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Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
Just noticed a tiny patch of rust on the fridge when moving house and remembered this thread. Thought I’d let you know how it went. I installed a low wattage bulb in the fridge and have been leaving it on when the weather threatened to freeze for 6 years now. It worked like a dream. The bulb was low power enough that it only slightly raised the temperature in the fridge, but it was enough to keep the freezer frozen. I did make sure I was more careful than usual with food left in the fridge, but I haven’t poisoned anyone in 6 years. Now the fridge is about 14 years old, but it is finally living in a warm kitchen. I imagine the shock may well kill it. 🙂
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
I’m working on that idea….maybe remove the plastic cover and shield the bulb from the wall of the fridge….maybe a lower wattage bulb can be got which has the same fitting or, if not, a resistor could be wired in parallel….maybe have the fridge on a timer so the bulb only comes on at intervals….
Just brainstorming and fully expecting to be told that all of the above will not work.
I just read this though:
“certain Bosch fridge/freezers have a fast freeze button which simply leaves the inside light on (at reduced power), even when the door is shut. This forces the fridge temp up, to keep the cooling circuit running and hence keep the freezer going.”
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
As I understand it the inside of the fridge is getting too cold in the winter so warming up the inside of the fridge is exactly what I need.
Isn’t the bulb holder designed to withstand the heat from the bulb for very long?
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
The appliance is an Iceland Kyoto DD210. It’s not a twin compressor model though.
Just read on another forum the idea of leaving the internal light on when it’s too cold in the fridge. As my light is turned off by a door shelf it would be a simple matter to remove it when the forecast is for Baltic. It would be interesting to pop a thermometer in to see what effect this has.
Anyone’s thoughts on this?
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
My kitchen is impossible to heat. Outside walls to 3 sides and no insulation. Typical of houses in this area of N. Wales. Weather is fierce sometimes too.
I heat the room I’m using in the evening and no more. I simply can’t afford to heat a room I’m not in. I stopped ordering oil last winter because it got too expensive. I guess that’s why the freezer worked up until then, because the boiler is in the kitchen. That was the only heating I had for the kitchen. Now, all I have is the wood burner in my sitting room. That room is cosy. Not sharing it with an appliance though.
It’s not as though it is below the minimum ambient temp that often or for that long so maybe condensation wouldn’t be that much of an issue.
Short of wrapping it in a duvet with an electric blanket inside, not a lot else I can do. 😕
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
Thanks Kwatt, that’s the explanation I needed. That it’s the temp inside the fridge falling too low which is stopping the thing. Now I understand.
I shall have to try separates. No way I can heat the kitchen and I’m not having it in the sitting room!
Cheers, Kathy
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
8 years ago when I bought the appliance I knew nothing about climate classes (in fact 1 day ago, when I asked the questing I knew nothing about climate classes) so I would say I was ignorant of, rather than ignoring of, the facts.
Penguin45 said that it is the gas capillary that is affected by the ambient temp. If heating that wont fool the fridge that the ambient temp is higher than it actually is then what will?
The area that needs to be kept warm must be smaller than the whole room or the whole fridge. Maybe the back of the fridge or a portion of the back. Maybe just one part.
Is anyone prepared to tell me what might be done to help rather than telling me what cannot be done. I’m not going to blame anyone if I break it. I’d just like ideas.
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
Kwatt, I don’t think I shall be worrying about warranty with this machine, it’s 8 years old already.
The past couple of winters the freezer has stopped operating only for a day or two at a time when the temp has dropped below freezing outside (hence below 5 in the kitchen) and this happens maybe a couple of times a month during the worst of the winter. Not too much to worry about condensation I think.
I think I shall try a heat pad on the gas capillary. Cheaper than heating the room for sure. (Buying a new, cheap appliance every year would be cheaper than heating my kitchen all winter!) If it doesn’t work, I’ll go for separates next time and see how that goes. Thank you Dales for that info.
And Kwatt, buying a freezer and finding it doesn’t freeze when it’s freezing is not the same as trying to offroad in a mini.
Thanks guys.
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
Warming the room is not feasible. I need to find another alternative.
For instance, if I put an electric heat pad against the external part of the gas capillary (ensuring it is not set too warm thus causing problems at the other end of the temp range) it should appear to the fridge that the room is warm enough to function. Is that right?
All I would need to know is the location of the external part of the gas capillary.
Re: Iceland fridge freezer doesn’t like the cold.
If I had a fridge freezer with dual thermostats or even a separate fridge and freezer would the problem occur as much? My kitchen quite often gets down to 5 degrees, sometimes less. Do some makes cope better than others? Could I just ensure that the thermostat was kept warm somehow?
Kathy
