I have a combined fridge/freezer which has separate cooling systems and is more than 10 years old. I very rarely have anything in the freezer.
I can leave the freezer on all the time.
Or I can leave it switched off most of the time and only run it when I need it.
Will the latter give it a longer life or will something maybe goo up due to not being used?

 

I am not a refrigeration expert but I once spent a few days following one around while he worked

I have air conditioners in rooms that are rarely occupied. Based on what I picked up during those few days, I leave the air conditioners off most of the time but run them for a few hours every month. Something about seals and lubricants.

 

Lots of people have air conditioners that don't run for 5 months of the year. I have never had a machine fail to start just because it was sitting unused for a few years. Yes, the oil will drain down to the bottom of the sump in a few days, but why dry start it every month when you can dry start it just once when you are going to resume using it?

There are no seals in a small refrigerator or freezer because the motor is inside the can with the compressor. There is a shaft seal in a car and they depend on an oil film, but your freezer isn't in a car.

 

Actual run time has long been used for lifetime predictions. Others say stress or temp cycles.

In any case....in our quest for efficiency, simplicity, cost and bragging rights......many of our component's maintenance and lifetime depend on run time and/or stress cycle.

So it's a balance. As Dick said......maintenance runs. And in this case an refrigeration SYSTEM expert would know.

My dad worked in it and he was always astounded by the longevity of some of the old systems....both commercial and household.

 

Thanks guys. I will leave it off.

 

Hi,

Many people leave their AC units off for several months during the year. Only in the spring they run them up and use them until the end of summer.

 

Living in the very North of England, I have no knowledge of AC

 

Living in the very North of England, I have no knowledge of AC

Hi,

Oh you are very lucky then
Here in New Jersey in the summer months we get a lot of heat and humidity sometimes. It makes life difficult.
We are more lucky than in the mid east though where it gets up to 120 degrees F. I'd hate to live there

 

We are more lucky than in the mid east though where it gets up to 120 degrees F. I'd hate to live there

But it's a dry heat.

 

Maybe I will be able to resist the urge to run them "just in case". besides, service calls are inexpensive.

 

But it's a dry heat.

There's nothing dry up here. Houses and roads flooded multiple times, bridges damaged or washed away completely.
At least I am well above the water line.

 

But it's a dry heat.

Hi,

Yeah that's ONE good thing about it

 

There's nothing dry up here. Houses and roads flooded multiple times, bridges damaged or washed away completely.
At least I am well above the water line.

Hi,

Oh, sorry to hear about that. In our town we've had multiple floods that make the main street look like a deep river so i know what it is like! It's nuts. The water goes up to the second floor. I have pictures too. It's unbelievable.
We are on higher ground a few blocks from the main street so we get only a little water, but they turn the electric off in the whole town which is really a pain now. They started doing that because one idiot went down in the basement to check the fuse box knee deep in water and found out the hard way that yes, the electricity is still on it's just a fuse.

 

The important thing with a fridge/freezer is leave the doors open when it's empty/off, else it'll get real nasty real fast.