Glass Door Fridge - Efficiency

[enoch]

I recently bought a three door commercial fridge 2nd hand and was interested whether others have either insulated the glass doors or taken the glass out and and replaced with insulation.

Reason I ask is that the unit seems to pick up a bit of heat through the doors - or more acurately the doors seem a bit cool to the touch which can't be helping efficiency.

How/where you fitted your taps is also of interest.

Bill

 

[tangent]

that certainly is a sexy fridge Bill.
If it were me, I'd build a wall around the fridge, so the front is showing into a bar or party room and the back part is in a separate room.
My thinking is the bar room would probably be air conditioned and it'd be cool to sit there and look through the windows drinking a beer. The heat from the workings at the back can be ducted away, so it doesn't heat up the whole room, and itself.

Personally, covering up those windows would be ruining the whole appeal.

 

[Wortgames]

I have a glass door fridge, it seems efficient enough. They'll always cost a bit more to run that a domestic as they are built for grunt not economy, but I wouldn't cover it or try changing the glass for something else!

You could mount the Cellis in a font or a panel inside one of the doors. It would mean opening the door to pour a beer, which is hardly a major hassle, and it would look great - especially if you illuminated it nicely (eg LED spotlights).

 

[fifteenbeerslater]

Nice looking unit. I have a coolroom with a DOUBLE glazed glass door, i don't have any problems with cooling. It looks great when you can see all those nice cool beers in there.
If you are overconcerned you could try sticking a thin sheet of polysteyne or similar on the inside. By the way mine is in a hot steel shed.
Cheers 15 BL :beer:

 

[enoch]

that certainly is a sexy fridge Bill.
If it were me, I'd build a wall around the fridge, so the front is showing into a bar or party room ...

Personally, covering up those windows would be ruining the whole appeal.

I agree but you know how hot it is in Adelaide at the moment and such info as I could find said that double glass was about three time as bad as a standard door for heat loss.

By default I ws thinking something entirely reversible like foam board on the inside of the doors for when I finally stop just sitting there and looking at it!

Taps will probably end up in the fridge.

Bill

 

[ant]

You could replace the middle door to have a stainless or checker plate finish and mount your taps and driptray off that. Maybe a sandwich construction with ali/steel sheet metal panel on the inside, thick polystyrene in the middle with the flash exterior panel. You could add a reinforcing bar for the taps across the middle of the door?

 

[enoch]

Have finally done temporary setup in the big fridge. Some fairly ugly sisalation on the inside of the glass to keep the sun out (still on the back verandah)

and a tap mount inside the middle door with some foam below to minimise the cool air loss when you pour.

Will be a while 'til it makes it into its new home....

Bill

 

[domonsura]

I have a double glass door fridge, and I have to admit, my power bill took a bit of a jump when I got it, thanks to the lesser efficiency because of heat loss from the glass. I hadn't thought about actually doing something about it, but I couldn't care less about seeing through the glass to be honest. I'd give that up for $100 off my $800 power bills (or less for that matter).
(Geez you must have trouble finding a place for that beast Enoch, a 2 door is bad enough! )

 

[enoch]

It certainly picked up heat through the glass doors when the sun was on it from an angle late in the afternoon. Hotter inside than out when I had it sitting empty (and turned off).
Aim is to put some closed cell foam on the inside and the outside of the doors (camping sleeping mat type).
I am actually going to take a side wall out of my old laundry to fit the fridge in! On hold until I deal with the old hardiflex safely.
What really hurt was after shifting the kegs, doing the plumbing etc, I went to pull a well earned beer and found it only had a half glass in it! Should have one 45 full this W/E and a second by the following weekend.

 

[v8r]

painted glass with styro sheets stuck inside makes great insulation.. but with a sexy piece of gear like that, i dunno if i could bring myself to do it!

 

[sqyre]

Just a thought....Perhaps tint the glass???

That mirror tint reflects the heat pretty well. I have it on the windows throughout my shed. It may help???

Especially with heat from direct sunlight. if you want to show of the inside put a fluro or some kind of light inside.



Sqyre.

 

[v8r]

good idea, supercheap (and others) do "limo tint" for a pretty good cost.. it'd be easy to apply to a door like that

 

[Wortgames]

Tinting the door might look cool, but I don't think it's going to make much difference to the fridge. It needs to be in the shade, pure and simple - any fridge in direct sunlight will be running its clappers off, glass door or not.

If you really need a temporary solution, I'd be looking at sticking sheets of polystyrene on the OUTSIDE of the thing, to deflect the sun from ever hitting the glass, the metalwork or anything else.

 

[blue]

I would have to agree with Wortgames. Being a refrigeration mechanic and doing Heat load calculations, glass door on a cool room can be up to 600 watts of load per door verses an solid insulated door. Stoping and radiant or conduction of heat in to any fridge would be a great help.
Remember that a fridge is cold because the system has rejected heat from in side, so you do not wont to put any more into it.

Happy brewing Blue