E.E.R. And my new refrigerator.

[Packard]

I bought my old refrigerator in 2006. It was not keeping as cold as it had been, so I had an appliance repair guy come in and check it out. He added coolant. It got nice and cold for about 3 days and then started to warm up again.

An almost 20 year old appliance did not feel worthy of any further investment. I got a new LG top freezer refrigerator. It was delivered and plugged in, but I did not feel any cold from the freezer. The delivery guy said it would take at least 4 hours to feel any cold.

Four hours later the freezer was at 30 degrees F. And the refrigerator was at 50 degrees F. Both were a couple of degrees cooler by the time I went to bed even though I had it set on “max-cool”.

The following morning the freezer was at 10 degrees and the refrigerator was at 40 degrees. Still not as cold as I would like.

A full 24 hours after plugging in, the freezer was at -6 F and the refrigerator was at 36 F.

What I learned from the Home Depot sales person, the slow cooling was a function of the high EER (Energy Efficiency Rating). Cold enough now. It is going to take a while for me to wrap my head around the slow cooling for the unit.

In any case, I expect that all the manufacturers will deal with the EER in a similar manner. So if you get a new refrigerator or freezer, expect your patience to be tested.

 

[luvmytoolz]

That pretty much rules out frequent door openings then, unless there's enough thermal mass to allow quick recovery!

 

[waho6o9]

I purchased LG at Lowes and it didn't get cold at all. So i took a picture of the temperature gauge and went to Lowes and purchased a different brand.
This EER nonsense is for the birds......
YMMV

 

[woodferret]

This reminds me of the new Miele's that have reduced suction to fit energy star standards. "For the Environment!" so you run it longer to do the same or worse job.

 

[peter halle]

That pretty much rules out frequent door openings then, unless there's enough thermal mass to allow quick recovery!

As someone who owns three of these type refrigerators, you get used to it. I would virtually guarantee that the design does take into account the thermal mass of the items stored to help maintain some sense of normality.

Peter

 

[AstroKeith]

Did you let it stand for 4 hours before turning it on? Fridge & freezers need to settle after being transported.

 

[Packard]

When EER first hit the A.C. Window units, they improved the EER by reducing the amount of moisture removed. They reduced it just to the point where condensation would not occur. So the 72 degree temperature in the older AC felt more comfortable than the 72 degree in the high EER modern unit. So you ended up setting the AC on 70 degrees.

In my opinion EER is a hoax perpetrated on the unwitting public.

 

[Packard]

Did you let it stand for 4 hours before turning it on? Fridge & freezers need to settle after being transported.

I did not. If I had, the contents of the old refrigerator would have spoiled or defrosted.

So, do chest-type freezers cool slowly too? I was thinking of getting one. Can I leave it in my unheated garage?

 

[Vondawg]

Did you let it stand for 4 hours before turning it on? Fridge & freezers need to settle after being transported.

And (compressors) don’t like to be started and stopped within a short period of time….shortens thier life