If possible, buy food to add to the fridge that’s already frozen. Only Add Cold FoodIf you wait until early morning to add food to the fridge, it will reduce the work the fridge has to do, because the food will have cooled down overnight. When storing gas fridges away make sure you cover up the gas connection - insects love to hide or nest in these small openings, leading to blockages next time you use them. Keep it LevelThis is only necessary for Absorption (3-way fridges) - attach a Bullseye spirit level to the top of the fridge so you can be sure it is level when you leave it. For permanent installations, cover air vents to the outside with air-conditioning filters to keep out dust - but clean them regularly.Īdd a FanIf your fridge has no fan to circulate air over the cooling system (most 3-way fridges) you can improve its cooling ability by adding a computer-style 12 volt fan - these only draw one-fifth of an Amp.
Paint it WhiteHave you ever put your hand on black cars and white cars standing in the sun ? If your fridge will have direct or indirect sunlight on it, it will stay cooler on the outside if it is a light colour.Įnsure free airflowMake sure that all vents to the fridge have plenty of clearance and that hot air coming out of the fridge will not be drawn into it again.
If storing it inside a closed vehicle, leave some windows open. Keep the sun off it and in cool airWhen the outside of the fridge gets hot, the inside will heat up faster. Wet towelYou can cool the outside of the fridge below air temperature by covering it with a wet towel. If the cover is a light colour it will absorb less heat than a dark cover will, especially if in sunlight. If you have the space, you can cover the fridge in a soft removable insulating cover, whether you buy it or make it yourself. Insulated CoverIf you make the insulation thicker, then you will reduce the rate of heat leakage into the fridge.
Some come with two lids - one with the Heat Exchanger when power is available and a second insulated lid to use when just keeping the contents cool without power. An alternative design has the heat exchanger in the lid, so it only heats up the air at the top of the fridge when switched off. Heat ExchangerPeltier fridges have the heat exchanger in the sides - the disadvantage is that when you turn the power off the heat exchanger quickly conducts heat INTO the fridge. Another disadvantage is they are not the most efficient devices, however they are very quiet, environmentally friendly and they are very reliable because they don’t have any moving parts. Thermoelectric (Peltier) fridges are not very powerful as they tend to only cool around 15 to 20 degrees lower than the ambient temperature outside.
The effect happens at the two copper/bismuth junctions where one junction will get hot and the other will get cold. He then connected a piece of bismuth wire between the open ends of the copper wire to close the circuit. Mr Peltier discovered this in a simple experiment by joining two pieces of copper wire to each terminal of a battery. How do Peltier Fridges Work?These fridges work on a process called the Peltier effect, or the thermoelectric effect to produce cold temperatures electronically.