What is this on the compressor (referigerator)

[mark_wpduet]

Hey - just got this new Mini-fridge because the other one broke after 18 yrs...I've looked everywhere. In the manual... online...I can't find it if this plastic piece on top of the compressor is SUPPOSED to say there or if it's packing material that needs to be removed...the manual just says (before using, remove all packing material) No mention of this anywhere...PLEASE help.. I've looked all over google and can't find anything...not sure why the pic is showing up sideways...sorry about that.

if it does need to be removed I don't know how because it feels like it's really on there

 

[repairguy]

Do not remove. Looks like a defrost tray although I haven’t seen one on these before.

 

[combo52]

It’s the plastic water evaporation tray

Where the defrost water goes when the refrigerator shuts off and defrost, the heat from the compressor evaporates of water do not remove this plastic pan or it will leak all over the floor, lol

John L

 

[mark_wpduet]

so that's where the water goes when I manually defrost it? because it's not auto-defrost...

 

[logixx]

Yes, it catches and evaporates condensate collected from inside the fridge.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I got back down with a flashlight and I can indeed see a spout above the tray itself...I knew I could always come here to get answers.. thanks for the quick replies.

 

[gizmo]

It sounds like a cyclic defrost fridge - when it is actively refrigerating, frost builds up on the evaporator - the cold surfaces inside the fridge. In many newer fridges, this is just the back wall of the interior.

When the fridge gets down to the set temperature, the compressor stops and as the fridge slowly warms up again, the accumulated frost melts back to water, drips down to a collection point and then through a hose to the drain pan in your photo.

 

[combo52]

This refrigerator is automatic defrost that’s by the pan is there.

John L

 

[mrboilwash]

Only the freezer compartment if there is one needs to be manually defrosted once or twice a year.

 

[mark_wpduet]

It gives instructions in the manual how to defrost it...but the manual looks like one of those for several models.. so I don't know...

I will say this... I'm not understanding how this thing works in terms of how cold air from the freezer gets inside the actual refrigerator...

my SxS large fridge... it has a vent that opens/closes to let freezer air into the fridge to keep the fridge at set temp... and also the circulation fan...

But... this thing has a freezer compartment that looks completely sealed... It says to set the temp to 4 for normal operation..but I have it on 5 (7 is the highest) and the freezer temp is right at 0.. I don't have an extra thermometer for the fridge itself yet...

As far as the fridge... there is a hole in the back bottom where water I guess drains into that pan...I do see a wee bit of something already building up just above that hold on the back of the refrigerator wall..

the compressor isn't what I would call loud..but it's almost like a slight buzzing sound when it's running..

Here it is... this is a mini fridge. I've never had one of these with a totally separate freezer compartment. It's really cool holds more than you would think..

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Magic-C...inless-Look-with-Freezer-HMDR450SE/305026385?

 

[nmassman44]

We had the same fridge when we lived in Mass. the back wall of the fridge has the cooling coils under the upper back wall of the fridge. If you put your hand there you will feel the cold coming from the coils under plastic liner. Same for the freezer as well but the coils wrap around the cavity. As you use this fridge you will see what I mean and when you defrost the freezer , use the plastic scraper that came with your fridge. We had our fridge out in the screen house and it did quite well there. We would shut it off for the winter and we never had any issues with it.

 

[mark_wpduet]

Ahh gotcha... I guess that's why I'm seeing slight condensation in a small area on the back of the fridge wall.... at any rate...it didn't come with a scraper. But that's ok..just says to leave freezer door open and let it defrost on its on.... but I'm sure a fan wouldn't hurt to speed it along

 

[gizmo]

Sounds like my fridge. I can't open that link, I guess it can't be opened by anyone outside USA??

 

My fridge defrosts as I described above - the fridge compartment defrosts itself by natural warming when the compressor is off - there is no defrost element.

 

The freezer compartment only needs defrosting about once every two years, I just switch off the whole refrigerator, empty the fridge into an esky (AU word for "cooler"), then place a baking pan of very hot water in the freezer compartment and let the hot water gently melt the ice. I never use a scraper. I place a towel on the floor of the freezer to absorb the defrost water.

All done and dusted in less than half an hour.

 

[foraloysius]

The link doesn't work for me either, access denied.

When I defrost my separate freezer, I sometimes use a hair dryer at the end to get a really good dry freezer inside. Low heat, highest fan setting.

 

[mark_wpduet]

So far working great

I guess outside the USA you can't visit the home depot website? Weird! Here's a pic of the homepage if this helps.

 

[foraloysius]

There are more American websites unavailable to people outside the USA, Williams-Sonoma is among them. I guess they don't like us window shopping.

 

[donprohel]

Some USA sites...

...are not accessible from Europe because of the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (but I suspect you already knew, foraloysius)

 

[mieleforever]

That looks like the run of the mill fridge here in South Africa (Defy).

The freezer compartment you will have to defrost yourself from time to time and the refrigerator will cycle on and off and the frost in the back of the refrigerator will just melt and run down the back and into that pan and evaporate and the cycle will start all over again.

Hope that help

 

[foraloysius]

@donprohel

I don't think it has anything to do with the GDPR, why would the website of some stores be unaccessible and others not. I can freely do some windowshopping at Sears and Lowes but not at Homedepot. Williams Sonama was accessible for a while, then for a while not, then again and now again not. It all makes no sense. I guess it's more something like geo targeting.

 

[foraloysius]

No problem though opening the page with VPN. Opera has a simple and free VPN setting. You just choose the continent.

 

[combo52]

Defrosting manual defrost freezers

Will need to be done depending on usage and how much frost you’re willing to put up with inside the freezer.

You might need to defrost it every three or four months you might go five years it depends on how humid your home is how often you open the freezer door and whether you freeze a lot of items that are not tightly sealed that put off moisture.

Usually the best way to defrost is either a fan blowing room air into it or pans a very hot water, very good suggestion Lewis dry the inside of the freezer thoroughly before you start it back up any moisture you leave behind will just turn to frost immediately.

John L

 

[donprohel]

@foraloysius

"I don't think it has anything to do with the GDPR, why would the website of some stores be unaccessible and others not"

I cannot tell why not all the USA websites are not reachable from the EU, but you can take a look at the links below (just the first two that fell in my Google):

- https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44248448

- https://reutersinstitute.politics.o...ut-out-us-sites-response-gdpr-never-came-back

 

[foraloysius]

Thanks, but those articles are mainly about news sites. I have no problems with those. When I visit available sites of American stores, most of them don't seem to fit the EU rules, on some sites I never get a question about cookies etc. So it looks like that is not the issue.

Most of the time I just close the link. If I'm really curious about the link I copy the link into my opera browser with VPN on, problem solved.

 

[donprohel]

A VPN solves the problem

If you use a VPN, foraloysius, you appear to be in another country, possibly a non-European country, and hence you are not blocked.

My understanding is that many USA sites simply do not know exactly what GPDR is about and do not want to bother: just in case, they block the access to prevent issues.

For shopping sites, blocking European visitors is surely not a loss of business

 

[mrboilwash]

I was wondering if GPDR is in deed the one and only reason for some US sites to block us out.
Additional site traffic also causes additional electricity costs for the owner of the site. Not much per click but it does sum up.
Not letting us window shop from EU counties because we won`t generate profit is a bit short sighted because many of us just want to be informed ahead of a visit to the USA. For my part I certainly wouldn`t spend any of my Dollars in a shop that blocked me out.

To OP:
Just in case this is your first fridge without a fan it might be worth noting that the bottom shelf is the coldest part and that`s where the most sensitive foods like raw meat and fish and so on should be placed.

 

[foraloysius]

Thank you donprohel, I know very well how VPN works, I've used it quite often actually. After free trials I decided not to pay for it because the Opera browser has a free service. But this doesn't work per country but per continent. So no free watching BBC programmes on BBC iPlayer. But it helps with online browsing American internetstores.

 

[brisnat81]

They're also blocked from AU and we're not natively covered by GDPR. So I'm assuming is just geolocation based, rather than legislative.