In addition to energy conservation, refrigerators with the accompanying freezer placed on top are more energy efficient than the one where it’s beside the refrigerating compartment. When the freezer is on top, it saves about thirteen percent of energy and the ones on bottom save approximately sixteen percent.

Furthermore, refrigerators with water and ice dispenser use about fourteen to twenty percent of energy and are not as energy efficient as one might believe. The temperature of a refrigerator affects its energy consumption as well. If it’s unnecessarily set at ten degrees below where it needs to be, that could waste at least twenty-five percent of energy as well. It is well advised that you keep the temperature at about thirty-five to thirty-eight degrees Fahrenheit and your freezers to zero degrees Fahrenheit.

Also, to save energy, the thicker the insulation on your small fridge, the more energy you will save which means less for you to pay. Frost in the freezer should be maintained as it uses up extraneous energy. Regarding to the items inside your refrigerator, a full refrigerator will stay colder than an empty one and therefore will use less energy when maintaining its temperature. Yet at the same time, an over-filled refrigerator will have difficulty in circulating the cold air throughout the fridge which could lead to unwanted energy consumption.

To make sure your refrigerator runs adequately, it would be best to keep it away from heating units, heat vents, and direct sunlight and appropriate space needs to be provided around the perimeters of the refrigerator so it will maintain good air circulation. Other tips to save energy with your refrigerating unit would be to make sure that the door of the unit is not opened frequently or for long periods of time. Also, liquids need to have a lid over them as the particles could be drawn into the air and make your refrigerator use more energy to keep it running.

One solution to the problem is to use the systems already in the car. Refrigeration and A/C are basically the same thing. The difference is that the cold air in a refrigerator is confined to an insulated compartment. Many cars use the A/C system to keep the glove box or console cool enough for sodas. These systems do not get very cool, and are not true refrigerators. Nevertheless, anyone who works on rear A/C in limos and conversion vans can plumb a cooling system into the passenger compartment or trunk of a car. This is a practical and reliable solution, but not the only one.

An ordinary mini-fridge, intended for a dorm or family room, can be installed in a car. It will have to go in the trunk, making it less convenient. It will also require an inverter to supply household current from the 12V DC in the car. Refrigerators use a lot of power, so a large and expensive inverter is needed. This arrangement could easily cost more than the refrigerator. It does make use of readily available components, though.

Refrigerators intended to run on 12V are available. They come in two classes. One is the very expensive type intended to be used in motor homes and travel trailers. The other is the solid-state thermocouple type. RV refrigerators are big and designed to use another source of power in addition to the 12V. The solid-state type is closer to what is needed in a car. These are available in a variety of shapes and sizes. Some of them are engineered to fit between the seats, as a console does. Even if the car already has a console, it would not take a great deal of modification for one of these refrigerators to be slipped conveniently into the passenger compartment.

The solid-state refrigerator is both the best and the cheapest solution to having refrigeration in a car. They also have another advantage. They use very little energy. And, since there are dozens of these units available in stores and online, finding one that will work in a given car should be easy.

Following the simple steps below will guarantee your defrosting adventure will be as easy as possible.

Plan a head. If possible plan at least twenty four hours before you need to have your small fridge defrosted.

Defrost setting. Some small fridges have an auto defrost setting. If you are one of the lucky ones who has this setting follow the steps in your instructional manual on how to use the defrost setting.

Unplug. Before you begin to defrost a small fridge make sure it is completely unplugged from the electrical outlet.

Empty it out. Remove all items from the fridge. If necessary you can keep them in a cooler filled with ice until you have your fridge up and running again.

Keep it open. Prop the door of the small fridge open so that air can circulate through. This will speed up the drying process.

Soak it up. Place several towels inside the fridge to soak up any moisture that may accumulate.

Play the waiting game. Leave the fridge overnight. Within twenty four hours it should be completely defrosted.

Get a little help. To speed up the defrost process use a hair dryer. Aim the hair dryer at the area you want defrosted. Move in a slow back and forth motion until the area is defrosted.

To chip or not to chip. One of the worse things you could do to your small fridge is to chip away at the ice. This may cause damage to the fridge structure. Instead be patient and let the ice melt naturally.

Add some oil. A neat trick to keep the ice from sticking securely to your small fridge is to rub a thin layer of vegetable oil or spray Pam to the metal parts that are located inside the fridge.

Defrosting a small fridge is rather simple if you take precautions and use the right steps.

For those who are on the move much of the time, with regard for changing addresses, the smaller refrigeration unit can be a real Godsend. You never know how much space you are going to have for your kitchen appliances, whether or not the space that you will live in has the appliances already in place or whether or not you will have to buy or rent (Yikes!) your own. And then there are times when you will find yourself in the business of constantly buying and selling these which can put you on the negative financial end once the dust settles. Is your truck strong enough for this?

The second advantage is that it doesn’t take as long to cool drinks, condiments and foods once they are first introduced to your unit. This is really nice when you arrive home with your arms heavy with groceries, that loaf of French bread dangling precariously over the edge of the bag threatening a size ten mushing and pushing the cat out of the way knowing that you’re going to want something cold to drink after you’ve put your purchases away, checked out the evening news and have sat down to rest for a bit. And this is entirely possible!

The last advantage for this minimal kitchen investment is the outlay of funds. There is a large retailer in the big city in which I reside that always carries two different manufacturers and three different models. I’ve seen them for sale in some office supplies places as well. And if you are really looking to save some bucks, then you might want to wait for next Sunday’s newspaper and cull advertisements for the desired pricing expenditure.

1. Storage space – Small fridges do not have adequate space to contain foods and beverages that an average to large size fridges is capable of housing. Many small fridges do not even have enough space to accommodate a gallon of milk in the cold storage area, or any food or beverage items that are a large size item. Sometimes a small fridge may be sufficient for a dorm room, but even then they will often fail to provide enough storage space for college students. There are staple food items that people need in order to survive. A small fridge will not be able to contain all of these required items. The freezer section in a small fridge has a very minimal amount of space as well. Meats, frozen entrees and any large items that need to be frozen would not fit inside the freezer part of a small fridge.

2. Temperature features – Often small fridges do not cool food properly to maintain them from staying at the proper temperature. Many times items in the cool section will not stay cool and the freezer section food will unthaw and will not be safe to consume. This is not only a costly problem, but can also be a dangerous and sometimes deadly situation. Foods that need to be at a proper cool or frozen state and are not kept at a correct temperature can lead to dangerous bacteria. These bacteria can cause food poisoning that can cause a terrible sickness or left untreated, can lead to death.

3. Lifetime of the appliance – The lifetime of a small fridge many times will not last nearly as long as the lifetime of a large fridge. Not only can the lifetime not be as long, but in many cases, the warranty on a small fridge is not as great as one on a large fridge. Repairs made on a small fridge often may not pay off in the long run. These repairs may cost more than replacing it with a new unit.