# Advice on small fridges



## Taxsaver (Jun 7, 2009)

I've just moved in a bedroom in a house. I would like to have a small fridge in my bedroom. I've seen a few at Zellers for $100 and $200. The main issue beside the size is the noise. Any advice on that particular issue? Thanks.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

My suggestion would be to check websites such as usedvancouver.com or the like. All sorts of stuff like this being sold for cheap. If you do end up buying at retail, try to get it from somewhere that will deliver it for you. You'll need a larger vehicle and a couple strong hands to help you move that thing personally. They also consume quite a bit of power. That's all I know.


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

I agree with TRM, used is the way to go. Or you could buy from Costco... no hassle returns. If you are considering a small fridge you may want to check Sears for sales, or scratch and dent.. besides, who cares if a dent is in it as long as it works fine?


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

the-royal-mail said:


> try to get it from somewhere that will deliver it for you. You'll need a larger vehicle and a couple strong hands to help you move that thing personally. They also consume quite a bit of power. That's all I know.


They're not that heavy and should easily fit in the trunk if the backseat folds down. Mine came with a pamphlet that claims it uses 330 kWh/year. I think that's $30/year?

I bought one for about $180 when I first moved out of my parents' house and was renting a room and didn't want to share the fridge in the kitchen because my roommates didn't keep it clean enough for my liking. Now that I got my own apartment and don't need it anymore I tried selling it on kijiji for $130 but kept getting very lowball offers (like $70) so decided to just keep it.


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

Taxsaver said:


> The main issue beside the size is the noise.


I have a friend in Vermont who hates the sound of a refrigerator so much that he actually doesn't have one at all. In winter he keeps perishables out on his porch and in summer he keeps a cooler in the kitchen that he fills with ice bought at the gas station.

The cooler might work depending on what you need the fridge for. If you're renting a room in a house, you could use the owner's fridge to freeze those little cooler blocks, which will keep a good well-insulated cooler cold for a couple of days before you need to freeze them again.


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## Cal (Jun 17, 2009)

brad said:


> I have a friend in Vermont who hates the sound of a refrigerator so much that he actually doesn't have one at all. In winter he keeps perishables out on his porch and in summer he keeps a cooler in the kitchen that he fills with ice bought at the gas station.
> 
> The cooler might work depending on what you need the fridge for. If you're renting a room in a house, you could use the owner's fridge to freeze those little cooler blocks, which will keep a good well-insulated cooler cold for a couple of days before you need to freeze them again.


Ok...I'll bite. 

What does your friend keep in the big space in his kitchen where his fridge is supposed to be?

And why doesn't he just keep the fridge unplugged, putting a large tray in the bottom to collect the melted ice in the summer, to use the fridge as his 'cooler', and the tray to allow for easy disposal of the melted ice?


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## andrewf (Mar 1, 2010)

Brad: your friend sounds a little, shall we say, eccentric. One would think that keeping delicious perishables on his porch tends to invite the local wildlife for a feast. I'm sure he could find a fridge that had a quiet enough compressor to satisfy him. Not using a fridge is a bit extreme.


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## ChrisR (Jul 13, 2009)

Taxsaver said:


> I've just moved in a bedroom in a house. I would like to have a small fridge in my bedroom. I've seen a few at Zellers for $100 and $200. The main issue beside the size is the noise. Any advice on that particular issue? Thanks.


I actually have exactly the same question. I want to buy a small fridge for my office, but I'm worried that the noise will end up driving me crazy.

Can anyone comment on how loud these things are?


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## Addy (Mar 12, 2010)

andrewf said:


> Brad: your friend sounds a little, shall we say, eccentric. One would think that keeping delicious perishables on his porch tends to invite the local wildlife for a feast. I'm sure he could find a fridge that had a quiet enough compressor to satisfy him. Not using a fridge is a bit extreme.


Extreme depends what one's personal views of extreme constitutes though, doesn't it?

Some people I know think us not having our vehicle on the road 12 months of the year is extremely odd - to the point they question our sanity. To me it's not the north american car-centric norm (neither is not having a fridge), but we get alone just fine, as does this fellow without a fridge I bet. If he did have issues with critters eating his food, he would come up with solutions. Anyone who camps, especially long term, knows ways to keep your fresh items safe from animals.

Edit: Forgot to mention, the majority of the earth's population (by far) does not own a refrigerater....


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## brad (May 22, 2009)

andrewf said:


> Brad: your friend sounds a little, shall we say, eccentric.


He qualifies for that description! ;-) But there's a crucial bit of information that I left out, which is that he makes musical instruments for a living, and he doesn't want the hum from a fridge or other appliance to affect him while he's testing the sound. And he works at home, it's a small house, and even if he put a fridge in the basement he'd still be able to hear it in his workshop.

Another indicator of his eccentricity is that he had no phone for the first five years that I knew him; he just had voicemail and would check it once a week from a payphone. This made him not only eccentric, but serene and unharried.

Oh, and his porch is enclosed (screens in summer, glass in winter), so critters are not an issue!


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## Taxsaver (Jun 7, 2009)

How about unplugging the power before going to sleep and plugging it back on when I wake up?


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## hystat (Jun 18, 2010)

they aren't that noisy

most hotel rooms have them, and I can't say any have kept me awake

never even noticed them

unplugging it bad idea... the fan keeps mold and mildew from growing at the evaporator


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## Sherlock (Apr 18, 2010)

Unplugging it overnight would probably result in a nice big wet spot on the floor around the fridge, especially if the fridge has a little freezer in it like mine.


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## mogul777 (Jun 2, 2009)

You'll likely become used to the noise and not even notice it after a while. If you really want one in your room just go buy one and try it. If you can't live with it after a bit just sell it to someone else. 

Regarding the function of a ref it will stay cool with the door shut for a few hours, a freezer of course longer. So unless you sleep excessively unplugging could work, but would certainly not be the greatest idea ever both for hassle and use reasons. A ref is meant to be powered up all the time.


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## the-royal-mail (Dec 11, 2009)

Taxsaver said:


> How about unplugging the power before going to sleep and plugging it back on when I wake up?


Bad idea. Chances are you'll forget to plug it back in and when you come home after work the next day everything will be melted. 

Maybe the noise isn't so bad - just try to keep the fridge anyplace other than where you sleep, should be fine.


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