why is the freezer compartment of a refrigerator typically on top and the non freezer at bottom? wont the heat from the engine go up to the top, essentially causing more electricity to be consumed to maintain the freezing temperature? isnt it a silly idea, seeing that would cause consumers more money?
2007-01-01 17:30:00 · 12 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics ➔ Physics
first answerer, whether top or bottom, u still have to open it. hence ur statement.. doesnt make much sense im afraid -_-
2007-01-01 17:35:45 · update #1
you are not going to be opening both compartments at the same time, are you. and how oftern do u open ur refrigerater. Maybe 3,4 times a day. it would only save a few cents
and the heat from the engine is let out outside the fridge at the bottom.
You have to understand how a refrigerater works in order to get this. The coolant is complicated. what ur sayin would be penny wise pound foolish
2007-01-01 21:04:37 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
A few thoughts to add to others' comments:
- You have to remember that the concept of hot air rising and cold air sinking applies only when the hot and cold air are in the same enclosed (or unenclosed) space. Your refrigerator is not one enclosed space. The freezer and refrigerator compartments are separate, so the relatively warm air of the refrigerator compartment does NOT rise by convection into the freezer compartment.
- There might be a slight advantage to be realized with a bottom freezer, but consumer preference (or maybe it's just tradition) usually puts the freezer on top. I think that the tradition might date back to when the refrigerator's compressor (the part that cools the refrigerator) was on top. Naturally, the designers wanted to put the coldest part of the inside of the refrigerator next to the part that was going to cool it ................. and it's still there today on most refrigerators, even though the compressor is now normally placed at the bottom.
2007-01-01 18:01:02 · answer #2 · answered by actuator 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually freezers on the bottom are just as easy to use and the refrigerator on top is much more convenient. As the refrigerator is usually used more often than the freezer the only reason freezers are on top is because mothers refrigerator was that way and stupid consumers do not buy or demand bottom freezers. I have two such refrigerator freezers and I love them.
2007-01-01 18:00:41 · answer #3 · answered by Bullfrog21 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
convection is the best explanation for your question.
Convection is of two types: natural and forced. Heated air rising is an example of natural convection. Hot air has a lower density than that of the cooler air in the atmosphere above it and therefore is buoyant; as it rises, however, it loses energy and cools. This cooled air, now denser than the air around it, sinks again, creating a repeating cycle that generates wind.
Forced convection occurs when a pump or other mechanism moves the heated fluid. Examples of forced-convection apparatuses include some types of ovens and even refrigerators or air conditioners. As noted earlier, it is possible to transfer heat only from a high-temperature reservoir to a low-temperature one, and thus these cooling machines work by removing hot air. The refrigerator pulls heat from its compartment and expels it to the surrounding room, while an air conditioner pulls heat from a room or building and releases it to the outside.
2007-01-01 17:43:53 · answer #4 · answered by jamaica 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
<>Actually, because of the modern seal and insulation systems on refrigerators amd freezers, the flow of hot and cold air no longer matters. Freezers are effectively isolated and so can be top, bottom, or side and will not be affected by hot air flow. In fact, many R/F now have interconnecting passageways so you can use the coldness of the freezer to enhance your vegetable and meat drawer temperature.
2007-01-01 17:43:54 · answer #5 · answered by druid 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
ya, i think its more about consumer preference at this point than actual functionality. the heat is moved away from the doors and doesnt affect it too much, and thankfully people are now starting to buy units with bottom freezers, as well as some that can convert from freezers to fridges in separate compartments.
2007-01-01 17:40:51 · answer #6 · answered by Jordan P 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The colder freezer was used to keep the cold refrigerator cold, the two of them being connected when they were first invented. The heat from the motor is displaced towards the back of the unit, thereby not affecting the tempurature of the storage space.
2007-01-01 17:34:40 · answer #7 · answered by marklemoore 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well, ALL the fridge freezer units I have seen in the UK have freezer on the bottom. In any case, its location is irrelevant because the compartments are well insulated.
The vast majority of domestic fridge freezers run from a single compressor (commercial units do not), so again it is irrelevant.
2007-01-01 21:03:50 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had a bottom freezer once. It was definitely better to use. All the fresh real cold goes to the freezer first, then theres a small fan that blows a tiny amount to the reefer.
2007-01-01 17:45:16 · answer #9 · answered by charlie at the lake 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
oh no, you got it wrong.
the refrigerator is at top so air cooled there will go down and heated air from below will go up to be cooled. All this without extra ventilation.
other wise you will have cold zone at bottom and warm zone at top. who wants a warm zone in his refigerator?
the heat from engine is negligible.
2007-01-01 17:38:49 · answer #10 · answered by bily7001 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋