Why don't refrigerators exhaust heat outside?

[supton]

Sure, in theory, pipe the heat outside. Not going to have to pay to pump heat through the a/c unit.

Not sure I'm doing this right.

Quick look says an 1986 era fridge used 1,400kWhr/year while a modern one runs 350kWhr/year. A fridge does not run constantly but if it did, it would be 40W (350kWhr / (365days*24hr/day)). Or less than a typical old school light bulb. In short, a trivial load for an AC unit. You'd spend more attempting to make it better than what you could reap I bet.

1kW is 3,412BTU/hr. 40W is thus 136BTU/hr. A window unit runs 11.3 EER? so 136BTU/hr / 11.3 is 12W. You'll spend 12W to pump the 40W of heat outside, or 52W. Still less than a 60W light bulb.

 

[Linctex]

Water cooling the condenser coils would be the ideal situation.

It's a lot easier to handle circulating water, than refrigerant.

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: Linctex
Water cooling the condenser coils would be the ideal situation.

It's a lot easier to handle circulating water, than refrigerant.


Whatever it is, the heat has to go somewhere.
And it always goes somewhere.
And in going somewhere, heat backs up.
Which makes the temperature you are trying to control with "water cooling" higher, and the whole process less useful/efficient.

So Lintex..where are you planning on dissipating the heat that you want to move ?

 

[4wd]

Originally Posted By: Imp4
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Why don't refrigerators exhaust heat outside?

Cost. That's why.


My two stage HVAC will be busy in Texas today … removing heat … the single fridge will matter little against the blazing sun on the roof or alll the folks going in/out of doors … or holding the door open trying to get a hard headed dog back inside …

My freezer in the garage soaks in heat … and sweats at times … so I place a 20” fan (ground level) such that it rolls the whole area and that heat heads out the door …
Of course for some reason a lawn chair winds up by that fan as a cool down point …

 

[PandaBear]

Originally Posted By: Shannow
Have seen a couple (and that's it...couple) of Australians who have installed their refrigerators in an outward facing wall, such that the coils were outside, and the fridge body was sealed...the heat never got into the house...but their strawbale construction didn't have A/C either.


Your Australian friends fridge may end up getting hotter if the outside temp is hotter than inside the house. The compressor will run a lot more often than keeping it indoor. Your friends will be more comfortable though, so I guess it act as an alternative AC in a house with no AC?

One thing my inlaw's old house had (from previous owner) is to build the fridge closet between the garage and the kitchen. The fridge is flush to the wall and heat dissipate to the garage. The garage would be less comfortable, but it is usually not a big deal since it is not usually occupied.

Most new homes would not prefer to do this for ergonomics reason, the design constrain on the architect is not worth it.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: Shannow

Whatever it is, the heat has to go somewhere.

So Lintex..where are you planning on dissipating the heat that you want to move ?


Well, since I live "Out-in-The-Middle-Of-Nowhere-Texas", I think a 1,000 gallon poly tank in the cover of shade would be an adequate heat dissipator

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: tcp71
Because they help heat the house in the winter. At least 8 months of the year here the heat is appreciated.

And for the same reason, I never understood the desire to get rid of incandescent bulbs or even plasma TVs, for that matter.

 

[OilFilters]

Originally Posted By: Vern_in_IL
Guys, guys, use your heads You don't need to vent outside, just run two tubes through the wall, the compressor would be outside NOT making noise! A split unit if you will!


So then you have to call a refrigeration guy every time you want to move a fridge? Stupid.

The amount saved would never, ever equal the cost of the excess amount spent. As others have pointed out, the fridge helps you in the cold months, and has nearly no effect in the warm months. A modern fridge is highly insulated, and uses little energy.

If you did waste your time and money to install the fridge condenser outside, you'd just be wasting money during the winter. And you'd still have to call an expert every time you want to move a fridge.

Not logical to anybody that understands how these things work.