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Does a Refrigerator Work Better Full or Empty?
A refrigerator works better when it is 3/4 full. This allows for proper airflow. To understand this better you need to know how a refrigerator cools food. The fridge circulates refrigerated air around a sealed box, which in turn cools the contents.
When the refrigerator is packed full of food the airflow is limited, and it doesn’t allow for the cool air to circulate. If the fridge is too empty then there isn’t enough food in the fridge to help maintain the cool temperatures and that causes the motor to have to keep coming on.
Full or empty if the door remains closed the temperature will remain the same. It’s when the door is opened and closed that temperature variations will happen. When there is food in the refrigerator those items are holding the cool temperature and help to maintain the coolness of your fridge.
It’s important to remember and to know where the cold air enters your refrigerator. If you pack a bunch of food in front of the fan vents then the air will not circulate properly. So being aware of that and leaving some space is important to allow for airflow.
Are refrigerators more efficient when full?
No, refrigerators are not more efficient when full. When refrigerators are full it limits the airflow and doesn’t allow for the distribution of the cold air evenly throughout the fridge. The ability of the cooled air to circulate is how the refrigerator keeps everything cold.
Energy efficiency doesn’t stop at the contents of the refrigerator even though that is an important factor in energy usage and inevitably money saved. Here are some more actions that can be taken to help your refrigerator be more efficient.
- Clean the Coils
The coils on the refrigerator are located in the back of the unit. These coils are what help keep the air cool. It is advised to clean these coils at least once a year.
- Room Temperature
The temperature of the room where the refrigerator is located can affect the efficiency of the fridge. The proximity of other appliances such as stoves and dishwashers can cause the refrigerator to have to work harder to keep the contents cool. It is estimated that refrigerators use 2.5 percent more energy for every degree over the ambient room temperature of 70 degrees.
- Check the Seals
Having properly functioning seals around the edges of the door will increase the efficiency of your refrigerator. Having worn-out or loose seals allows the cool air to escape and that makes your fridge have to work harder. There is a method to check the seals.
You can use a dollar bill to check the seals. Place a dollar bill in between the door and the seal, if the dollar bill slides out easily it’s possible that you have worn seals and they should be replaced.
- Check the Inside Temperature
Most refrigerators only have a numbered dial that allows you to adjust the temperature, but you don’t really know how cold it actually is. It’s good to get an accurate reading of the temperature of the inside of your fridge. Placing a thermometer inside can help get an accurate reading.
The temperature range to effectively and efficiently cool the contents of your refrigerator is 35-38℉. This is an optimal temperature to run your refrigerator. Lowering the temp 10 degrees can raise the energy usage by 25%. Having a gauge to know how much you are actually lowering the temperature can help you to have a more efficient refrigerator, and in the end it can save you money.
Does a full fridge stay colder?
Yes, a full fridge can help to stay colder if the door remains shut. There is a limit to how full a fridge should be. If it’s packed full getting the contents cooled off is difficult because there isn’t ample room for the air to circulate around the contents of the refrigerator, and that makes it harder to cool them initially.
It may be safe to say that once the items in the refrigerator are cooled off and if the door remains closed that the temperature would remain colder inside because of all of the items being cooled. Once the door is open and warm air enters the refrigerator and becomes trapped in between the limited area it will take longer to cool because there is no airflow.
Adding warm items to the refrigerator can greatly affect the inside temps. It is better to leave the food out for a time to cool off somewhat before putting it inside the fridge. So if you are adding a lot of warm items and it fills up the refrigerator then, no, a full fridge will not stay colder.
Is it OK to run a fridge empty?
Yes, it is okay to run a fridge empty. The refrigerator is a closed unit with a thermostat to regulate when the cooler motor turns on and turns off. There are no parts or items within the fridge box that can be damaged by running it empty.
That being said, what is the purpose of running an empty refrigerator? It would be a better idea to leave the unit off until there was actually something inside it to cool off. Running an empty fridge is a waste of energy and money and in the long run, is using up the life of the refrigerator for no reason.
If the refrigerator is empty because you are planning a long vacation and don’t want to have food just sitting in the fridge while you’re gone, you can lower the temperature to allow it to not have to work so hard to maintain a cold temp.
Shutting the refrigerator off may be an option, but one that shouldn’t be used on a daily or weekly basis. Shutting the unit off causes the compressor to warm up and when it’s time to restart it takes more energy to cool it off again.
What will happen if the refrigerator is empty?
When a refrigerator is empty it doesn’t function at an optimal level. There can be instances of colder air pockets inside that can freeze your more delicate foods as well as places within the refrigerator that are warmer. Aside from the uneven cooling, it’s just not as economical to run your refrigerator when it is empty.
For optimal performance of your refrigerator, it is recommended that you keep it 3/4 full. This idea is based on the concept of thermal mass. Thermal mass is the ability of materials to absorb and store the ambient temperature and assist in maintaining the cold within the refrigerator.
When the refrigerator is empty there is no food inside that can absorb the cold air, so what happens is that the refrigerator is working harder to maintain the internal temperature. When there is food inside the refrigerator these items absorb the cooler temperatures and become part of the cooling process.
Having the right amount of food in the refrigerator helps in maintaining even temperatures and also it helps re-establishing those temperatures after the door is opened and closed.
Less time to reach the optimal temperature means less energy consumed, which translates into greater savings and ultimately a longer life for the refrigerator.
