The last audio accessory -- a ultra quiet refrigerator?

1000a · « **Reply #20 on:** 28 Jun 2007, 06:29 am »

my last girlfriend use to say I was "a real guy's guy" what she really meant to say is what in the hell do cook with, where the f--- are your forks,

I might say....

"forks I don't use em the tinny mart sandwich's already come in wrappers. "Hun" I do not use that stuff it takes alot of time away from my photography and music."

needless to say she is not a component in my audio rack anymore

Turnandcough · « **Reply #21 on:** 28 Jun 2007, 01:50 pm »

Quote from: Russell Dawkins on 27 Jun 2007, 11:45 pm

Quote from: AB on 27 Jun 2007, 11:04 pm
If you do find a quiet refrigerator, I want to hear about it.
Thanks

well apparently this one is 41 dB:
http://www.epinions.com/content_173181800068

It is really hard to find this kind of information. Most are completely accepting of being surrounded by motor noise of one kind or another.

I used to own a Kenmore. The compressor sound would drive me nuts. I had to unplug it when I was studying or else I couldn't concentrate. I'm not sure if it was "psychoacoustics" but I could swear it was canceling some of the mids from my speakers. Anyhow last year I'd had enough and decided it was time to get rid of it. I read in a consumer magazine that the quietest model tested was an LG. I went to a few stores and checked for myself by putting my ear up against the side panel of every fridge in the store checking for vibrations. As it turns out the LG was the quietest of all and consequently the one I bought. But don't expect them to be as quiet as models from the 60-70's - that was a different(environmentally unfriendly) technology. I suspect there are brands/models out there that are dead quiet but probably cost 3 times as much.

ctviggen · « **Reply #22 on:** 28 Jun 2007, 02:34 pm »

I have an Amana (bottom freezer model), which isn't too bad, although it does make some odd sounds periodically.

Imperial · « **Reply #23 on:** 28 Jun 2007, 04:11 pm »

I have a VERY quiet refrigerator!
It is called Gram "fresh line". When it is running, you cannot hear it at all!
I have to open the door and stick my head in there, then I can hear a very faint "hiss" inside..
From the outside there is NADA noise! Nothing!!!
Its spec's read 40db noise. But that has to be wrong! I bought it a year ago, and it is dead quiet..

The distance to the back wall is crucial for keeping the heat exchanger happy.
It should read in the manual pretty good how to place it. But it must as a rule sit REALLY close to the back wall to be effective.

Why does it make the noise? Well, the tubing on the back wall ring like a bell. The pump makes noise, and loss of R134a gas (which funny enough is corrosive to the old R12 systems, and engineered to be just this by Dupont... ON PURPOSE!!! So they also could sell new freezers... you know...It is no problem making it non-corrosive... but Dupont has a cactus up their butt and a heart dipped in tar...) , even the smallest amount means more noise!!! The engine must work harder... if it is a lot of noise ... usually that means something is to hot... the oil is old or the walls in the pistonwell is damaged ... lots of stuff really!
I can imagine a good trick is to brace the door... as it in reality is a piston suspended by the gasket vibrating like a speaker membrane... use a latch, a strip of velcro of whatever...
The to put a woolrug between the tubing and the frige back would be smart to dampen vibration, 'coz wool wont disrupt the heatflow too much...
Stuff like that...

Imperial

JLM · « **Reply #24 on:** 29 Jun 2007, 06:54 pm »

Jim,

We have some of the features you mentioned in our house, but it seems that your community is taking the next step from merely energy efficient to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System™. LEED is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction, and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED gives building owners and operators the tools they need to have an immediate and measurable impact on their buildings’ performance. LEED promotes a whole-building approach to sustainability by recognizing performance in five key areas of human and environmental health: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. LEED provides a roadmap for measuring and documenting success for every building type and phase of a building lifecycle.

Congrats!!

gooberdude · « **Reply #25 on:** 29 Jun 2007, 08:25 pm »

If anyone is interested in some modern Responsible home construction, check out www.dukaneprecast.com. A 4 story home can be constructed a week or so for only 10% more than typical sticks and bricks construction. These days humongous 10,000sf homes are being built by Dukane, its not cookie cutter designs anymore...

For years i wanted to build a precast mc-mansion on some ghetto land i own, the local authorities were so leery though, claiming they couldn't destroy it in the event the property taxes weren't paid...which was common in that area 10 yrs ago. How cool would it be to live in a questionable area and have a bullet proof/bomb-proof home?

I wanted to put a sign in the front yard stating, 'No trees were harmed in the construction of this home'. Really high R values for the walls. With a proper solar gain design a 5,000 sq foot home would cost about $40 a month to heat & cool, assuming hydronic floor heat was used with an efficient boiler.

There are SO many codes here in Chicago that won't allow true responsible construction, like having copper water pipes vs plex...but the City is coming around. On the roof of my work no less than 6 green roofs are visible on large downtown skyscrapers.

here, the Unions are keeping certain aspects of residential construction held back and we can't sell back electricity in the event we make our own... However, the City will provide a nice 55 gallon drum to residents who choose to disconnect their gutters from City sewer.

its great to hear about whole communities turning onto this...there is major saving$ & marketability from a responsible site plan. The surreptitious nature of most developers precludes them from seeing the Big Picture...kinda sucks.

i'm currently looking for employemnt with a LEED or US Green Council certified developer or RE firm...there aren't too many!!

hum4god · « **Reply #26 on:** 1 Jul 2007, 07:54 pm »

look at these:

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/m.mpl?forum=general&n=211779&highlight=fridge+silent&r=&session=

http://db.audioasylum.com/cgi/t.mpl?f=general&m=349736

ctviggen · « **Reply #27 on:** 1 Jul 2007, 08:16 pm »

Supposedly, Bosch are quiet. Probably expensive though.

AB · « **Reply #28 on:** 1 Jul 2007, 08:55 pm »

I put the Radio Shack db meter to my frig and at one meter it's 60 db loud.

That's pretty loud.

Rob Babcock · « **Reply #29 on:** 2 Jul 2007, 02:25 am »

I've often wondered about this myself. I normally just unplug the damn thing while I'm listening to music.

jules · « **Reply #30 on:** 2 Jul 2007, 02:53 am »

Like Jim, I have solar power, though in my case there's no grid connection but instead I've got a huge bank of batteries for times when the sun disappears.

For a fridge, I'm using a gas flame powered, no moving parts, ammonia gas cycle model such as you find in caravans. The only sound that comes out of it is that of the flame

. These fridges are fairly inefficient but for a standalone power supply there's the possibility of using excess power during the day [and there's usually quite a lot of that] to provide an alternative heat source to the gas flame. At night, less power is needed of course.

jules

rollo · « **Reply #31 on:** 2 Jul 2007, 12:29 pm »

Well you are right the Frig. must go or a power conditioner be added in the line. Some of our Club members actually unplug the frig during listening time. You better not open the door or this guy will cut your hands off.
IMO and in practice I use an balanced isolation transformer on the Frig. circuit. It works very well. So if you do not have a Green house or Battery supply give it a try you may find it to be a solid solution for that noise.

rollo

A Beer · « **Reply #32 on:** 16 Jul 2008, 07:08 pm »

I grew up in the appliance business including manufacturing refrigerators and if you are up to tweaking

your fridge, there are a number of things you could do to quiet it down. Many may think that it's the compressor that's noisy but in fact it's actually the fan inside the fridge (freezer compartment). This fan is coupled directly to the cabinet and is a major source of noise. If you can decouple the fan mount from the cabinet with rubber standoffs, this will drop your noise considerably. In the "old days" there was quiet kit available for problem customers/installations. It was basically a piece of cardboard about nine inches tall by the width of the fridge which had rigid fiberglass glued to it. This piece was fastened to either side of the bottom back of the fridge covering the compressor. Make sure you leave some room for the compressor to breathe though. Many refrigerators came standard with this feature too. You can also sit the fridge on a floor mat or lower pile carpet. Lastly, if you are looking to purchase a new fridge, you may want to consider a static condenser on the back wall rather than an externally fan cooled condenser which can add considerable noise as well.

Hope this helps,

Keith

Imperial · « **Reply #33 on:** 16 Jul 2008, 08:36 pm »

Beer with it man, beer with it..

Imperial

jackman · « **Reply #34 on:** 16 Jul 2008, 09:41 pm »

Quote from: A Beer on 16 Jul 2008, 07:08 pm

I grew up in the appliance business including manufacturing refrigerators and if you are up to tweaking your fridge, there are a number of things you could do to quiet it down. Many may think that it's the compressor that's noisy but in fact it's actually the fan inside the fridge (freezer compartment). This fan is coupled directly to the cabinet and is a major source of noise. If you can decouple the fan mount from the cabinet with rubber standoffs, this will drop your noise considerably. In the "old days" there was quiet kit available for problem customers/installations. It was basically a piece of cardboard about nine inches tall by the width of the fridge which had rigid fiberglass glued to it. This piece was fastened to either side of the bottom back of the fridge covering the compressor. Make sure you leave some room for the compressor to breathe though. Many refrigerators came standard with this feature too. You can also sit the fridge on a floor mat or lower pile carpet. Lastly, if you are looking to purchase a new fridge, you may want to consider a static condenser on the back wall rather than an externally fan cooled condenser which can add considerable noise as well.

Hope this helps,

Keith

Hi Keith,

I wanted to compliment you on the excellent post. I was sifting through the "power conditioner" bull-crap and was only following this thread for laughs because I was waiting for the magic pebbles people to chime in or for some genius to recommend a $9000 power cord or Gold Bybees or some other mystery audiofool hocus-pocus. Your solution appears to be the most logical and it deals with the source of the problem, the fan. No power conditioners or magic pebbles (or watch!) is going to make that fan run quieter.

Thanks for the contribution.

Jack

A Beer · « **Reply #35 on:** 17 Jul 2008, 04:12 pm »

Thanks for the nice compliments.

I recently purchased a new frost free refrigerator for my cabin and it's quite loud. I'll post back with some results when I get a chance to modify the fan mount.

Keith

Jazz and Baroque · « **Reply #36 on:** 19 Jul 2008, 11:20 pm »

I am in the group that unplugs the frig. I moved the power cord to an outlet that is easy to reach. So far I have always remembered to plug it back in.

2bigears · « **Reply #37 on:** 20 Jul 2008, 02:29 am »

newer fridges without freezers don't have a fan.not sure if those are the ultra cheapo models,but we have one at work,no fan at all. very queit

jrebman · « **Reply #38 on:** 23 Jul 2008, 07:06 pm »

I see this one got dragged up from the past. I'm happy to report that our old fridge finally started to give out and we were more or less forced into getting a new one. We ended up with an LG 22 cu ft stainless, freezer below model, and while not entirely silent is a huge improvement over the last one. It can still make a fair amount of noise during it's deep cooling phase, but it is so well insulated that that hardly is much of a bother. The defrost cycles are extremely quiet, and other than that, and a very large part of the time, it is silent.

It was worth the wait.

-- Jim

Aspen · « **Reply #39 on:** 17 Aug 2008, 11:53 pm »

In general --Would a freezer on top model tend to be more quiet?