Small Beverage Fridge


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Old 11-10-14, 02:38 PM
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Small Beverage Fridge

I have a small beverage fridge made by Haier. It measures 19 1/2" wide, 18" deep and stands 34" high and has an all glass front door. Since the day we got it, it has iced up to the point that we have to empty it twice per year, take it outside and let it defrost. Many times I just hit it with a hose to speed things up.

I thought the advent of frost free technology put an end to icing problems. Are these little beverage fridges suppose to have a defrost cycle in them? I can not even adjust the shelves as they are frozen inside the mass of ice at the back of the unit.
 
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Old 11-10-14, 03:01 PM
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Nope...the little ones frost up. No defrost...at least in my experience. I have a nice igloo (just a name plate) that works great, but the more it's opened or warm beverages are put in, the more the coils ice. Plus, the seals aren't that great so warm air leaks in I imagine.

I do mine about every 2-3 months, so you are above average (do you live in Lake Wobegone?), but I just empty all the contents into a cooler, then aim a fan in to it for an hour or so. The frost/ice loosens up and I toss it in the yard.
 
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Old 11-10-14, 03:32 PM
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I have a small fridge out in my shop [same brand I think] and it frosts up too. I never figured it to be a big deal. I just unplug it for awhile but usually get impatient and peel the ice chunks loose after they start to melt. I think I have to defrost it every 3-4 months but it's not like I mark in on the calender

I don't believe they include frost free on the little refrigerators. I'm on my 2nd one and neither one was frost free
 
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Old 11-10-14, 08:08 PM
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Well, I do a lot of work at a local hotel, and they have a mini fridge in every room. I can promise you that they are never "defrosted". Nor are they iced up to the point of putting them outside to acclimate to ambient temperature. Just frustrated with this thing. On the one hand it is quite handy at freeing up space in the master fridge and keeps us from running into the garage for the back up fridge. But ices up like a 1950's Kelvinator.... Was hoping PJ would give me the magic pill that said the defrost cycle was off and easily corrected.
 
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Old 11-10-14, 08:57 PM
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But those mini fridges don't get used that much...and I'll bet the housekeeping staff normally turns them down to 1 or 2. They do at my wifes BW (redacted for confidentiality...lol). It's on their check off list.

Once every 6 months or so? No big deal....
 
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Old 11-11-14, 12:03 AM
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If you don't let the ice get two inches thick a heat gun, or even a hair dryer, will make defrosting a ten minute or less job.
 
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Old 11-11-14, 05:12 AM
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The ice kind of sneaks up on you - Like gaining weight, you don't notice the change in the mirror each day and one day you step on the scale and...Damn! what happened. There always is frost on the back and you don't notice the thickness until you try to slip a bottle of wine in and the front hits the window and the door won't shut. Had a larger bottle or wine 1.75 ml that was leaking in the lay down position and too tall to put in the upright, one of the shelves had a pass through trap door. I went to raise it to accommodate the bottle and it was stuck fast in the iceberg across the back.

Now that pictures are working again...

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Old 11-11-14, 06:49 AM
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Are those mini fridges at the local hotel the same type of exposed plate evaporators as yours or are they the "frost free type".
If they are the same then GG's suggestion that their lack of use is why they don't frost up.

"Frost free" technology is not really frost free, it should be renamed to something like "automatic defrost".
Automatic defrost could be found on a small bar fridge but what makes it work is many components which include a circulation fan, defrost heater, defrost timer, defrost limit switch, drain pan, drain hose and evaporation pan.
This is why defrosting it yourself makes for an affordable fridge.

I haven't seen them for awhile but some exposed plate refrigerators had a defrost button that when pushed shut off the cooling to allow the frost to melt then would turn the cooling back on automatically.

Why don't you support your local refrigeration mechanic and use a sharp pointy object to defrost it!
 
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Old 11-11-14, 04:20 PM
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Why don't you support your local refrigeration mechanic and use a sharp pointy object to defrost it!
I'm trying - I hit it with a garden hose for crying out loud!

The hotel mini fridges are the ones that have the little ice cube box in the top corner that also cools the fridge. But they are always plugged in.

I also have clients that have these glass front mini fridges "built in" to the cabinetry, stocked with wine and they are never removed. Then again, they might have spent thousands of dollars on an exotic model that has all the defrost bells and whistles, I don't know....Just disappointed that I once again parted with good money expecting more satisfactory results.
 
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Old 11-11-14, 11:36 PM
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Is the unit opened a lot ? If not..... you may need a door gasket.
 
 

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