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Why did our ancestors put the freezer on top of the refrigerator?
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:33 pm
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:33 pm
Wish there were a punch line, but I assume it was some engineering issue, maybe freon/coolant related?
Heat rises, so one would assume the natural order is to freeze the bottom and as the temp surpasses 32 it would help maintain refrigeration above, so there has to be some obvious reason why freezers were put on top, counterintuitive to the obvious.
Anyone know the actual reason?
Heat rises, so one would assume the natural order is to freeze the bottom and as the temp surpasses 32 it would help maintain refrigeration above, so there has to be some obvious reason why freezers were put on top, counterintuitive to the obvious.
Anyone know the actual reason?
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:37 pm to Kujo
Based on your argument it would be better to have the freezer on top, the cold freezer would cool the refrigerator.
I think they flipped the order because they realized 90% of the time people were going into the refrigerator so it's more accessible up top.
I think they flipped the order because they realized 90% of the time people were going into the refrigerator so it's more accessible up top.
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:39 pm to Kujo
Freezers are always on top of a fridge due to the nature of convection. The natural law of convection is that warm air rises while cold air falls, so the freezer at the top provides cold air for the other compartments at the bottom of the freezer.
https://askinglot.com/why-is-the-freezer-on-top
I bet it took longer for you to post the OP than it took me to Google the answer
https://askinglot.com/why-is-the-freezer-on-top
I bet it took longer for you to post the OP than it took me to Google the answer
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:42 pm to Kujo
The ice block, and later the cooling apparatus, was on top, so that's where you'd want the coldest items


Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:42 pm to Chucktown_Badger
It took them 100 fricking years to realize that?
I thought engineers were supposed to be smart.

I thought engineers were supposed to be smart.

Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:43 pm to Kujo
Put the block of ice in the top. Heat (hot air) rises so it makes sense to have the colder part on top so cold air (which goes down) can go down.
This post was edited on 4/10/22 at 5:44 pm
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:43 pm to texn
quote:
I bet it took longer for you to post the OP than it took me to Google the answer
Internet message boards must really bother you then.
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:43 pm to Kujo
My freezer is on the bottom
What color is your fridge poor?
What color is your fridge poor?
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:46 pm to Winston Cup
My freezer is on the left, fridge on the right. 

Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:55 pm to Kujo
I don't care which order you put it in, just don't hook up the icemaker.
Posted on 4/10/22 at 5:58 pm to Kujo
quote:
Heat rises, so one would assume the natural order is to freeze the bottom and as the temp surpasses 32 it would help maintain refrigeration above
that would be negligible impact. they are both separate insulated systems with exhaust externally. heat isnt rising from the fridge into the insulation of the freezer.
also there are freezers below fridges.
Posted on 4/10/22 at 6:24 pm to AMS
quote:
they are both separate insulated systems with exhaust externally. heat isnt rising from the fridge into the insulation of the freezer
Depends on the make and model.
When I was renting in college the liquor I had in the freezer on top turned into a slushy and the fridge on the bottom was warm. Got maintenance to take a look and he said the vent that ran the cold air from freezer down into the fridge froze over.
So the freezer was supercooled and the fridge was not getting enough cold air.
Posted on 4/10/22 at 6:26 pm to Kujo
quote:
Why did our ancestors put the freezer on top of the refrigerator?
it started out at the bottom when mom was the only one opening it, but then the kids started using the fridge, so the most accessed area was moved to the bottom where they could reach stuff
Posted on 4/10/22 at 6:29 pm to Horsemeat
quote:
My freezer is on the left, fridge on the right.
Side by sides are trashy
Posted on 4/10/22 at 6:32 pm to Kujo
Most people don’t understand hot vs cold air. Cold air is just less hot air. Temperature is just a measure of how much heat. Therefore a cold freezer is cold because it has much less heat than the environment around it. A freezer therefore works by removing heat from the air inside of it and displacing the heat to the environment (because the heat still has to go somewhere). And if I want to remove the most heat, I would put it up as high as possible, since heat rises. The hot air in the refrigerator moves up into the freezer where the heat is removed
Same note: your mom yelling at you to stop letting the cold air out of the freezer/refrigerator like my mom used to - just tell her she’s wrong, the cold air doesn’t come out, hot air is going in
Edit: as noted elsewhere in the thread, the two systems are often separated now so you have two separate refrigeration cycles, aka more parts to break and you can charge more for that unit now
Same note: your mom yelling at you to stop letting the cold air out of the freezer/refrigerator like my mom used to - just tell her she’s wrong, the cold air doesn’t come out, hot air is going in
Edit: as noted elsewhere in the thread, the two systems are often separated now so you have two separate refrigeration cycles, aka more parts to break and you can charge more for that unit now
This post was edited on 4/10/22 at 6:44 pm
Posted on 4/10/22 at 6:34 pm to Kujo
My freezer is on the left - I’m not sure what to do
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