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Hi everyone !
I own a Whirlpool ARC5551 fridge. I live in a very small apartment, basicly its like 1 big room, soo i have nowhere to hide the fridge and my bed is about 4m away from it. It is not very loud, at least compared to some refrigerators i saw, but it still bothers me. At first i thought this is bad news but upon inspecting the back of the refrigerator, i got some good news. First of all, the refrigerator is completely passive cooled, meaning no fans whatsoever.First i thought if i add a fan or two, i would cool down the compressor quite a bit, which would lead to shorter cycles of it working ( correct me if i am wrong but, if compressor is very hot, it is working less efficiently – if i add a fan or two cooling it down, the whole cycle should be shorter, right ? ).
But then another thing hit me. I am a computer science student and in my spare time i do a lot of modifications for computers, cooling them down, making them silent, etc. And from experience i know that passive cooling component vs an active cooling device, even if its a small fan at low rpm has a huge difference in temperature ( talking about a difference of 40C vs 90C ). Soo basicly it would be possible to close the compartment with a compressor to prevent the noice from going out but also making 1 small hole to get cold air inside and 1 hole for taking it out, using my big 120mm fans for cooling. If done right i am pretty sure the compressor would still have a lower temperature while the noice would be reduced about 90{e5d1b7155a01ef1f3b9c9968eaba33524ee81600d00d4be2b4d93ac2e58cec2d}. What do you think ? I added some pictures of the fridge and a manual.
Re: Whirlpool ARC5551 – make it less noisy
So, here’s your problem with your logic…
The compressor runs based on the temperature signal from inside the fridge, not outside it.
Unlike a PC, it’s not the temperature rise in the components that’s the issue, it’s the internal temperature of the unit that signal the components working to make that happen.
Close off the compressor and stop airflow and the core temperature will rise, the compressor will seize an you will need to buy a new fridge.
That is unless you want to go to the trouble and expense of a customer liquid cooled affair and, then you’ll have the noise of the pump and liquid moving to contend with.
The compressor is a motor suspended in oil already to dissipate the heat generated (bear in mind from the refrigeration heat exchange as well as the motor) so you’ve got about as much passive cooling going on as you’re going to get pretty much. Mess with the heat exchange process and you loose the refrigeration.
In short, I’d advise not messing with it.
K.
Re: Whirlpool ARC5551 – make it less noisy
But if everything went according to plan, the compressor should be cooler then before….and thats the only thing that matters. Heat comes out from the refrigerator in the form of gas, compressor squizes it and takes the heat from it in the process, soo if i close the compartment with the compressor, then the only thing i need to worry about is to keep the compressor cooled, right ? Cause if the compressor is cooled, soo is the fridge. Soo i close the whole thing, make 2 holes for fans…
But that is just a theory. One thing i am wondering. My fridge is without a fan, while most others have a fan. I am wondering why is that. And also, what if i was to add a 120mm fan to blow on compressor, would there be any difference ? I read that compressor would work more efficient this way and that his working cycles would be shorter ( not sure about that though since he simply squizes the gas to transfer heat from it….and lower temperature wont make that process any faster….offcourse if the compressor is too hot it will break down but otherwise i cant see it working faster)….correct me if i am wrong.
I know my idea is a bit wacky but i do know that many ppl have their standalone refrigerators inside the closets. We had one for about 10 years and there was never any problem and i doubt there was any airflow. Soo i am thinking if i do this thing right, it should work….but then again, it might just kill my fridge like you said…
Re: Whirlpool ARC5551 – make it less noisy
Given that the use of electricity is a primary concern to manufacturers in order to get better energy rating and, more sales, don’t you think that they might have thought of that? 😉
The compressor is, in effect, a huge lump of metal and you blowing a 120mm fan at it will most likely do squat to actually cool it, that’s why many manufacturers have been using to linear compressors rather than the type you have that are just either on or off.
But, what you suggest won’t affect the runtime of the pot really as, as I said, that is determined by the temperature inside the cabinet, not outside it.
A cooling fan is used where space is restricted or the condenser needs assistance with airflow, not necessarily or primarily to cool the compressor in most cases where one is fitted.
K.
Re: Whirlpool ARC5551 – make it less noisy
Soo is there no way to make it more quiet ? Should i just put it inside a closet like soo many ppl do ?
Re: Whirlpool ARC5551 – make it less noisy
Not really, no.
You can put it in a closet but, if the airflow is restricted then the end result could be its death… as so many people often find out, the hard way.
The problem gets worse in warmer weather as the compressor has to work harder to cool the storage space and that can stress the compressor.
It’s not so much fun telling someone that their fridge is dead because the kitchen fitter couldn’t be bothered to cut the vents, like it told them to in the manual or, when we have to tell people that it shouldn’t be in an enclosed space.
Now, think what is liable to happen in warm weather that requires extended run times with restricted airflow.
They need air or, they will break.
K.
Re: Whirlpool ARC5551 – make it less noisy
Ok i am gonna have to think about this because i honestly cannot bear the noice and there is no way to move the fridge anywhere else.
Lets start from the beginning. I am trying to insulate the noice produces by the compressor and the problem with that is that by blocking the noice from it, i also block the air exchange, ergo fresh air coming to the compressor and hot air leaving it, which means that compressor will overheat and die.
Soo if i put the fridge into a closet i have to make holes soo air can come and go. Fans can help a lot….well there has got to be a way. Because from physics perspective with the help of strong fans like my 120mm who create lots of air movement without making much noice, i should be able to compensate for air blockage. But then again i really dont like to gamble…it is a huge miracle that i cant find anything about making refrigerators silent….
I might just have to resort to some other tactics like put bottles of water inside the fridge in order for it to hold the cold temperature better and longer and therefore make that annoying compressor work less. It would be great if i could find a person who has this fridge in a closet and if it worked for them fanless, it sure would work for me with tons of fans. I doubt it though since this fridge actualy isnt the ugliest of its kind.
Btw just to make sure this topic doesnt completely go to waste….my fridge makes 2 kinds of noices. 1 is when its clearly working but the other is like distant moans……i have to record both sounds sometime soo you can tell me if everything is fine or the compressor is dying or something..
Connect a cable to fridge timer for compressor
Hi there,
My fridge is Whirlpool ARC5551. I need your help with something. The compressor of the fridge goes on and off in intervals, which is normal, it cools the fridge, turns off for a while and then when the inside of the fridge gets hot enough, the compressor will start working again. Now i need to connect to it in a way that a cable i attach to the fridge will have electricity when the compressor is working and when the compressor stops working, there will be no electricity. hypothetically speaking, if you connected a fan to this cable, the fan would be turning when the compressor is running and the fan would turn off when the compressor doesnt work.
Back side of the fridge:
Re: Connect a cable to fridge timer for compressor
You can bite if you promise to give me an answer.
I made an efford to make the fridge less noisy but at the same time made it a little harder for the compressor coils to cool down. Soo i have some industrial fans that are known to help with moving masses of air. Now help me with my question please. 🙂
Re: Connect a cable to fridge timer for compressor
Do you not think that it might be a bad idea to modify in this way?
It won’t make the fridge any less noisy even if it did work as such, it’d just make it run shorter is all. Maybe. At best.
You can’t make the compressor quieter, unless you fit a quieter compressor or a linear one, which would involve radical changes and much expense. You’d be cheaper buying a new fridge with a linear compressor fitted if it were even possible.
But then you’ll have an industrial fan running which will almost surely be noisier than the fridge was in the first place.
Which is likely why we’re a bit perplexed by the request.
Therefore the old service mantra applies, if it ain’t broke…
K.
Re: Connect a cable to fridge timer for compressor
Perhaps they are not as fussy in Slovenia. 😉
Merged with previous thread from OP. 🙂
Re: Connect a cable to fridge timer for compressor
I might actualy go with connecting fans to thermostat for temperature controlled fan speed. Still i would be happy if someone could tell me where to connect to, to use compressors timer.
ps: the “insulation” of the fridge is already complete. 🙂
Re: Connect a cable to fridge timer for compressor
Goblinsly appears to have an outlook somewhere between Heath Robinson and the Nutty Professor in all this. Logical thinking would dictate limiting the time and duration the refrigerator runs rather than seeking cranky modifications to it. Running in confined spaces only warrants good ventilation and lower ambient temperatures for maximum efficiency from the appliance resulting in shorter, more economic running periods. But if silence alone is the objective then why not buy an absorpsion fridge?
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