Why don’t refrigerators have an exhaust vent? (slrpnk.net)

submitted 11 months ago by activistPnk@slrpnk.net to c/physics@iusearchlinux.fyi

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In the summer the warm exhaust from the fridge gets dumped into the kitchen along with heat from cooking. Then the cooling system has to work harder, or if there is no cooling system it just means less comfort and fans running more.

So I have to ask, why don’t refrigerators have a duct so the warm air can be vented outside in the summer?

In the winter I actually adjust the fridge temp to be colder so food lasts longer because the output is beneficial anyway.

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[-] ElderWendigo@sh.itjust.works 4 points 11 months ago

It's just a heat pump. Essentially, and without going into how, heat is pumped out of the insulated box of the refrigerator and dumped into the space outside that box i.e. your kitchen. The house's air conditioner does essentially the same thing on a larger scale, pumping heat outside your house. Heat pumps can work in reverse too for warming your house. The OP is concerned that waste heat from a refrigerator needs to be handled by the house AC and feels that it might be more efficient to pump that heat directly outside the house.

this post was submitted on 12 Dec 2023

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