Can I keep an older refrigerator, which is empty, running on the warmest setting for an extended period without worrying about smells? Will it save considerable energy by turning it to the warmest setting?
Running empty refrigerator
refrigerator
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I think unplugging the refrigerators will both save electricity and reduce wear on the compressors, although I agree with others that if possible you should measure the usage, in part to decide whether any (possibly small) savings is worth the effort.
Energy Savings
Empty refrigerators are less efficient, since the compressor needs to cycle on and off more frequently due to relatively low thermal mass. If you unplugged the fridge when you weren't using it, I suspect when you plugged it back in it would only take a few hours to cool down. Under normal usage a fridge will have its compressor running about 1/3 of the time, so this will be a meaningful savings. (The fridge uses the vast majority of its electricity running the compressor, so how long it's running for is a good proxy for electricity consumption.)
Wear on Refrigerator
Cycling of the fridge compressor on and off is a primary cause of wear, so unplugging the fridge should be a benefit in that respect. Plus there will be total fewer runtime hours. I don't see how unplugging the fridge for days at a time could possibly damage it. (If you were unplugging it twice a day and forcing it to warm up to room temperature and the cool down, that would be another story.)
Other Considerations
- When the fridges are off you will need to make sure they don't get moldy or develop smells. The easiest thing would be to leave the doors open so any moisture can evaporate. Leaving a dry hand towel over the door can help ensure the door doesn't close accidentally.
- If you have the means to measure the electricity savings, I would do so. You may find that the savings are small and not worth the effort.
- Water jugs will not help you if you are unplugging the fridge, in fact they will make it worse. The purpose of the water is to retain cold and stabilize the temperature. If you let the water warm up to room temperature with the rest of the fridge you will just be creating more work for the compressor when you plug it back in. On the other hand, if you decide to keep the keep the fridge plugged in all the time, leaving jugs might help a bit (but only if you leave them in all the time... do not remove them).
- Do you really need two fridges at all? Maybe a cooler and some cold packs could supplement any overflow those 2 days/week?
- Old fridges can be big power hogs. I'm sure you could save a lot of electricity with a new model (maybe a single bigger one). Whether a new fridge could pay for itself in a reasonable amount of time depends on a number of factors, but it might be something to consider.
Refrigerators turn on / off based on the internal temperature, check your thermostat dial and make sure it is set properly - perhaps initially to coldest. If it has a power switch as you said - model number not listed, cycle the power switch.
Some of these units have a trip on the back side of the unit to protect the compressor - check that it is not tripped (might be a red or black push pin style), light will work but cooling will not, it protects the compressor it is an overload, unplugging and plugging while running may have caused this to trip.
Best Answer
A clean refrigerator will not smell. The air inside would be entrapped and accumulate no other odors. If not fully clean, anything inside that might decompose would not do so at a suitably low temperature. Clean is still better than cool and old, however.
There is no harm in powering off the refrigerator. One can place a magnet on the door frame to prevent complete closing, which would allow any minor odors to escape. I have a dorm sized refrigerator configured in this manner and it does not smell. The door is about 12 mm open (1/2") and when started after three years of being unplugged, cooled properly and ran normally.
You will save energy at the warmest setting but not what I would call considerable. With the door closed and not opened for extended periods, the compressor should not operate as frequently as when in use, but will operate to bring the temperature back to the dial setting as needed. Temperatures outside the refrigerator and the insulation quality comes into play for that determination.
Not a duplicate, but another post to contribute to your question: Unplugging vs running an empty refrigerator