Are there any refrigerator companies that make a reliable fridge anymore ??

[goeduck]

Googling a bit, it seems the compressor is affected by the cold temperature of the room to keep the oil on the bearings which could result in failure. That makes sense.

A combination refrigerator/freezer I could easily see a problem if the thermostat element is in the refrigerator and the ambient is below the setting but above freezing. Then the freezer section thaws out.

 

[tallyho8]

Now I am stuck on this again. (Talking about freezer only units, not refrigerator/freezer)

It should not matter if the thermostat adjustment knob is inside or outside of the freezer. The remote element location is what controls when the freezer comes on. In a basic chest freezer (not frost free) there is only one thermostat. On a frost free there is a second thermostat to defrost the inside coils, but that element is inside the freezer as well and not adjustable.

It is not just the thermostat adjustment knob that is outside the freezer. It is the whole thermostat excluding that part of the capillary tubing that is inside the freezer and attached to the evaporator coil. As in the accompanying photo you see the knob on the outside but the thermostat is mounted right on the other side of the shell in the motor compartment of the freezer. Then the small capillary tubing runs inside the freezer to the coil. The tubing is hermetically sealed and filled with a liquid that rapidly expands when heated and shrinks when cooled. When the freezer warms up the expanding pressure pushes against a diaphragm inside the thermostat that pushes a switch that turns on the compressor. Likewise, when the tubing gets cold enough the lower pressure allows the switch to open, turning off the compressor.

In the photo of the thermostat you can see that the capillary tubing is connected to a metal plate on the thermostat that is attached on the outside of the cooling section of the freezer. In very low temperatures such as when the freezer is in an unheated garage, this plate gets very cold transferring the cold to the capillary tubing thus lowering the pressure and cutting off the compressor regardless of how cold or how warm the inside of the freezer is and this shuts off the compressor.

The compressor will remain off for as long as the temperature in the garage is low enough and the food inside the insulated freezer will thaw. When the weather warms up the freezer will start working again and refreeze the food but the food will be rotten by then and unsafe to eat. If you have not noticed that the freezer was off and eat some of the food you could wind up with food poisoning. This is why many people put a cup of water in the freezer till it freezes and then put a quarter on top of the ice in the cup. If the freezer defrosts then the quarter will fall to the bottom of the cup and remain there if the water re-freezes. When you see the coin on the bottom of the cup, you will know that your food defrosted and is unsafe to eat.

 

[tallyho8]

A combination refrigerator/freezer I could easily see a problem if the thermostat element is in the refrigerator and the ambient is below the setting but above freezing. Then the freezer section thaws out.

In a frost free refrigerator/freezer the entire cooling section including the thermostat sensor tubing, is located in the freezer. The refrigerator section is cooled down by a fan that blows the cold air out of the freezer into the refrigerator section.

 

[goeduck]

It is not just the thermostat adjustment knob that is outside the freezer. It is the whole thermostat excluding that part of the capillary tubing that is inside the freezer and attached to the evaporator coil. As in the accompanying photo you see the knob on the outside but the thermostat is mounted right on the other side of the shell in the motor compartment of the freezer. Then the small capillary tubing runs inside the freezer to the coil. The tubing is hermetically sealed and filled with a liquid that rapidly expands when heated and shrinks when cooled. When the freezer warms up the expanding pressure pushes against a diaphragm inside the thermostat that pushes a switch that turns on the compressor. Likewise, when the tubing gets cold enough the lower pressure allows the switch to open, turning off the compressor.

In the photo of the thermostat you can see that the capillary tubing is connected to a metal plate on the thermostat that is attached on the outside of the cooling section of the freezer. In very low temperatures such as when the freezer is in an unheated garage, this plate gets very cold transferring the cold to the capillary tubing thus lowering the pressure and cutting off the compressor regardless of how cold or how warm the inside of the freezer is and this shuts off the compressor.

The compressor will remain off for as long as the temperature in the garage is low enough and the food inside the insulated freezer will thaw. When the weather warms up the freezer will start working again and refreeze the food but the food will be rotten by then and unsafe to eat. If you have not noticed that the freezer was off and eat some of the food you could wind up with food poisoning. This is why many people put a cup of water in the freezer till it freezes and then put a quarter on top of the ice in the cup. If the freezer defrosts then the quarter will fall to the bottom of the cup and remain there if the water re-freezes. When you see the coin on the bottom of the cup, you will know that your food defrosted and is unsafe to eat

Okay. That is a BAD design, the sensing point of the thermostat should be a bulb at the end of the capillary or the entire capillary (if no bulb) should be inside the freezer to the point the temperature of the base (or the first part of the capillary) does not effect when it calls for cooling. What brand is that?

 

[coobie]

Speed Queen like a lot of other brands is owned by Whirlpool.

Really?? Thought speed queen was owned by Alliance laundry systems.

 

[tallyho8]

Okay. That is a BAD design, the sensing point of the thermostat should be a bulb at the end of the capillary or the entire capillary (if no bulb) should be inside the freezer to the point the temperature of the base (or the first part of the capillary) does not effect when it calls for cooling. What brand is that?

It is no special brand. After 38 years in the refrigeration business I have seen very many different makes made this same way. Many have a disclaimer in the manual that tells you not to put it in a room that is under 40 degrees.

If you are in an area where the temperature is zero or sub-zero and the heat suddenly goes out, you can just turn the freezer off and leave the door open to keep things frozen.

 

[Gem99ultra]

craze? I like the color I like and not what is a "trend".

ooops. Sorry. Didn't mean to offend, nor belittle your preference. Different strokes, for ...

 

[5030]

Really?? Thought speed queen was owned by Alliance laundry systems.

No idea but I bet they are a sub of Whirlpool. Whirlpool don't put their stamp on stuff, they quietly buy the company and leave the branding alone.

 

[5030]

My rule of thumb is buy the extended warranty and be happy. We usually buy an additional 10 years and it's always paid off for us. Our appliance dealer carries their own warranty so it's their repair people we deal with. Wife got a dud Maytag washer. Three times out and they bought it back and replaced it with an Amana. Works for me.

 

[kenmac]

Alliance Laundry Systems
Speed Queen was founded in 1908 and has been under a few different companies. In the 1980s, they were based in Massachusetts as a subsidiary of Raytheon. Speed Queen is currently a subsidiary of Alliance Laundry Systems and is based in Wisconsin.