Posted by Mark Fields on July 16, 2007, 7:56 pm
I got my Kil-a-watt meter a few weeks ago and have been trying it out. My
goal is to measure items for a week at a time.
Saturday I hooked it up to my Amana Model TX 20 ML refrigerator which was
purchased in 1989. It still seems to run well but I figured I should do
some measuring now before it's time to replace.
It seemed like the there was some clicking and the motor did not run normal.
Is there any reason to think a Kil-a-watt should NOT be sued to measure any
particular type of appliance?
Are there any website that would tell me more about the energy consumption
of the refrigerator vs. a newer model? For it's day this one was supposed
to be very efficient.
Mark
PS - I hooked it up to the garage door opener this week!
Posted by BobG on July 16, 2007, 8:22 pm
Maybe it wants to sniff the current on the hot leg and your socket is
backwards?
Posted by Neon John on July 17, 2007, 6:27 pm
>The defrost cycle, with it's big heater is also why you need to sample a
>refrigerator with a KaW for a significant amount of time (like a week)
>and then determine the average KWh/day. If you only sample a short
>interval you risk missing the defrost cycle and getting and low reading,
>or catching the full defrost cycle and getting a high reading.
An additional reason is that many refrigerators base the defrost cycle on both
elapsed time and the number of door openings. There is a combo timer/counter
device
with a button that protrudes through the casing and is operated by the door. A
timing motor turns the cam that trips the defrost timer. The cam is also
advanced
whenever the door is opened and closed. Typically there will be one or two
defrost
cycles a day without any door openings.
Refrigerators that defrost strictly on the basis of time typically defrost 2 to 3
times a day, occasionally 4, depending on the design.
John
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Posted by wmbjkREMOVE on July 18, 2007, 10:15 am
On Wed, 18 Jul 2007 01:18:09 +0000 (UTC), danny burstein
>I've always been pissed at the _huge_ amount of wasted
>energy in these, as the timers have to be set so as
>to provide a long enough heat cycle to cover the worst
>case (high humidity, etc.), scenario.
>I'm glad to see that we're _finally_ getting some
>moderately smart refrigerators that have frost sensors
>or other feedback methods.
>Right now it's only on some of the highest priced
>units, but that should filter down quickly - especially,
>dare I say it (and I'll cough a bit while mentionign
>it) thanks to the various gov't specs.
Would you please point us to specs for some of these models? Last time
I looked, I couldn't find a more efficient fridge than my 11 year old
model. (22 cu.ft., 1.2 kWh per day) Here are a couple of lists
http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topfridge.htm#compactsmall
http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/eande/appliances/fridge.htm
Wayne
Posted by danny burstein on July 18, 2007, 12:08 pm
>Would you please point us to specs for some of these models? Last time
>I looked, I couldn't find a more efficient fridge than my 11 year old
>model. (22 cu.ft., 1.2 kWh per day) Here are a couple of lists
>http://www.aceee.org/consumerguide/topfridge.htm#compactsmall
>http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/conline/edcams/eande/appliances/fridge.htm
I might have been slightly unclear... I'm not aware
of any gov't specs that directly talk about the
defrost cycle, just ones that give total energy usage.
I read about some of these units (that have smart, "as
needed", defrost) a couple of months ago but couldn't
give you any brnads from memory.
Doing a Google lookup right now using
the terms "refrigerator" and "smart defrost"
got a bunch of units, including a hefty
number from Electrolux. Typical info sheet:
http://products.celco.ca/celco_resources/products/1-DOOR-23FT-FRIDGE-2006.pdf
Note that Electrolux is the OEM for a big bunch
of other brands, so this stuff is starting
to hit the market.
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>refrigerator with a KaW for a significant amount of time (like a week)
>and then determine the average KWh/day. If you only sample a short
>interval you risk missing the defrost cycle and getting and low reading,
>or catching the full defrost cycle and getting a high reading.