Should there be insulation here?? Prestcold fridge

[Allubo]

92F332FD-8DFF-4892-AC81-8EB1373AEFB7.jpg01BD1C47-33CE-4749-86B8-5B75437A6A2C.jpgHi, I have a prestcold fridge from the 50s which I have restored to as new condition however the fridge was only used for a month from new and then stored since I restored.

The inner fridge is fully insulated from the outer chassis except for a small access panel where the pipework goes through from the compressor.

Although there was no insulation there originally, should there be anything or is it intentionally left with an air space?

First image from inside the cabinet with freezer loudly missing, second image from the back of caninet where pipework enters

Thanks





Thanks

[monkey spanners]

I would think there should be some insulating material in there or the outer cover will sweat.

[Allubo]

Thanks for the reply, that was my assumption too but I know for a fact that this unit has not been messed with in its life and when I stripped it down i believe it was the first time that cover will have been removed and there was no insulation there....
The capillary tube is coiled around the larger refrigerant line directly behind the freezer compartment in front of the panel so just wanted to check there wasn’t likely a reason it wouldn’t be insulated.... with that placed there?

We have two of these fridges and neither had any insulation material in this location...

Thanks

[Rob White]

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Back in the day it would have been wrapped in a rubber insert of some type. Something strong enough to support the pipe but insulated for thermal protection.
If it did not have the rubber sleeve them it would have been filled with fridge grade putty. It is possible that this putty has dried up over the years, then shrunk and fallen out.

Rob

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[Allubo]

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Back in the day it would have been wrapped in a rubber insert of some type. Something strong enough to support the pipe but insulated for thermal protection.
If it did not have the rubber sleeve them it would have been filled with fridge grade putty. It is possible that this putty has dried up over the years, then shrunk and fallen out.

Rob

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Well it does have the rubber sleeve on the exterior section as you can see in the snaps, I also ran the fridge on Friday in an uninsulated shed in which the ambient temp got to nearly 40°C to see if condensation does form on the exterior cover, which it did not. In fact, compared to the rest of the casing, there want much temp difference.... and the interior was nice and cold as it should be.... when I dismantled the fridge there was no evidence of anything having rotten/ dried up and fallen away, leading me to think it was as it was built.... just seems weird as all...

I’ve also had the fridge plugged into one of those plugs that measures wattage and energy usage, the fridge drew about 0.4kwh over a 10 hour period including initial cool down... and was regularly clicking off as it should.... (this was in the hot shed on Friday, it won’t be used in this location, just seemed a good place to run some tests)

Like I say I’ve been running the tests and everything seems peachy but can’t get away from the fact that it seems odd not to have insulation there...

Wondering whether I’m worrying about nothing, in summary the exterior of the fridge was very warm to the touch in such a warm envioronment as you’d expect, but the exterior was cold and the compressor wasn’t working overtime to keep things cold. You could comfortably keep your hand on the compressor at the end of the run period. There was no condensation forming anywhere on the unit...

Thanks

Chris.

[Rob White]

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Maybe I should have looked at the photos
I didn't see them until now.
Cold air falls and the panel is 2/3 of the way up the back wall so I would agree with your assessment that nothing was ever there.



Rob

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[Allubo]

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Maybe I should have looked at the photos
I didn't see them until now.
Cold air falls and the panel is 2/3 of the way up the back wall so I would agree with your assessment that nothing was ever there.



Rob

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So with the capillary tube behind this access panel, would the inclusion of any insulation material have any detrimental effect on the pipe work or is it purely to restrict pressure, thus having no major effect on the exterior pipe work temp?

The capillary tube is coiled around the return line behind the panel.

I have also scoured the internet for pics of other prestcold fridges and found a single image which shows insulation and now I’m confused to say the least!

See attached, you can also see the capillary tube coiled around the return line hanging down past the panel just to the left...

Thanks for your help, I’m very critical of details and like to get things right!

AEE6EDA4-A63C-45E0-A679-EBBDCE74E703.jpg

[Rob White]

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The capillary tube wrapped around the suction serves a few purposes but the two main ones are better exchange and security.
Heat exchanged from the larger to the smaller pipe aids efficiency of the working system and wrapping the smaller around the larger secures it and reduces the risk of damage by vibrations and such.

On some systems it is common for the manufacturer to pass the capillary inside the larger suction pipe for exactly the same reasons.

Any difference between the hole being sealed or not is marginal.

Rob

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[Allubo]

Riiiiiiight, got it, thanks for your help!