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Post by fea19711 on May 2, 2017 14:43:04 GMT
Has anyone had any success with using a timer to automatically defrost an FEA machine? If I was going to do it, I'd want the timer "under the hood" for easy access without pulling the refrigerator away from the wall, so I would need to put a receptacle for the timer under the the cover, plug the timer in, then plug the FEA into the timer. If it's not going to work well, I don't want to go to the trouble of doing it. Thanks.
Bill
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Post by ckfan on May 2, 2017 16:13:47 GMT
Bill,
I think that a few companies tried such a method as an add on timer that you would plug your fridge into. It would turn off power to the whole fridge since you would just plug your line cord into the timer. I think that the timer would turn the fridge off for a few hours late at night (think around 2 or 3 in the morning) and would then kick it back on right before it is time to wake up. Obviously you would have to play with it to make it work the way you want it to. As long as the cabinet temps don't creep up too high I don't see anything wrong with it.
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Post by Travis on May 2, 2017 21:51:20 GMT
You're going to end up with an icy evaporator.
Is defrosting really too much?
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Post by fea19711 on May 3, 2017 2:14:37 GMT
Dear Travis, Do you mean it's going to be icy because this way, the evaporator doesn't get wiped dry after defrosting? I was thinking about that. Maybe it's best to just plan to defrost. I was also thinking about installing a combination toggle switch and plug fuse under there and using a fuse of let's say 6 amps or so (time delay) to give some additional protection against an electrical short. www.zoro.com/bussmann-plug-fuse-box-switch-2-14-in-handy-ssu/i/G1307993/?gclid=CI3zmJjQ0tMCFciIswodn_QINA&gclsrc=aw.dsMy thought is a fuse like that would blow a lot sooner than the 15 amp circuit breaker would trip in the event of a fault of some kind. The switch would give me a way to shut the power off without pulling the refrigerator away from the wall and without changing the thermostat setting. I was thinking of adding a small red light to the side of the switch/fuse box to indicate when there is power beyond the switch and fuse-- power to the refrigerator. www.signal-tech.com/products/switch/control_switches/2729I installed one of those on one of the circulators on my hot water heating system many years ago. This circulator is so quiet that when the oil burner is running, you can't tell if the circulator is on or off. Sometimes you need to know if you're trouble shooting. The HVAC techs who come to service the burner love that little light too. Let me know what you think, guys. Thanks. Bill |
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Post by Travis on May 3, 2017 3:01:16 GMT
Bill,
Yes, the watery evaporator will refreeze.
The overload in the relay would protect the unit. I'm not sure why using the intended switch is a hardship. The knob has an arrow. It should be easy enough to reset the thermostat when you defrost.
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Post by elec573 on May 3, 2017 17:27:22 GMT
Bill
If you need to defrost that often then I would check your door seal . Had my ck in use for almost 6 months now and it still is not to bad .
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Post by cablehack on May 4, 2017 1:31:09 GMT
Actually, the fast blowing of the fuse as compared to a circuit breaker is not a desirable characteristic when using a compressor motor. The motor start up current is much, much higher than the running current. I can't recall what the exact figure was, but it was something around 13A (120V) when I tried measuring my CA-2 [it may have been even higher given the slow response time of the meter]. Even a time delay fuse is likely to fail eventually as the link is subjected to heating/cooling each time the motor starts, and thus weakens over time. For this reason, fuse protection is generally not commonly used with induction motors. Any suitable fuse would have to be of high enough rating that it only protects against an actual short circuit in the wiring, which is fine if that's all you want it for. I use circuit breakers for both my fridges, but only to protect the windings of the 240V-120V step-down transformers I use. My experience has been that a 3A thermal circuit breaker on the 240V side was sailing awfully close to the wind (equivalent to using a 6A breaker on 120V). It did actually trip once when my CA-2 was having one of its "moments" while I was not at home, but fortunately I saved the food just in time. Since upgrading to a 5A breaker, it has been completely reliable. If there is a short circuit, the breaker will still trip fast enough before the transformer windings have time to get hot. |
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Post by tcatrainer on Jan 21, 2020 17:29:31 GMT
I just acquired an FEA yesterday and I came with an auto defrosting exterior unit. It’s manned “ de-frost-it” and has a knob in it with a timer.
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Post by Travis on Jan 21, 2020 17:44:01 GMT
I also have one of those. In my opinion, all they do is cut the power to the fridge, it defrosts, then starts. If you defrost and don't wipe the evaporator, you will have ice in your evaporator.
The reason self defrost fridges work is that water from defrosting drains to a pan and evaporates. The de-frost it timers are a fun marketing attempt to make people spend their money in the hopes that they can have a self defrost refrigerator without buying a modern fridge.
Good luck with your FEA.
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Post by tcatrainer on Jan 22, 2020 0:36:41 GMT
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