Port Freezer to Fridge

I wasn't sure what forum to post this in, but this one seemed the most appropriate.

I have an older GE upright freezer topped refrigerator that I am converting into my kegerator. It should hold 4-5 cornies and it was free, so I am happy.

The fridge seems to run rather often and I am thinking of ways to make it more efficient. I have the fridge set almost all the way up (cold), and the freezer set almost all the way down (warm). The fridge holds 32-38 degrees and the freezer holds 18 degrees. Fahrenheit. The freezer will go MUCH colder. It runs quite often...

My idea is to cut a 2" or so hole between the freezer and fridge and glue in a piece of PVC pipe to allow the cold air from the freezer to drop down into the fridge section. Since the freezer isn't really important except for cold glasses and hops storage, I thought this might make the whole unit more efficient. I could simply cover portions of the hole up to regulate the balance. I am no expert, though, so I though I might appeal to any heating/cooling guru's on the boards here.

Any thoughts?

Is this a frost-free unit? If so, there might be two fans for moving air and you would be able to disconnect the one for the freezer. I doubt it would save you much.

Although having a fridge running often bothers people, in the ideal situation, they would run all the time while using just enough power to maintain temperatures. The very latest systems use variable capacity compressors and optimization programs. They run most of the time.

There should already be a port between the freezer compartment and the refrigerator section. The evaporator is typically in the freezer compartment and usually incorporated into or attached to the freezer walls. All the cold air in the fridge originates in the freezer. There is also usually a fan to move the air from the freezer to the fridge compartment. Are you using an external controller? If so, set both the fridge and the freezer to max cold. Some of the fans are wired to turn on when you open the fridge door. The idea is this helps to rapidly replace cold air lost when the door is opened. I disconnected this feature so now the fan only runs when the compressor is running, and not simply because the door was opened.

david_42 said:

Is this a frost-free unit? If so, there might be two fans for moving air and you would be able to disconnect the one for the freezer. I doubt it would save you much.

Although having a fridge running often bothers people, in the ideal situation, they would run all the time while using just enough power to maintain temperatures. The very latest systems use variable capacity compressors and optimization programs. They run most of the time.

Click to expand...

I am not sure if it is frost free or not... It does have a two position setting that says "if condensation forms between the doors, put the switch here" versus "energy saving mode".

Catt22 said:

There should already be a port between the freezer compartment and the refrigerator section. The evaporator is typically in the freezer compartment and usually incorporated into or attached to the freezer walls. All the cold air in the fridge originates in the freezer. There is also usually a fan to move the air from the freezer to the fridge compartment. Are you using an external controller? If so, set both the fridge and the freezer to max cold. Some of the fans are wired to turn on when you open the fridge door. The idea is this helps to rapidly replace cold air lost when the door is opened. I disconnected this feature so now the fan only runs when the compressor is running, and not simply because the door was opened.

Click to expand...

No external controller. I don't notice a fan coming on when the door is opened.

Perhaps I will just leave it be for now and see how it does. The fridge itself is fully modified with paint (chalkboard front), back splash, drip tray, and inner door (shelf removal) mods. I am just waiting on a buddy who says he can get me some good deals on all the keg stuff. Hopefully soon...

A correction is in order. I just checked my food fridge and it has evaporator coils in both the freezer compartment and the refrigerator section, so there's more than just a couple of configurations on these. You may or may not have a fan and the freezer may or may not be the sole source of the cold air. Also you may or may not have a port between the two compartments. One of mine does and one doesn't. One of the others is the type that has the very small freezer compartment with it's own door, but the whole thing is inside the main refrigerator box. I removed the door and installed a muffin fan to circulate the air. It's an efficiency apt size refrigerator and will get to as low as 32, but it ices up and I have to defrost it every six weeks or so in humid weather.