Re: New Fridge - setting up monitoring

[ransley <Mark_Ransley@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Aug 4, 6:52=A0am, "Robert Green" <robert_green1...@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Just got a new fridge, and I thought I would try monitoring operating
> parameters with my home automation system. =A0I 've got sensors for kWhs =
used,
> ambient room temperature, freezer and refrigerator temps and the temperat=
ure
> of a sensor on the back of the unit. =A0I was hoping this should give me
> enough of a baseline to be able to detect "out of whack" conditions befor=
e
> they show up in a puddle on the floor or a failure to cool.
>
> I discovered in my old fridge that as freon leaked, the kilowatt hours us=
ed
> shot way up before I noticed the problem in the fridge temp (that became
> obvious on a very hot day when we had the A/C off and the kitchen temp wa=
s
> about 20 degrees over normal. =A0Unfortunately, on the old box, I didn't =
have
> good baseline figures from the early on when it worked well. =A0That's wh=
y I
> am trying to determine what information I need to be able to have my home
> automation system (HomeVision, CPU-XA, ActiveHome and more) record and
> process to alert me that there's an issue with the unit.
>
> I suspect that the electricity consumed daily will rise as the dust on th=
e
> coils builds up. =A0That should be detectable by looking at the average d=
aily
> power used figure. =A0I am recording ambient, backplate and internal temp=
s as
> well in case the power usage increase is due to other factors, like this
> stinking endless heat wave. =A0I also want a baseline on energy consumed =
and
> back plate temperature in case I decide to put a filter on the air intake=
 to
> minimize coil cleaning. =A0I found out the hard way that an added filter =
can
> decrease air flow on some devices to the point of overheating the motor. =
=A0If
> the filter blocks too much airflow I would expect power consumption and t=
he
> back plate temperature to rise conspicuously.
>
> Reading this over, I realized I need two more monitors. =A0A battery-back=
ed
> dialer that can call my cellphone to tell me to buy dry ice because the
> power or compressor failed and a door alert to let me know if the dog
> manages to open the door again! =A0She's been unable to do it with the ne=
w box
> because the magnetic seal is incredibly strong - much stronger than the o=
ld
> one. =A0Took nearly ten pounds of pull as measured by a fish scale. =A0Bu=
t she
> might figure out how to do it in time. =A0She's been watching very closel=
y.
> In fact, I nearly spit out my coffee because she was eating when the new
> unit started up when it first arrived and she went off on it as if the
> fridge had made a move on her food. =A0She's still not quite comfortable =
with
> it.
>
> Any suggestions on something I might have overlooked are cheerfully welco=
me.
> Bad attempts at comedy or remarks on my sanity, with much less cheer. =A0=
(-:
>
> --
> Bobby G.

Did you ever use a kill-a- watt meter, they are accurate, easy to use
and record Kwh usage over several days. They are great for doing you
own energy audit of most all apliances and devices.