Converting a refrigerator/freezer to freezer only

[Hedges]

My upright Frigidaire deep-freeze wasn't freezing anything more concentrated than ice cubes any more. Things were mushy and spoiling.
Maybe it just needs a refrigerant recharge; I'll look into that later.

Went to the store and found they all have 60 or 90 day delivery. Only come out of China, while refrigerator/freezers are often made in the States.
Read reviews and got scared by the 5% to 15% early failure rate of virtually all brands. Problem is probably electronics (my field.)
Old ones with electromechanical thermostats are reliable.

I finally picked up a new (old) refrigerator that is a good match to the kitchen decor. That set me back about 35 minutes wages.
With the old-old fridge now spare, a Magic Chef side by side given me by an acquaintance remodeling, I decided to convert it to all freezer.
It has been quite reliable and quite cold on the left side.
This is the one I reported power draw for: https://diysolarforum.com/threads/h...ries-die-in-four-hours.7753/page-3#post-89893


These have the thermostat in the refrigerator side, forced air cooling on the freezer side, and a passive baffle to spill some frozen air into the refrigerator.


If you open the baffle that just makes the freezer warmer when thermostat shuts off.
With baffle removed there is a 3" hole at the top. Bottom of fridge has a 1" hole to adjust vegetable drawer temperature.
After testing I'll decide whether to cut a 3" hole at bottom.

I substituted a $12 freezer thermostat:



It fits in the same place, but old adjustment wheel that was accessible through a cover isn't compatible, so leave cover off to access knob.

Modified and running now. I'll report back later how cold it gets. There's twice the surface area compared to freezer, and insulation might not be as thick but is probably the same all over. This unit has a bottom radiator with fan rather than one inside the walls, so an additional layer is a possibility.

 

[Hedges]

As of this morning, fridge half was about 23F and freezer about 0F
Noontime, outdoors on a warm day with sun hitting it, fridge is up to 25F. No better than my deep freezer which I now call the deep fridge.
I laid a board on top as a sun shade.

I'll have to cut that 3" hole between refrigerator and freezer compartments at the bottom.
Glass shelves aren't helping any, but aren't the main problem.

 

[Hedges]

A day later, and the refrigerator side was down to 10 degrees F. Guess it just took a while to cool the mass of food.

I lack nothing, except patience and self control. But I'm good at procrastinating, so I hadn't gotten around to cutting a 3" hole at the bottom.

I'll see how cool it stays on the hottest days, whether it needs better circulation from the freezer side to make up for what leaks through the insulation.

 

[beaker]

Thank you for your post. I have the same problem, trying to get a small freezer, and all the hoarders have snapped them up. I was considering the same idea as yours, but some online searches did not recommend trying it. I would prefer an up down model to a side by side. Please continue with your updates.

 

[Electric Night]

I've been looking for the "old" kind with out all the "Fancy" electronics for some time and haven't located a manufacturer - maybe the way is to try to obtain one from the "3rd" world countries

 

[Hedges]

I've been looking for the "old" kind with out all the "Fancy" electronics for some time and haven't located a manufacturer - maybe the way is to try to obtain one from the "3rd" world countries

Some new ones just have a 2-wire connector on the compressor (not inverter drive). You should be able to connect an electromechanical thermostat, bypass the electronics. My old ones also have a timer for defrost cycle, you might do without that or find a way to make it old school too. The trick is to find which models have a reliable "sealed unit."

My new old unit now in the kitchen does have electronics, but it hadn't suffered from infant mortality so it is probably OK. You could buy a new one with the plan of retrofitting if necessary, or look for used.

 

[Supervstech]

I am dubious if the side by side will have the heat dissipation ability to keep food frozen. The unit is sized for the loads imparted on it as a dual temp box.
Better would be to find a true freezer.
good luck! I’m Looking forward to seeing how it pans out. 10 is better than I expected.

 

[Hedges]

I am dubious if the side by side will have the heat dissipation ability to keep food frozen. The unit is sized for the loads imparted on it as a dual temp box.
Better would be to find a true freezer.
good luck! I’m Looking forward to seeing how it pans out. 10 is better than I expected.

On this mild afternoon, the left Freezer compartment shows 3 degrees F on a bulb thermometer.
The right side (formerly refrigerator) shows 5 degrees F on bulb. Thermocouple (off brand, uncalibrated) says 13 degrees.
There is the 3" hole up top from removing baffle, 1" on bottom. That seems to be enough to keep the two chambers similar.

Only question is whether the whole thing warms up on a hot day. I don't expect that in particular. Normal operation would have been 5 F freezer, 34F refrigerator, on an 80F or maybe 100F day. Dropping the refrigerator side to 5 F means a differential of 75 or 95 degrees to exterior, rather than 46 or 66 degree differential. Half the system conducts 1/3 more BTU, whole system conducts 1/6 more. Not that big a difference.

 

[schmism]

while being the appliance you already have (therefor costing nothing) you may find that switching to a chest type freezer is much more engergy efficent as every time you open that door, all your cold air spills onto the ground and you have to start all over. Chest freezers being in short supply at the moment aside.

I have 2 small chest freezers that sit on my back covered porch which gets quite hot in the summer. we were recently out of power for 24hrs and uppon opening them up, to get an item, I found everything on the top of the freezer still frozen solid.

 

[Supervstech]

while being the appliance you already have (therefor costing nothing) you may find that switching to a chest type freezer is much more engergy efficent as every time you open that door, all your cold air spills onto the ground and you have to start all over. Chest freezers being in short supply at the moment aside.

I have 2 small chest freezers that sit on my back covered porch which gets quite hot in the summer. we were recently out of power for 24hrs and uppon opening them up, to get an item, I found everything on the top of the freezer still frozen solid.

FYI, the issue with upright freezers isn’t the cold air spilling out, it is moisture filling in... the cold air loss is a negligible issue. Moisture buildup inside the shelves of an upright each time the door opens is a major issue with them.
The insulation thickness is the major efficiency bonus with the chest style.

 

[Hedges]

Only my cube fridge grows ice. It has a freezer compartment which is simply a metal shelf with the cooling coils. After that gets about 2" thick I take it outside to thaw.

All the others including my upright deep freeze (now deep fridge) are of the somewhat newer design having cooling coils at the back and a fan. They have a defrost cycle (disable switch in some cases) and condensate drain to a pan near the compressor. They also have fan cooled radiator which gets packed with dust, except for the deep freeze with its radiator inside the sidewall. Letting defrost cycle run only when the sun shines would help for battery backup or off-grid system.

The moisture issue is probably greatest for people living near a mosquito and alligator infested swamp. Least for people in arid areas and with the freezer inside a climate-controlled home, since A/C dehumidifies. I'm in the Bay Area with indoor air usually unconditioned, only heated or cooled sometimes.

As you say, the old style with cooling coils for shelves would have more problems with icing. Not convenient to defrost especially with your food stuck to the shelves.

With my forced air type I discovered I shouldn't pack bags of food against the walls and block airflow. You want freezing air to circulate between food and the walls, otherwise there is a temperature gradient from outside, through the insulation, through several inches of frozen food, to the cold air inside.

 

[rcrracer]

Only my cube fridge grows ice. It has a freezer compartment which is simply a metal shelf with the cooling coils. After that gets about 2" thick I take it outside to thaw.

All the others including my upright deep freeze (now deep fridge) are of the somewhat newer design having cooling coils at the back and a fan. They have a defrost cycle (disable switch in some cases) and condensate drain to a pan near the compressor. They also have fan cooled radiator which gets packed with dust, except for the deep freeze with its radiator inside the sidewall. Letting defrost cycle run only when the sun shines would help for battery backup or off-grid system.

The moisture issue is probably greatest for people living near a mosquito and alligator infested swamp. Least for people in arid areas and with the freezer inside a climate-controlled home, since A/C dehumidifies. I'm in the Bay Area with indoor air usually unconditioned, only heated or cooled sometimes.

As you say, the old style with cooling coils for shelves would have more problems with icing. Not convenient to defrost especially with your food stuck to the shelves.

With my forced air type I discovered I shouldn't pack bags of food against the walls and block airflow. You want freezing air to circulate between food and the walls, otherwise there is a temperature gradient from outside, through the insulation, through several inches of frozen food, to the cold air inside.

Defrost using a fan. In no time the fan will turn the ice into a waterfall.