Problem: New Refrigerator Turns Kitchen Into a Sauna!

Post by **semperfiguy** » May 28, 2011, 9:30 am

I recently purchased a mid-size Samsung refrigerator and immediately noticed that the unit is unusually loud when the compressor is running. Now my wife tells me that the salesman at Home Pro warned her about this fluke with that particular model, but she failed to mention it to me before I shelled out the cash. Both sides of the unit heat up on the exterior walls and it's actually hot to the touch. I can stand next to the unit when the compressor is running and it feels like standing next to a heater. The temp in the kitchen can go up 15 degrees and the wife feels like she is in a sauna when she preparing a meal. When we use the fan, all it does it blow the hot air around. Has anyone else had a problem like this? I thought about installing an exhaust fan in the ceiling over the unit to take the hot air into the attic. Am even thinking of taping insulation of some sort to the sides of the fridge. Anybody have any ideas?

Post by **arjay** » May 28, 2011, 9:41 am

That is a characteristic of fridges, the heat they remove from inside they disperse through their sides. We have a Samsung and it is a bit noisy and the sides do get hot. Our kitchen is big enough that it doesn't cause a major problem. Even if you put an extractor fan in the wall or ceiling above it, it wouldn't be very effective and the fridge would still radiate heat into the room, and you wouldn't really want to be running the fan all the time.

If it is really a big problem, the only thing I can suggest would be to move the fridge outside or into an adjoining room. Could you create some sort of "lobby" just outside or adjacent to the kitchen door, or extend the kitchen to create one. Or do you have a conveniently adjacent shower or laundry room?

Post by **trubrit** » May 28, 2011, 9:42 am

I'm no expert but if it is running that hot and noisy I would check the voltage .

Post by **Jed** » May 28, 2011, 9:49 am

SF dude: Keep it, and you'll just be adding to your daily aggravations here.

Post by **pienmash** » May 28, 2011, 10:25 am

Have you checked if you can have it looked at by a Samsung rep under warranty / guarantee as all new fridges and freezers come with a minimum 1 year guarantee. I dont know if there is a Samsung service center in Udonthani .

Quite possibly you bought a duffa by that i mean a bad one of a bad model , i have the name /tel number of a dam good frigde/freezer engineer if required , he does all servicing / repairs for me at the shop. PM me if you need it.

mash

Post by **kopkei** » May 28, 2011, 10:35 am

it is like arjay says , every refrigerator is getting warm on the side , you must always look you have a minimum space of 2inches between the wall or cabinets next to , and a space of 5 inches above , as of the loud noise of the compressor it is not normal no matter what type of refrigerator you have , but one brand will have more noise than some others , i have a 640L sharp refrigerator ( 9years old) ,which is very quiet..., if the noise is to loud i would complain , as you say ,recently bought , you have warranty..... , maybe post the model (nr) of the fridge here , maybe others have the same and you can compare what is normal and what not....

Post by **papaguido** » May 28, 2011, 11:32 am

We also have a Samsung. It's hot to the touch and also makes a humming sound, not crazy loud (our fish tank pump is louder).

Post by **Aardvark** » May 28, 2011, 11:44 am

The Wife Bought a Singer for the Village House about 8 years ago, and the sides on that were so Hot you could Fry an Egg on them, but it has always kept everything Cold on the Inside and is still going strong to this day. I have a Daewoo 590 ltr Frost Free here in Perth and in Summer the sides get quite Hot. I guess its quite normal as Arjay suggests !!

Post by **malc123** » May 28, 2011, 11:56 am

Have you checked to see if the temperature settings are not set to high so as to keep the compressor running all the time. When I brought mine it was set on very high also making the refrigerator get very hot, and costing a lot to run. Still gets warm but is much better.

malc123

Post by **WhoUrDaddy** » May 28, 2011, 12:16 pm

Won't be buying one of those in the future, take it back for any exchange. I have Hitachi and Whirlpool, neither loud nor hot.

Post by **grozza** » May 28, 2011, 12:58 pm

your wife was warned,i would give her a bit of a slap around the chops and tell her to go and see if you could exchange it for a different model.

Post by **Sateev** » May 28, 2011, 1:16 pm

trubrit wrote:I'm no expert but if it is running that hot and noisy I would check the voltage .

This is good advice. Hear and obey...be sure you have 220+ volts to the outlet while it's running. Have a qualified person check it, if you are not.

Too many possibilities to list here, but electrical problems in Thailand are like mosquitoes - everywhere.

Post by **RLTrader** » May 28, 2011, 1:20 pm

I too have a Samsung, sides are hot to the touch, but is quiet, except sometime gets a vibration, and I hit the side. Would never buy another Samsung. Its about 5 yrs old and has been serviced once, but is again freezing food, but great for beer.

Post by **kevh** » May 28, 2011, 2:47 pm

if you have had it less than 14 days, you can get a full refund at home pro or any of the other stores regardsless whats wrong, just take it back and get a different onefrom another manufacturer.

And actually you should slap your wife twice.

In my experiance, the sales guy probably did not tell her this(why would he) she would just rather take the blame herself than you going back to the store and having the comfrontation.

Kev

Post by **jackspratt** » May 28, 2011, 2:54 pm

your wife was warned,i would give her a bit of a slap around the chops

And actually you should slap your wife twice.

It's not funny guys, even if said (hopefully) in jest.

Post by **parrot** » May 28, 2011, 2:56 pm

Surely your wife has someone in the family who needs a 'good' refrigerator.
We've gone through several fridges since we've been here.....Samsung (no good....noisy and freezer not adequately cold), Whirlpool (only ok, but froze veggies more often than not), and now a Hitachi that's very quiet and keeps temps evenly cool throughout. It still gets warm on the side from time to time, but not terribly hot.

Post by **douglas** » May 28, 2011, 4:00 pm

Hi,
Bought a Toshiba, fridge freezer over five years ago'. Never had one bit of trouble with it. Freezer and fridge set to mid position and everything works as it should. Myself i leave a good gap between wall and unit. rather than rely on the stops they put on the back. If your fridge/freezer has not got a cooling rad. on the back, the sides will get warm to the touch. Even though mine has not got a back rad. the sides get a bit warm, but not excessive. Don't forget you have a pump to pressurise the gas into a liquid and this gives of some heat when doing this. It is also a fact that a F/F works better in a hot country than in a cold country. Have you put a thermometer in it to check the temp.. If so what was it. Also if your fridge has a auto defrost, or no ice system, as they say in some countries, in it, this may not be working right. It uses heat to keep the F/F defrosted so there is no ice build up in the unit.
The biggest trouble i have found out in LOS is the kids when passing always open the door. without taking anything out of the F/F. I think they are checking that the man still turns the light on when they open the door.
Hope this helps Doug.

Post by **fdimike** » May 28, 2011, 8:49 pm

I believe the heat you are describing is coming from the heater inside the fridge. All frost free refrigerators have a heater in them to keep the ice from forming in the freezer compartment. It is turned on and off automatically as needed. It will certainly feel warm to the touch. We had the same thing in the US with our referigerators. However, I I would contact Home Pro regarding the noisy compressor as this is not normal as far as I know.

Post by **fdimike** » May 28, 2011, 8:52 pm

One other thing regarding the noisy compressor. Take a peek in back to make sure the service people removed the locking blocks on the compressor. Manufacturers normally install some kind of locking device to prevent compressor damage due to movement while in transit. The same goes for washing machines. the compressor should be free to move around on its rubber isolator mounts.

Post by **GARYZX6R** » May 29, 2011, 6:40 am

Thanks SFG for the heads up ,don't think I be buying a Samsung refrigerator now. Home pro have a deal on a Hitachi at the moment so will get that instead. Tell me what washing machine have you got ? I'll avoid them too, you don't seem to have much luck lately .