Condensation in the Fridge

[Jeva]

I know I'm not the only one to suffer with condensation inside the fridge, but has anybody found a simple solution to the problem?
Just to note the door seals are good as is the drain, the problem seems to warm humid air getting in each time the door is opened - keep the door closed I here you say, but I need access to cold beers regularly on medical grounds.

 

[shan]

Drink enough beer and the condensation won't bother you so much.

 

[duncan99210]

I have a drain hole in the bottom of the top opening fridge which drains into a paint pail located next to the compressor. Emptied whenever I remember - must stop now and empty the wretched thing.....

Before I fitted the drain, SWMBO mopped out every day to two. Obtained many plus point for fitting the drain.

 

[Chris_Robb]

I have a drain hole in the bottom of the top opening fridge which drains into a paint pail located next to the compressor. Emptied whenever I remember - must stop now and empty the wretched thing.....

Before I fitted the drain, SWMBO mopped out every day to two. Obtained many plus point for fitting the drain.

But doesn't the cold air just drain out as well through the drain hole? You should have a plug in it.

I prefer bailing out the top opening fridge which is done once a week, and not much water - so bailing out is not the right word!

At least you are getting condensation as the alternative is an iced up cooler plate, which shows that the fridge is working far too hard and never allowing the ice to melt.

 

[RupertW]

But doesn't the cold air just drain out as well through the drain hole? You should have a plug in it.

I prefer bailing out the top opening fridge which is done once a week, and not much water - so bailing out is not the right word!

At least you are getting condensation as the alternative is an iced up cooler plate, which shows that the fridge is working far too hard and never allowing the ice to melt.

We have a drain hole too and have never worked out where it drains even when we hose it out at the end of the season. I think there is a water trap in the drain pipe there to stop cold air simply sinking but who knows.

 

[jimbaerselman]

Drain pipe into bilge - useful if you add ice bags above the new load of beer for a quicker cool-off.

 

[Jeva]

Seems to me that other people have the same problem but no fixes so far. Looking around the net I've come across a suggestion to use salt or even silica gel. Common salt used on pavements in the winter could be a reasonable solution but I'm not sure about its availability in a Med summer!
Comments please.

 

[Carmel2]

Seems to me that other people have the same problem but no fixes so far. Looking around the net I've come across a suggestion to use salt or even silica gel. Common salt used on pavements in the winter could be a reasonable solution but I'm not sure about its availability in a Med summer!
Comments please.

Salt is salt the world over.........

 

[duncan99210]

But doesn't the cold air just drain out as well through the drain hole? You should have a plug in it.

I prefer bailing out the top opening fridge which is done once a week, and not much water - so bailing out is not the right word!

At least you are getting condensation as the alternative is an iced up cooler plate, which shows that the fridge is working far too hard and never allowing the ice to melt.

Once the first small amount of water has gone down the pipe, the water forms a seal to prevent any further leakage of precious cold air. Anyhow, the size of the pipe is trivial (2-3mm internal diameter) so there's little scope for air flow.

 

[BobnLesley]

...the size of the pipe is trivial (2-3mm internal diameter) so there's little scope for air flow.

Which is why the damned things block-up and stop working. We've now sealed ours off completely - you could feel the lost cold air coming into the bilge around it's termination point - and just keep a dedicated 'fridge-sponge' to give it regular mop-outs.

 

[geem]

Our fridge drain is 15mm but it has a 1/4 turn valve on it. It drains from the lowest point of the fridge via a pipe in the bilge. We simply put a tub under the pipe and open the valve. It leaves the fridge completely dry without even taking anything out or opening the lid. The pipe is insulated up to the valve. Works very well

 

[charles_reed]

Never had any condensation in the fridge in 25 years of having it.

Ice, yes and when it does its automatic defrost (in colder temperatures) a little water on the holding plate.

 

[geem]

Never had any condensation in the fridge in 25 years of having it.

Ice, yes and when it does its automatic defrost (in colder temperatures) a little water on the holding plate.

Front loader I guess? They evaporate the condensation through a drain hole at the rear using the condenser as a heat source. Standard feature on all domestic fridges. Top loading fridges cant do that so they collect the condensation unless you have a drain hole at the lowest point. We built our fridge from scratch using a 316 s/s liner designed to bring condensation to the lowest point for drainage. Works well