When new equipment warms up – nothing unusual. This is a consequence of the transition of freon from a gaseous state to a liquid state. And if the old device heats up, it may be due to a malfunction.
Why does the refrigerator heat up?
The arrangement of climate technology is such that cooling is accompanied by the release of heat elsewhere and vice versa. That is why a working unit heats up from the outside. Now let’s figure out where the heating can come from. The two main options are:
- A condenser is attached to the back wall of the old units, which has the appearance of a lattice structure. Its heating should not bother the owners if the internal temperature regime is observed.
- New refrigerators may have a condenser in the side wall. It is not visible, but it is warm and that is normal.
Also, the heat sometimes goes to the area between the cameras. In addition, some problems force the unit to drive freon more intensively, which is accompanied by increased heat output. Next, we will consider possible options in more detail.
Heating from the sides
You won’t surprise anyone nowadays with a model with a heated side panel. Manufacturers remove the condenser from the back wall so that it does not collect dust and become a spoonful of tar in the exterior of the kitchen assistant. The grill is located on the side, and the metal of the case is adjacent to it, which gives off heat well. When the unit works in everyday mode, the heating is not particularly noticeable, but after defrosting or the first start-up, it is very noticeable.
When it gets noticeably hot from the sides, it may be the result of incorrect installation. It is necessary to maintain the minimum distance of the unit to the walls. In the instructions, they often write about 5-10 cm. The second spectrum of reasons associated with inadequate work is malfunctioned that overload the compressor.
Back wall heating
With the back wall, in principle, everything is similar. The banal reason is that heat is given off by the condenser. At the same time, the sides of the case, as a rule, are not heated, since 2 constructive solutions prevail: the grills are located at the back or the contour is drawn on the sidewall. In some cases, capacitors are installed on the side and back at the same time.
Usually, when the grid part at the back of a working refrigerator heats up, people do not pay attention to it, because it is problematic to get to it. Users, as a rule, do not bother with cleaning the dust in this part of the device. The heat transfer practically does not deteriorate as a result, but the dust still needs to be driven away. At least once every six months after defrosting.
Heating between chambers
Two-chamber refrigerators are regular top sellers. They are convenient because they can cool and freeze products. One compressor usually copes with both tasks. There is a partition between the refrigerator and freezer in two-door models. To prevent condensation from forming in it, heating elements are introduced to it.
All this, of course, is covered by thermal insulation, but a strip of heat can be felt on the outside. If your refrigerator heats up slightly between chambers, then in the absence of other suspicious symptoms, there is nothing to worry about. The heat bridge is a consequence of the design features of the device.
Heating inside
The condenser, even if it is in the case, will not heat the products. A layer of thermal insulation will prevent this. The refrigerator can heat up inside only because of a light bulb whose shutdown mode is broken. Open the door, and press the lever that goes inside the case with your hand while closing it. The light should go out. Insufficiently low-temperature inside may be due to weak cooling.
How to understand that the device has failed?
External heating does not belong to unequivocal signs that require repair. You need to see how the refrigerator works in general. If the temperature in the chambers is within normal limits, the device periodically turns off and there are no suspicious sounds, then there is no need to contact the service. In the event of a malfunction, in addition to heating, there will be other symptoms.
The release of heat can even be considered one of the indicators of the normal functioning of the unit. For example, the refrigerator compressor should warm up and vibrate a little during operation. If it is always cold and motionless, this indicates malfunctions.
A working device may heat up more than usual on the outside after the first switch-on, defrosting, or when the extra-freeze mode is activated.
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