Fridge Thermostat
Discussion
Is it possible to replace an analogue "dial" style fridge thermostat, with numbers from 1-5, with a more useful temperature controlled one which you can set to a certain temperature all year round. In this weather the normal "number" (2) doesn't cool the fridge down enough at >30 degrees, and so food goes off, and then if it's set to 3 it freezes overnight when the room cools down again. I know modern fridges you simply set a temperature, but is there any retro-fit option for older ones? It's a fairly modern Beko unit.
My understanding is that those dials are temperature controls, they just arent calibrated so can have temperatures displayed against them. They work on a mechanical basis rather than a digital one, you should have no issue swapping it over to a digital control and running the probe inside the fridge, all it does is enable to relay for the compressor.
A lot of newer fridge/freezers have a working range of 10-30C ambient, which is why they cant be used in out buildings and likewise are struggling once the temperature gets up to 30+, would be worth checking that the coils are clear?
A lot of newer fridge/freezers have a working range of 10-30C ambient, which is why they cant be used in out buildings and likewise are struggling once the temperature gets up to 30+, would be worth checking that the coils are clear?
If possible it might be easier to use a smart plug. Set the fridge to max, on all the time, and then use the smart plug to turn it on and off. I did something similar at home with my heating, changed the old thermostat for a smart unit and left the old timer permanently on.
In my shed I use various of the Tapo smart plugs to turn things on/off. I've set a couple of simple smart events using one of their temperature/ humidistat units. An old basic dehumidifier is just set to max and then the humidistat can turn it on/off between 55-65%. I've then got a heater set to turn off at 20C so my colleague can't forget to turn it off when hot. The plugs that measure current are quite good as you can see if something is actually running remotely.
In my shed I use various of the Tapo smart plugs to turn things on/off. I've set a couple of simple smart events using one of their temperature/ humidistat units. An old basic dehumidifier is just set to max and then the humidistat can turn it on/off between 55-65%. I've then got a heater set to turn off at 20C so my colleague can't forget to turn it off when hot. The plugs that measure current are quite good as you can see if something is actually running remotely.
MyM2006 said:
My understanding is that those dials are temperature controls, they just arent calibrated so can have temperatures displayed against them. They work on a mechanical basis rather than a digital one, you should have no issue swapping it over to a digital control and running the probe inside the fridge, all it does is enable to relay for the compressor.
A lot of newer fridge/freezers have a working range of 10-30C ambient, which is why they cant be used in out buildings and likewise are struggling once the temperature gets up to 30+, would be worth checking that the coils are clear?
Except that nobody seems to make/sell the part I need! I agree it should be simple/possible and that it shouldn't be too complicated, but nobody else seems to agree!! I would be almost certain that Beko make a similar fridge which has digital controls, as the cheaper one with a dial. A lot of newer fridge/freezers have a working range of 10-30C ambient, which is why they cant be used in out buildings and likewise are struggling once the temperature gets up to 30+, would be worth checking that the coils are clear?
The coils are clear, the fridge is working too well and freezing the food inside.
The issue might not be with the thermostat.
Consider it a target that the fridge works towards, it sounds like in warm temps it is unable to maintain the fridge at a cold temp, this may be because it’s too warm or because some people keep letting the cold air out every time they open the door. (Both of those things change through the night usually)
It’s harder for the fridge to operate if it’s empty as all the cold air around everything “falls out” when the doors are opened & it needs to “start again” it catches up at night time when folk leave it alone.
Put stuff in the fridge to fill the gaps & act as a “cold battery” to lessen the effects of door openings or higher temps. If you don’t want to buy anything empty 2ltre bottles filled with cold tap water reduce the volume of air to cool….
Consider it a target that the fridge works towards, it sounds like in warm temps it is unable to maintain the fridge at a cold temp, this may be because it’s too warm or because some people keep letting the cold air out every time they open the door. (Both of those things change through the night usually)
It’s harder for the fridge to operate if it’s empty as all the cold air around everything “falls out” when the doors are opened & it needs to “start again” it catches up at night time when folk leave it alone.
Put stuff in the fridge to fill the gaps & act as a “cold battery” to lessen the effects of door openings or higher temps. If you don’t want to buy anything empty 2ltre bottles filled with cold tap water reduce the volume of air to cool….
AndyAudi said:
The issue might not be with the thermostat.
Consider it a target that the fridge works towards, it sounds like in warm temps it is unable to maintain the fridge at a cold temp, this may be because it s too warm or because some people keep letting the cold air out every time they open the door. (Both of those things change through the night usually)
It s harder for the fridge to operate if it s empty as all the cold air around everything falls out when the doors are opened & it needs to start again it catches up at night time when folk leave it alone.
Put stuff in the fridge to fill the gaps & act as a cold battery to lessen the effects of door openings or higher temps. If you don t want to buy anything empty 2ltre bottles filled with cold tap water reduce the volume of air to cool .
If this is the problem the motor would be running all/most of the time.Consider it a target that the fridge works towards, it sounds like in warm temps it is unable to maintain the fridge at a cold temp, this may be because it s too warm or because some people keep letting the cold air out every time they open the door. (Both of those things change through the night usually)
It s harder for the fridge to operate if it s empty as all the cold air around everything falls out when the doors are opened & it needs to start again it catches up at night time when folk leave it alone.
Put stuff in the fridge to fill the gaps & act as a cold battery to lessen the effects of door openings or higher temps. If you don t want to buy anything empty 2ltre bottles filled with cold tap water reduce the volume of air to cool .
Sometimes the problem is that the thermostat is not in the middle of the fridge and it's somewhat coupled to the cooling plate, so it reads a temperature somewhere between the temperature of the beer and the temperature of the cooling plate, which must be colder in hot weather. Therefore the beer has to be warmer at the point the stat clicks off.
The inside of a fridge is like a room, it's not all at the same temperature, there is a distribution, so getting the control right isn't trivial.
An electronic sensor can work OK though, but you might have to experiment to find the best location.
A couple of fridge thermometers can help, one near the top, one near the bottom. Or a fan to help the whole interior be closer in temperature.
Filling any space with cans of beer does help, damps out variations and conducts heat around.
So is the "dial" a thermostat, or simply a "cooling level" device. My understanding (possibly wrongly) was that it wasn't a thermostat which kept a particular temperature, but more a device which was either asking for less or more cooling, hence why in summer you needed to turn the fridge up a little due to it being warmer weather. I had assumed the advantage of the digital thermostats in more expensive fridges was exactly that - it was digital and kept a temperature all year round compensating for the weather by cooling more or less as needed.
If the dial really is a thermostat (albeit one not calibrated) then it should be fine being left at whatever number is usually good, no?
If the dial really is a thermostat (albeit one not calibrated) then it should be fine being left at whatever number is usually good, no?
I think you’re right with “cooling level”
The cooling level is usually sufficient to maintain your target temperature. However if you do find yourself needing to put it up a level it should probably only drop things to say 2C overnight if undisturbed
The fact you said it’s struggling through the day but freezing stuff at night I don’t believe is related to the power of the fridge being insufficient but other factors
(A fridge is insulated enough to stay cool if not influenced by other factors)
Humour me, how many people use this fridge & do any of them open & stand & look…..
We used to have wee clockwork temperature logs, I think you’d get a digital equivalent now to see what’s happening
The cooling level is usually sufficient to maintain your target temperature. However if you do find yourself needing to put it up a level it should probably only drop things to say 2C overnight if undisturbed
The fact you said it’s struggling through the day but freezing stuff at night I don’t believe is related to the power of the fridge being insufficient but other factors
(A fridge is insulated enough to stay cool if not influenced by other factors)
Humour me, how many people use this fridge & do any of them open & stand & look…..
We used to have wee clockwork temperature logs, I think you’d get a digital equivalent now to see what’s happening
There could be a tube filled with a gas/liquid, as the fridge warms up the gas expands and presses against the switch turning on the compressor. As the fridge cools down the gas contracts and the switch disengages turning off the compressor.
The dial or slider varies the tension needed to activate the switch, ie it needs to be warmer to have enough force to activate. It's not a system where setting 1 runs the compressor every 1 minute and 5 runs it every 5, oversimplified but you get the idea.
The dial or slider varies the tension needed to activate the switch, ie it needs to be warmer to have enough force to activate. It's not a system where setting 1 runs the compressor every 1 minute and 5 runs it every 5, oversimplified but you get the idea.
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