> and the refrigerator designers.
>>
>
> one could probably have a heat echanger outside, run pex to the kitchen attach somehow the condensor coils to say copper line then pump the water of antifreeze from outside thru the coils attached to the fridges heat exchanger.
>
> its a interesting thought
>

When it gets below 30F in New York, I wonder why
we run our refrig in the 70 degree indoors. Seems
like it would make sense to duct in the cold
outdoor air.

Col. Edmund J. Burke

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:37:05 AM7/6/15
to
wrote in message
news:342e7fba-0d37-4411...@googlegroups.com...


Because it's a "closed system," dumbshit.
LOL

Col. Edmund J. Burke

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:39:26 AM7/6/15
to
"J Burns" wrote in message news:mnd2ov$6nm$1...@dont-email.me...

If your house it too hot because it's hot outside, turning on a vent fan
will bring in hot air, any way it can get in.

You can probably get a Kill-o-watt digital meter for under $20. It will
tell you how much electricity your refrigerator uses. Mine averages 50
watts or 36kwh a month. If yours uses much more, you could be a little
cooler by replacing it.

Miss Recktum? You gots one of them Killo watt meters for yer electric
dildos?
To see how much elektricity you are usin'?


trader_4

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:51:16 AM7/6/15
to
Not when the cost to run a fridge is under $100 a year.
Clearly that isn't a lot of heat. And the heat is only
an issue in the summer, with AC on. In winter, it's helping.
What do you think all that, ie fluid pumps, antifreeze,
piping, another heat exchanger, etc would add in terms
of cost, maintenance, failure points, etc? Why fix what's
not broken?

trader_4

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 9:56:10 AM7/6/15
to
Because the heat is helping heat your house for one thing.
It costs less than $100 a year to run a fridge. Let's say
it amounts to $30 in winter. It's like getting $30 worth
of electric heat added to the house. And I can almost
assure you that once you start making more holes going
outside, ducting in cold air, you're going to wind up
losing plenty of energy too. Leaks around openings, ducts
that fail, come apart. Why fix what isn't broken? Even
if you had a fridge where it was possible to install it
that way, you'd find out that 99.X% would never use it.

trader_4

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 10:01:26 AM7/6/15
to
Here we go again. Try using Google Groups for once, instead
of blindly complaining about it. The date of every post is clearly
shown. People do Google searches for a particular problem, find old
threads and proceed to respond to them. What would you prefer,
that all old threads and the information be lost forever, so
it's *all* started over again, each time?

NEMO

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 10:08:34 AM7/6/15
to
Watt? We don't gots dollars in the UKraine, Coloon...it must be a Great
Satan thing. LOLOK

Col. Edmund J. Burke

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 10:36:42 AM7/6/15
to
"NEMO" wrote in message news:mne24u$mvk$3...@news.mixmin.net...
Mister Puto will tell you and those other Pollocks what you may and may not
have, Miss Recktum
Get used to it.
LOL

Message has been deleted

NEMO

unread,
Jul 6, 2015, 8:12:40 PM7/6/15
to
Mister Puto does what the greek he likes and the Great Satan can't do
jack shit about it. Yesterday Crimea, today Eastern Ukraine, tomorrow
Finland (not a NATO member)! LOLOK

Heinrich

unread,
Jul 7, 2015, 12:55:24 AM7/7/15
to
In article <mnf5hk$g3g$3...@news.mixmin.net>,
the limey sicko FAKE revd, forging as NEMO, wrote:

[deleted]

Why do limey nazoids like yourself suck dicks and molest
children? It's very bad and even the Lord Jesus will not
forgive you.

More on neo-nazis and child porn
--------------------------------
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7469180.stm
British Neo-Nazi had child abuse images


British neo-nazi leader was gay, died of AIDS
---------------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicky_Crane
Nicky Crane was a British neo-Nazi skinhead activist. He came out
as gay before dying from an AIDS-related illness.


Another British neo-nazi leader turns out to be a paedophile
------------------------------------------------------------
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nazi-paedo-jailed-over-sicko-87392
Nazi paedo jailed over sicko snap
A NAZI-sympathising paedophile who police caught with a huge stash of
child porn has been jailed for four years.
Message has been deleted

Col. Edmund J. Burke

unread,
Jul 7, 2015, 8:32:32 AM7/7/15
to
"NEMO" wrote in message news:mnf5hk$g3g$3...@news.mixmin.net...
I like Finnish Porn. All those naturally blonde pussies.

NEMO

unread,
Jul 7, 2015, 9:36:39 AM7/7/15
to
On 7/7/2015 5:32 AM, Colon Edmud Jackass Burchese of Ladyboise, Idaho
Blonde? They're Asiatic mongoloids, Coloon! LOLOK

Message has been deleted

jlov...@gmail.com

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 2:42:34 AM9/4/15
to
I know this is a bit late to reply to this one, but the answer is simple: "It's because the destructive, unsustainable energy we consume is ridiculously & artificially cheap". This is because not only are the many, destructive, externalizer costs (think oil wars & spills, nuclear waste disposal, air & water pollution, climate change, etc) of this energy not figured into the price, but these energies are all subsidized by our backwards gov. policies. That's right, they take "our" hard earned money (to the tune of 800 billion + globally per annum), and give it to oil companies alone. If instead of paying the taxes we pay regardless, we only paid more for the energy we used.., and only when we used it, then we'd demand more efficient appliances, homes, cars, etc. Now add to that if our gov. rightly incorporated into fuel costs the "true" cost of every oil spill (not there worthless attempts to "remediate" them, but actually paid for the damage done to the ecosystem, economies, etc.), the costs of every oil war (trillions?!), the costs of all the air pollution (think hospitalization, premature deaths, etc)... Nuclear catastrophes and hazardous waste dumping (see Hanford nuclear waste site for but one example) then and ONLY then would appliances,,homes, vehicles etc. be made as efficiently as possible. So there you have it... The "truth" as to why these seemingly common sense efficiency improvements don't enter the market... Because our unsustainable energy is "ARTIFICIALLY" cheap! Fur anyone reading this post, do your part to help solve this crisis of idiocy and write, call or at least email your representatives and let them know that you demand that unsustainable energy sources are taxed to incorporate their "true" costs. Don't worry, your energy bills will not increase because viable, sustainable energy sources and efficient technologies will take over more quickly than you can possibly imagine. Here's to a just and peaceful future based on logic and sanity.

Uncle Monster

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 2:52:46 AM9/4/15
to
On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 1:42:34 AM UTC-5, jlov...@gmail.com wrote:
> I know this is a bit late to reply to this one, but the answer is simple: "It's because the destructive, unsustainable energy we consume is ridiculously & artificially cheap". This is because not only are the many, destructive, externalizer costs (think oil wars & spills, nuclear waste disposal, air & water pollution, climate change, etc) of this energy not figured into the price, but these energies are all subsidized by our backwards gov. policies. That's right, they take "our" hard earned money (to the tune of 800 billion + globally per annum), and give it to oil companies alone. If instead of paying the taxes we pay regardless, we only paid more for the energy we used.., and only when we used it, then we'd demand more efficient appliances, homes, cars, etc. Now add to that if our gov. rightly incorporated into fuel costs the "true" cost of every oil spill (not there worthless attempts to "remediate" them, but actually paid for the damage done to the ecosystem, economies, etc.), the costs of every oil war (trillions?!), the costs of all the air pollution (think hospitalization, premature deaths, etc)... Nuclear catastrophes and hazardous waste dumping (see Hanford nuclear waste site for but one example) then and ONLY then would appliances,,homes, vehicles etc. be made as efficiently as possible. So there you have it... The "truth" as to why these seemingly common sense efficiency improvements don't enter the market... Because our unsustainable energy is "ARTIFICIALLY" cheap! Fur anyone reading this post, do your part to help solve this crisis of idiocy and write, call or at least email your representatives and let them know that you demand that unsustainable energy sources are taxed to incorporate their "true" costs. Don't worry, your energy bills will not increase because viable, sustainable energy sources and efficient technologies will take over more quickly than you can possibly imagine. Here's to a just and peaceful future based on logic and sanity.

If you want to give up 90% of your income for your moonbat ideals, you go right ahead, just don't tell me that I must do the same. That's the problem with Progressive Liberal Leftist Commiecrat Freaks, they want to use the force of government to push their codswallop on everyone else at the point of a gun. It never ceases to amaze me how anti gun nuts want the government to point guns at people to force them to surrender to moonbattery. O_o

[8~{} Uncle Earthling Monster

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 4:01:49 AM9/4/15
to
On 9/4/2015 2:42 AM, jlov...@gmail.com wrote:
> I know this is a bit late to reply to this one, but
the answer is simple: "It's because the destructive,
unsustainable energy we consume is ridiculously &
artificially cheap".
>

The setup costs of the ducting, and the sensors
would outweigh the energy saving. Now, what were
you saying?

trader_4

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 8:39:22 AM9/4/15
to
Yeah, another clueless hippie, with a silly political conspiracy tale
when it's obvious that the real reason is that it's not practical or worth
it to use outside air for a fridge. The amount of energy a fridge uses in
total isn't much, what it uses in winter helps heat the living space. Even
if it worked perfectly, the difference would be small. Running
ducts outside would not only be a pain in the neck, but it would require a
more powerful fan, cost a significant amount of money, and introduce it's
own energy losses, eg the ducts would be leaking heat into the living space
in summer, taking it out during winter, any protrusions through the walls
wind up leaking air too, etc.

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 9:35:50 AM9/4/15
to
On 9/4/2015 8:39 AM, trader_4 wrote:
> Yeah, another clueless hippie, with a silly political conspiracy tale
> when it's obvious that the real reason is that it's not practical or worth
> it to use outside air for a fridge. The amount of energy a fridge uses in
> total isn't much, what it uses in winter helps heat the living space. Even
> if it worked perfectly, the difference would be small. Running
> ducts outside would not only be a pain in the neck, but it would require a
> more powerful fan, cost a significant amount of money, and introduce it's
> own energy losses, eg the ducts would be leaking heat into the living space
> in summer, taking it out during winter, any protrusions through the walls
> wind up leaking air too, etc.
>

Ah, so it's the fault of cheap energy?
(have to poke the troll)

Edmund J. Burke, Ph.D

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 9:54:21 AM9/4/15
to
"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message news:S6hGx.8201$mL....@fx12.iad...
Maybe you might consider poking our Miss Recktum instead?
Just askin'.


gfre...@aol.com

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 11:15:58 AM9/4/15
to
On Thu, 3 Sep 2015 23:42:21 -0700 (PDT), jlov...@gmail.com wrote:

>I know this is a bit late to reply to this one, but the answer is simple: "It's because the destructive, unsustainable energy we consume is ridiculously & artificially cheap"

I guess you didn't study thermodynamics in school.
In the winter, the fridge is a heat pump, assisting your furnace in
keeping your house warm. It takes the heat from things you put in
there and returns it to the house. At that point the only "waste" is
from the time that you have the door open.
If you heat exchanged it with cooler outside air, you are throwing
that heat away.
The only time it really hurts you is in the summer when you are paying
for air conditioning but that is true of everything electrical and any
fossil fuel appliances you have, minus what goes up the flue,
particularly if you do not have fresh air for combustion.

I am in Florida and my water heater is outside the HVAC envelope, just
for that reason. I also cook outside as much as possible.

todd...@gmail.com

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 12:22:46 PM9/4/15
to
Interesting topic. Probably the benefit doesn't outweigh the cost. Or mayb it is a wash. When I go to the grocery store, I see plenty of free-standing refrigerated cases that put warm air into the space, which then must be removed by the a/c for the whole store. Then again, the big cases are all cooled from outside. My own home refer warms my house in the winter, but goes against the a/c in the summer, so it is a wash.

M.L.

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 12:45:07 PM9/4/15
to

> > >Why aren't they designed with "heat" exchangers to benefit from cool if
> > >not frigid external air?
> >
> > >Even in warm climates (or summers) why isn't the same principle used to
> > >vent the warm air from the compressor & coils outside rather than
> > >loading the AC?
> >
> > >Presumably this could all be done by putting the evaporator coils
> > >outside which would in turn decrease (or eliminate if cold enough) the
> > >draw on the compressor during winter months.
> >
> > >Of course, installation might be a little more expensive, but with all
> > >the focus on green-this and green-that why isn't this being done?

> A little more expensive? The cost of the install of a coventional
> refrigerator is zero, you just plug it in. I replaced mine last year
> with a 23 cft side by side with water and ice at the door. Operating
> cost is about $95 a year. How much do you think you're going to save
> in operating costs by moving the condenser outside? In many houses
> you'd have to run how many feet of refrigerant tubing to get from the
> fridge to a suitable location to house the outside unit? Factor in
> installation costs (see the other thread here about permitting
> requirements for similar installs) a more complex system, more points
> of failure, shorter life due to exposure to the elements and you
> clearly have a non-starter.
>
> Also, what happens when it's 10 degrees outside? A regular
> refrigerator won't operate below a certain ambient temperature because
> of issues with the refrigerant and compressor.

You're approaching the design from retrofitting today's refrigerator
design to today's homes. I'd think that the installation costs would
be near zero if homes and refrigerators were designed 80 years ago
with the outside usage in mind.

I've always wondered why northern homes weren't built with a small
enclosed but uninsulated area for a similar cold storage purpose.

Malcom Mal Reynolds

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 2:10:33 PM9/4/15
to
In article <1afa4e48-dd74-440c...@googlegroups.com>,
trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:


>
> Yeah, another clueless hippie, with a silly political conspiracy tale
> when it's obvious that the real reason is that it's not practical or worth
> it to use outside air for a fridge. The amount of energy a fridge uses in
> total isn't much, what it uses in winter helps heat the living space. Even
> if it worked perfectly, the difference would be small. Running
> ducts outside would not only be a pain in the neck, but it would require a
> more powerful fan, cost a significant amount of money, and introduce it's
> own energy losses, eg the ducts would be leaking heat into the living space
> in summer, taking it out during winter, any protrusions through the walls
> wind up leaking air too, etc.

it's amazing that you can get a split A/C that would easily accomplish
this without ducting

trader_4

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 5:29:45 PM9/4/15
to
But how much food will a split A/C hold? Yes, instead of ducting outside
air to the fridge, you could turn fridges into split systems, with
the condenser outside. But I think every rational person here sees
all the many issues and increased costs associated with doing it
that way too, to solve a very small alleged problem. The silly hippie
lib that restarted this old thread, is he a relative of yours?
Perhaps you two could get a room together and go in business marketing
such a great appliance innovation......

trader_4

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 6:06:58 PM9/4/15
to
Eighty years ago or today, it still makes no sense because you're
trying to solve a problem that doesn't exist. It costs about $90
a year to run a fridge. In the cold winter months, that electricity
winds up as added heat in the house, which is a benefit. If we
assume you need heat 6 months of the year, it's like getting $45
worth of electric heat for free. With the proposed fridge,
that heat energy would be lost to the outside. In the spring and fall
it wouldn't matter much one way or the other, as the inside and
outside temps are about the same. In the few summer months, if you
have AC, all it would do is have the small amount of heat generated
go directly outside, instead of into the house and then removed by the AC.
So you might save whatever AC energy it takes to remove ~$20 worth
of heat from the house. That's maybe $7, because an AC has a COP
of about 3. So, by my analysis, what is supposed to be a better
design, actually costs more to run. You lose $45 and gain $7, for
a net loss of $38.




> I've always wondered why northern homes weren't built with a small
> enclosed but uninsulated area for a similar cold storage purpose.

Because many days it can get well above freezing, so your ice cream would
melt and your fish would spoil. At night it can get very cold,
so your soda and milk freezes. Those are reason enough for me.

Uncle Monster

unread,
Sep 4, 2015, 7:07:17 PM9/4/15
to
So you want to run refrigeration lines all over a house to install mini split heat pumps in every room? You can get a 5 zone mini split system that works very well with an option for ceiling cassette, wall mount, hidden ducted or universal indoor units that can be mixed and matched connected to the same condensing unit. The systems have all kinds of nice features like individual temperature control for each zone, optional WiFi interface and very quiet operation but there are some things to consider. A line set must be run to each unit, power and thermostat wiring to each unit and a possible penetration of the wall for each unit, more points for possible refrigerant leaks and the complexity of the system. When the cost of all the options is added up, such a multi zone mini split system can be much more expensive than a ducted central HVAC system. There are small duct high velocity systems that are much more affordable than a multi zone mini split system without the complexity. If I had to install an HVAC system in any home, I'd choose the small duct high velocity system. ^_^

http://tinyurl.com/p2ojwwb

http://spacepak.com/consumer-central-air/

[8~{} Uncle AC Monster

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 8:10:42 AM9/5/15
to
I've been following the thread. Malformed wants to run a
ductless mini split to provide cold air for the inside
of the refrigerator.

Uncle Monster

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 12:27:02 PM9/5/15
to
Cool! He can use one of the zones for the evaporator in his/her/its refrigerator. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Zone Monster

Mr Pounder Esquire

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Sep 5, 2015, 1:18:46 PM9/5/15
to

"Uncle Monster" <uncl...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:cbe508d3-193a-4ed3...@googlegroups.com...
I once stayed in a "hotel" that had the room heated with a refrigeration
unit.
The fan blew the heat from the condenser into the room.
Utterly useless. I did a moan got a fan heater and was asked not to leave it
on all night. Yeah sure.






Uncle Monster

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Sep 5, 2015, 1:39:21 PM9/5/15
to
On Saturday, September 5, 2015 at 12:18:46 PM UTC-5, Mr Pounder Esquire wrote:
> "Uncle Monster" <h...@stuff.com> wrote in message
The electric heating elements or control were probably defective. Heat pump systems often have auxiliary electric heat. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Hot Monster

Malcom Mal Reynolds

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Sep 5, 2015, 4:06:21 PM9/5/15
to
In article <ab4dcb1d-852a-4854...@googlegroups.com>,
trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:

> On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 2:10:33 PM UTC-4, Malcom Mal Reynolds
> wrote:
> > In article <1afa4e48-dd74-440c...@googlegroups.com>,
> > trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Yeah, another clueless hippie, with a silly political conspiracy
> > > tale when it's obvious that the real reason is that it's not
> > > practical or worth it to use outside air for a fridge. The
> > > amount of energy a fridge uses in total isn't much, what it uses
> > > in winter helps heat the living space. Even if it worked
> > > perfectly, the difference would be small. Running ducts outside
> > > would not only be a pain in the neck, but it would require a more
> > > powerful fan, cost a significant amount of money, and introduce
> > > it's own energy losses, eg the ducts would be leaking heat into
> > > the living space in summer, taking it out during winter, any
> > > protrusions through the walls wind up leaking air too, etc.
> >
> > it's amazing that you can get a split A/C that would easily
> > accomplish this without ducting
>
> But how much food will a split A/C hold?

as much as you make room for it. in fact it doesn't seem unreasonable to
make such a fridge in a way that allows for easy expansion/contraction
as circumstances warrant

Yes, instead of ducting outside
> air to the fridge, you could turn fridges into split systems, with
> the condenser outside. But I think every rational person here sees
> all the many issues and increased costs associated with doing it that
> way too, to solve a very small alleged problem.

is there some problem with discussing other solutions to problems or is
it that rightards are unable to not only think outside of the box, they
don't even know what a box is


The silly hippie lib
> that restarted this old thread, is he a relative of yours? Perhaps
> you two could get a room together and go in business marketing such a
> great appliance innovation......

just like rightards to make everything about sex

Malcom Mal Reynolds

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 4:07:32 PM9/5/15
to
In article <cbe508d3-193a-4ed3...@googlegroups.com>,
Uncle Monster <uncl...@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 1:10:33 PM UTC-5, Malcom Mal Reynolds wrote:
> > In article <1afa4e48-dd74-440c...@googlegroups.com>,
> > trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:
> >
> >
> > >
> > > Yeah, another clueless hippie, with a silly political conspiracy tale
> > > when it's obvious that the real reason is that it's not practical or
> > > worth
> > > it to use outside air for a fridge. The amount of energy a fridge uses
> > > in
> > > total isn't much, what it uses in winter helps heat the living space.
> > > Even
> > > if it worked perfectly, the difference would be small. Running
> > > ducts outside would not only be a pain in the neck, but it would require
> > > a
> > > more powerful fan, cost a significant amount of money, and introduce it's
> > > own energy losses, eg the ducts would be leaking heat into the living
> > > space
> > > in summer, taking it out during winter, any protrusions through the walls
> > > wind up leaking air too, etc.
> >
> > it's amazing that you can get a split A/C that would easily accomplish
> > this without ducting
>
> So you want to run refrigeration lines all over a house to install mini split
> heat pumps in every room?

where did I say that? you been sniffing that trump cologne?

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 5:39:43 PM9/5/15
to
On 9/5/2015 4:06 PM, Malcom Mal Reynolds wrote:
> In article <ab4dcb1d-852a-4854...@googlegroups.com>,
> trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:
>
> Yes, instead of ducting outside
>> air to the fridge, you could turn fridges into split systems, with
>> the condenser outside. But I think every rational person here sees
>> all the many issues and increased costs associated with doing it that
>> way too, to solve a very small alleged problem.
>
> is there some problem with discussing other solutions to problems or is
> it that rightards are unable to not only think outside of the box, they
> don't even know what a box is
>
CY: I've found that rightards look for that which works. Which
leaves most leftards out of the picture. BTW, a box is
the job Muhammed Ali used to have.

>
> The silly hippie lib
>> that restarted this old thread, is he a relative of yours? Perhaps
>> you two could get a room together and go in business marketing such a
>> great appliance innovation......
>
> just like rightards to make everything about sex
>

CY: Naah, not a chance. We know what sex
is (I'm considered M) and we're satisifed
with what God gave us.

.

Uncle Monster

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 5:44:15 PM9/5/15
to
On Saturday, September 5, 2015 at 3:07:32 PM UTC-5, Malcom Mal Reynolds wrote:
> In article <cbe508d3-193a-4ed3...@googlegroups.com>,
> Uncle Monster <sti...@butt.com> wrote:
>
> > On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 1:10:33 PM UTC-5, Malcom Mal Reynolds wrote:
> > > In article <1afa4e48-dd74-440c...@googlegroups.com>,
> > > trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > > >
> > > > Yeah, another clueless hippie, with a silly political conspiracy tale
> > > > when it's obvious that the real reason is that it's not practical or
> > > > worth
> > > > it to use outside air for a fridge. The amount of energy a fridge uses
> > > > in
> > > > total isn't much, what it uses in winter helps heat the living space.
> > > > Even
> > > > if it worked perfectly, the difference would be small. Running
> > > > ducts outside would not only be a pain in the neck, but it would require
> > > > a
> > > > more powerful fan, cost a significant amount of money, and introduce it's
> > > > own energy losses, eg the ducts would be leaking heat into the living
> > > > space
> > > > in summer, taking it out during winter, any protrusions through the walls
> > > > wind up leaking air too, etc.
> > >
> > > it's amazing that you can get a split A/C that would easily accomplish
> > > this without ducting
> >
> > So you want to run refrigeration lines all over a house to install mini split
> > heat pumps in every room?
>
> where did I say that? you been sniffing that trump cologne?
>
>
I'm sure Ivanka Trump has a cologne for men with her name on it but I don't care for smelly stuff like perfume or cologne. Right Guard spray is smelly enough for me and fights the real stink. I do think Ivanka is cute. ^_^

To quote what you wrote: "it's amazing that you can get a split A/C that would easily accomplish this without ducting." What you described is known as a "mini split" AC or heat pump. Perhaps I didn't realize you were demonstrating your ignorance of the subject and I should have explained what "remote condensing units" for refrigeration systems are. Remote condensing units for ice machines, walk in coolers and freezers are quite common for restaurants, grocery and convenience stores. Those type systems work very well for commercial customers but the reason you never see them in a regular home is because they're FRAKING EXPENSIVE! If you wish to empty your bank account or take out a loan, I know a number of guys who'd be glad to modify your refrigerator and install a remote condenser for you. Hell, if were able bodied and able to work again, I'd do the project for you. $150.00 per hour plus travel and expenses. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Mod Monster

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 7:39:09 PM9/5/15
to
On 9/5/2015 5:44 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
> To quote what you wrote: "it's amazing that you can get a split A/C that would easily accomplish this without ducting." What you described is known as a "mini split" AC or heat pump. Perhaps I didn't realize you were demonstrating your ignorance of the subject and I should have explained what "remote condensing units" for refrigeration systems are. Remote condensing units for ice machines, walk in coolers and freezers are quite common for restaurants, grocery and convenience stores. Those type systems work very well for commercial customers but the reason you never see them in a regular home is because they're FRAKING EXPENSIVE! If you wish to empty your bank account or take out a loan, I know a number of guys who'd be glad to modify your refrigerator and install a remote condenser for you. Hell, if were able bodied and able to work again, I'd do the project for you. $150.00 per hour plus travel and expenses. ^_^
>
> [8~{} Uncle Mod Monster
>

I got a call one time from a fellow who owned an old
age home with kitchen. He asked if I might take the
condensing unit off top of the fridge (in the
ceiling heat) and put it in the cellar where it's
cool. I was pleased to do that, and he was pleased
with the lower energy bills.

trader_4

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 7:46:08 PM9/5/15
to
You can discuss all you want. It was a dumb idea 80 years ago,
it's a dumb idea today, it will still be a dumb idea tomorrow and
everyone here knows it, except you.

"in fact it doesn't seem unreasonable to make such a fridge in
a way that allows for easy expansion/contraction as circumstances warrant"

I suggest you go make your split system, with the condenser outside
and the appliance box inside easy expandable/contractable. See how
much it costs and how many you sell given that people are perfectly
happy with the fridges they have, there is no energy savings worth spit,
and the vast majority of fridges have a fixed space to fit in.



> The silly hippie lib
> > that restarted this old thread, is he a relative of yours? Perhaps
> > you two could get a room together and go in business marketing such a
> > great appliance innovation......
>
> just like rightards to make everything about sex

I figured maybe that's something you have knowledge of and could
relate to, because you're obviously the village idiot about everything
else.

trader_4

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 7:54:23 PM9/5/15
to
I'd say there are other reasons you don't see remote condensing units
in a house. Besides being more costly to manufacture, they require
power at two locations, probably requiring a pro to do the elec hookup
and line connections. And more importantly, it solves an alleged
problem that doesn't exist. Typical
fridge uses $90 a year in electricity. The difference in potential energy
usage isn't worth it. And I did a quick analysis here in another post
where it looks to me like for most homes, you'd actually wind up using
more energy. Oh, and how long do things that are put outside, in the elements,
tend to last compared to those protected and inside?

Malcom Mal Reynolds

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 8:16:05 PM9/5/15
to
In article <74036e71-2397-4d32...@googlegroups.com>,
trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:

>
> I figured maybe that's something you have knowledge of and could
> relate to, because you're obviously the village idiot about everything
> else.

I am in no way related to your family

Malcom Mal Reynolds

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 8:17:24 PM9/5/15
to
In article <tiJGx.7590$db3....@fx02.iad>,
Stormin Mormon <cayo...@hotmail.com> wrote:

> On 9/5/2015 4:06 PM, Malcom Mal Reynolds wrote:
> > In article <ab4dcb1d-852a-4854...@googlegroups.com>,
> > trader_4 <tra...@optonline.net> wrote:
> >
> > Yes, instead of ducting outside
> >> air to the fridge, you could turn fridges into split systems, with
> >> the condenser outside. But I think every rational person here sees
> >> all the many issues and increased costs associated with doing it that
> >> way too, to solve a very small alleged problem.
> >
> > is there some problem with discussing other solutions to problems or is
> > it that rightards are unable to not only think outside of the box, they
> > don't even know what a box is
> >
> CY: I've found that rightards look for that which works.

which explains why rightards seldom advance anything

Malcom Mal Reynolds

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 8:19:25 PM9/5/15
to
In article <33794adf-04af-4f00...@googlegroups.com>,
refering to A/C as an example of how it could be accomplished.


What you described is known as
> a "mini split" AC or heat pump. Perhaps I didn't realize you were
> demonstrating your ignorance of the subject and I should have
> explained what "remote condensing units" for refrigeration systems
> are. Remote condensing units for ice machines, walk in coolers and
> freezers are quite common for restaurants, grocery and convenience
> stores. Those type systems work very well for commercial customers
> but the reason you never see them in a regular home is because
> they're FRAKING EXPENSIVE! If you wish to empty your bank account or
> take out a loan, I know a number of guys who'd be glad to modify your
> refrigerator and install a remote condenser for you. Hell, if were
> able bodied and able to work again, I'd do the project for you.
> $150.00 per hour plus travel and expenses. ^_^

that you could do it is reason enough not to


>
> [8~{} Uncle Mod Monster

trader_4

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 8:32:48 PM9/5/15
to
How could he possibly see a difference in an electric
bill for an old age home due to where the condensing
unit was located or even if there was a fridge at all?
Unless it was metered separately, it would be lost in
the noise.

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 8:55:12 PM9/5/15
to
Lower ambient temp means the unit works less.

Uncle Monster

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 9:09:53 PM9/5/15
to
Those old open drive refrigerators are cool(pun intended). If the compressor slings a rod, you can always retrofit one from an automobile. That and a new belt and you're back to cooling the beer again. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Fridge Monster

Uncle Monster

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 9:16:16 PM9/5/15
to
I'll bet some of those multimillion dollar homes have them in a commercial style kitchen so the owner can entertain lots of guests. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Kitchen Monster

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 10:12:22 PM9/5/15
to
On 9/5/2015 9:09 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
>> I got a call one time from a fellow who owned an old
>> age home with kitchen. He asked if I might take the
>> condensing unit off top of the fridge (in the
>> ceiling heat) and put it in the cellar where it's
>> cool. I was pleased to do that, and he was pleased
>> with the lower energy bills.
>> -
>> .
>
> Those old open drive refrigerators are cool(pun intended).
If the compressor slings a rod, you can always retrofit one
from an automobile. That and a new belt and you're back to
cooling the beer again. ^_^
>
> [8~{} Uncle Fridge Monster
>

This one was about third horse tin can. But, yes,
the old belt drives were fun.

Uncle Monster

unread,
Sep 5, 2015, 10:50:40 PM9/5/15
to
Me and my brother had to repair a 120 ton AC system that had 2 open drive motors and compressors. We pulled a 60hp 440 volt 3 phase motor to take it to the motor shop to get it rewound. It was a lot of fun reinstalling the motor to get it lined up as perfectly as possible. The engine hoist came in real handy. ^_^

[8~{} Uncle Motor Monster

trader_4

unread,
Sep 6, 2015, 7:59:13 AM9/6/15
to
That isn't the issue. I agree that with lower ambient temp
it's going to use less energy. The issue is how the operator
would see that difference in an electric bill for an old age
home. Presumably there are a lot of other loads, the bill is
likely substantial and the small difference would be lost in the
noise.

Also, it's a different situation from a home. In a commercial
kitchen getting rid of excess heat is likely a good thing all
the time, because the kitchens get uncomfortably hot. In a house,
for about 6 months of the year, the heat from a fridge is essentially
free heat to help heat the house and if you get rid of it outdoors,
it's lost.
to waste.

Stormin Mormon

unread,
Sep 6, 2015, 8:08:06 AM9/6/15
to
On 9/5/2015 10:50 PM, Uncle Monster wrote:
>
> Me and my brother had to repair a 120 ton AC system that had 2 open drive motors and compressors. We pulled a 60hp 440 volt 3 phase motor to take it to the motor shop to get it rewound. It was a lot of fun reinstalling the motor to get it lined up as perfectly as possible. The engine hoist came in real handy. ^_^
>
> [8~{} Uncle Motor Monster
>

I bet low on freon took on a whole new meaning?

trader_4

unread,
Sep 6, 2015, 8:51:23 AM9/6/15
to
On Friday, September 4, 2015 at 11:15:58 AM UTC-4, gfre...@aol.com wrote:
> On Thu, 3 Sep 2015 23:42:21 -0700 (PDT), jlov...@gmail.com wrote:
>
> >I know this is a bit late to reply to this one, but the answer is simple: "It's because the destructive, unsustainable energy we consume is ridiculously & artificially cheap"
>
> I guess you didn't study thermodynamics in school.
> In the winter, the fridge is a heat pump, assisting your furnace in
> keeping your house warm. It takes the heat from things you put in
> there and returns it to the house. At that point the only "waste" is
> from the time that you have the door open.
> If you heat exchanged it with cooler outside air, you are throwing
> that heat away.
> The only time it really hurts you is in the summer when you are paying
> for air conditioning but that is true of everything electrical and any
> fossil fuel appliances you have, minus what goes up the flue,
> particularly if you do not have fresh air for combustion.
>

Of course hippies don't study thermodynamics or much other science
for that matter. They just smoke pot, hug trees and have beliefs.

Malcom Mal Reynolds

unread,
Sep 6, 2015, 3:10:15 PM9/6/15
to
In article <b8be9f2d-8cd7-4c25...@googlegroups.com>,
and for about 6 months of the year the waste heat is an additional load
on your cooling system

Oren

unread,
Sep 6, 2015, 3:48:10 PM9/6/15
to
On Sun, 6 Sep 2015 05:51:17 -0700 (PDT), trader_4
<tra...@optonline.net> wrote:

>Of course hippies don't study thermodynamics or much other science
>for that matter. They just smoke pot, hug trees and have beliefs.

...but, But, BUT they have "feelings" and expect everybody else to be
sensitive to those FEELINGS :)

trader_4

unread,
Sep 6, 2015, 3:55:30 PM9/6/15
to
Wrong again, at least for much of the USA. Here, I need heat about
6 months of the year. Another 3 months, ie part of spring and fall,
I have windows open and/or don't need any heating or cooling. It's
only about 3 months where I need cooling. And as previously posted,
the heat gain in those 6 cold months is a direct positive. If the fridge
electric usage is $45 over that period, it's like getting $45 of free
electric resistance heat. Over the 3 summer AC months, the fridge
puts out about $22 worth of heat. But because the AC has a COP of
about 3, it only cost $7 to remove it. $45 - $7, is a net gain of $38.
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