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maspacifico
Nomad
Posts: 317
Registered: 4-22-2008
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Whirlpool Fridge
I brought down a Whirlpool resource saver fridge last December after hearing about it on Nomads. After research the numbers sounded great. Can't find
the post. Anyway, if it rings any bells, I'd like to hear how theirs is handling the heat if they are on the Cortez side. Ours went from 40 watts an
hour in December to 80 last week. I've done a little location mod to give it more breathing room and it seems to help, though the weather has really
changed here in the last day.
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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Mas Pacifico,
I realize your inquiry has to do with the energy savings of your new Whirlpool Fridge, but I would like to offer a different, positive endorsement for
the Whirlpool brand name:
I bought my Whirlpool Refrigerator new, (made in Mexico), four years ago when I built my casita in Mulege. Of all the appliances, furniture, and
electronics, the refrigerator is the single possession that has survived three massive hurricane driven floods. The compressor remained sealed. Oh, it
has dents all over the exterior and has lost some plastic compartments. It literally floated to the ceiling and bobbed around the interior of the
house, careening off of ceilings, walls and other objects, until the water receded. 
I took it apart each time, including the interior lining in order to clean the insulation and mud that was encased there, and thoroughly disinfected
it, and cleaned it up and it is going strong!
I hope your Whirlpool gives you the service and energy savings that you desire. 
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maspacifico
Nomad
Posts: 317
Registered: 4-22-2008
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Hola toneart.....at 150 above sea level we shouldn't have to put it through that test, but glad to hear it will take a beating! Sure keeps the beer
cold and the veggies fresh!
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9010
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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One thing to keep in mind...........Whirlpool appliances made in Mexico are NOT made by Whirlpool. Depending on the appliance, it is likely made by
Acros.
We bought a Whirlpool stove down here and it is markedly inferior to the ones in the States. Absolutely zero insulation along the sides and back and
it has to be manually lit. No thermocoupler to terminate the gas if fire goes out. This thing has trouble hitting 400 F degrees when it's 70 F out.
I think I might try some of that expanding foam insulation along the sides that comes out of a can. . Just cant determine how flammable the end product is.
And this was considered near the top of the line in their lineup.
Live and learn....................
[Edited on 6-24-2010 by Hook]
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maspacifico
Nomad
Posts: 317
Registered: 4-22-2008
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We have a fine Acros stove from Home Depot! The fridge came from US.......at least that's where I bought it.
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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maspacifico..
I know my fridge is probably not the same as yours..except in name. But what I did may help your efficiency.
I have a large,upright Mexican 'Whirlpool' electric refridgerator that has increased it's performance dramatically ....
...by being encased in a 2 inch think shielding enclosure (a box structure without a back or front..just the sides and a linking piece over the top).
The insulating foam sheets are finished on the outside and edges with a walnut wood grain veneer, giving it a good look in my billiard room. The back
of the unit, which is a heat generating area, is vented straight up through the roof by a exhaust fan run by a small motor.
I run this fridge continuosly all year..on solar power. It will chill cases of beer and sodas to almost freezing. Been running now for 6-7 years.
It's a good basic unit, but the insulating enclosure really makes it run much better.
I also have 2 Crysal Cold gas fridges. Also enclosed in similar insulation. The Whirlpool is less trouble, easier to defrost and clean... and it
cools quicker.
If I can find a photo that I know I took of that electric fridge and enclosure, I'll post it here, but you get the idea. It's all about the
insulation..
Good luck.
p.s. I bought it in La Paz for around $280 USD.
[Edited on 6-24-2010 by Pompano]
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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Juan del Rio
Senior Nomad
Posts: 560
Registered: 6-8-2004
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I purchased a Whirlpool, Side-by-Side, Resource Refrigerator (white) last month, Model #GS5VHAXW001. I did not bring it to Baja, so I cannot review
the heat issue for you. It has definitely cut down on my electrical usage though and seems to be an "ok" unit that works well so far. I purchased it
for the energy savings as the main objective and the $350 rebates I received from SCE/State of CA and Whirlpool directly. With all rebates, it was
around $975 with tax/out the door.
Huge freezer side, smaller than I like refrigerator side. I'd give it an "A" for energy consumption and a "B" for "Creature" features (OK Shelves, no
egg/butter holders, Ok ice unit and it did not come with LED Lighting inside). Overall, I wanted the Energy Savings vs. the other stuff, so I bought
what I needed.
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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Mood: Full Time Residents
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we're using 2 fridges right now...
on solar
one we bought in mexico uses 130 watts
the american side by side uses 180 watts
remember they only use "watts" when the motor is working
when it's hotter you tend to open the door more
making the motor run more and you use more "watts"
pompano doesn't open the door in the summer
thus no extra electrical usage
remember this too....if your voltage drops
because you have town electricty or your batteries are low
you use more "watts" to run the unit
and the motor gets hotter and less efficient
our american fridg is WAY better than the mexican one
shelves, door closes correctly, quality...etc
we have an arcos stove from mexico
WAY inferior like hook says
but usable
the worst thing is no thermostat
then no insulation around the door
enclosing a regular fridge may not be a good ideas as interior parts
need to be cooled and are located on the sides
the metal on the sides gets warm cooling the parts inside
all our newer electric fridges are "self-defrost"
you only need windex to clean them
i finally hooked up the ice maker to a water bottle
and set the water up top to drain
the fridge makes lots of ice now and ice comes out the door
this saves us from opening the door just for ice
and the fridg works less
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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Actually, Bob..my Baja fridge is opened daily in the summer..many times.
Some guests had wedding party there the other day.
Haven't you heard, it gets hot down there! 
I misspoke on the Whirlpool..it is self-defrosting, and makes ice cubes before you can set the tray down...
I think I paid more pesos for diesel to La Paz than the unit cost.
6 years and it just keeps running.
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by toneart 9/21/2007
I have a Mexican Whirlpool refrigerator that went through the Mulege flood.
It floated to the ceiling, got wedged between the kitchen counter and the ceiling and was filled with mud. It is covered with dents and scratches.
Some of the plastic drawers and shelves were broken. I had a local appliance guy haul it away, thinking that's the last I will see of it. To my
surprise, he showed up at my front door with the fridge in the back of his pickup. He had cleaned it out, soldered some broken tubing and recharged
it. I thoroughly disinfected it and glued some of the broken plastic. He charged me $68 U.S. dollars and it is purring right along. ....works
perfectly. No warm Pacifico! |
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Pompano
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8194
Registered: 11-14-2004
Location: Bay of Conception and Up North
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Mood: Optimistic
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| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by toneart 9/21/2007
I have a Mexican Whirlpool refrigerator that went through the Mulege flood.
It floated to the ceiling, got wedged between the kitchen counter and the ceiling and was filled with mud. It is covered with dents and scratches.
Some of the plastic drawers and shelves were broken. I had a local appliance guy haul it away, thinking that's the last I will see of it. To my
surprise, he showed up at my front door with the fridge in the back of his pickup. He had cleaned it out, soldered some broken tubing and recharged
it. I thoroughly disinfected it and glued some of the broken plastic. He charged me $68 U.S. dollars and it is purring right along. ....works
perfectly. No warm Pacifico! |
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Tony...I wonder if that was Arturo out on the ice plant road?
I do what the voices in my tackle box tell me.
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monoloco
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 7-13-2009
Location: Pescadero BCS
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I believe that if you are running on solar, you can disable the auto defrost and the unit will use even less power.
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maspacifico
Nomad
Posts: 317
Registered: 4-22-2008
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I put a Kill a Watt meter on it three days ago so I know it is using an average of 80 watts an hour. That's double what it was using in December. I
pulled it away from the wall a few inches and it is using 60 watts an hour, but the weather has really cooled off since yesterday so I'm not sure if
the move did anything.
If I had the room I would insulate more! The electric replaced a propane fridge that worked fine but seemed to get smaller every day.
Have to do some serious operating to disable the defrost cycle!
I know someone moving down here wrote about the same model and was wondering if they were keeping track of how much it was using.
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oladulce
Super Nomad
Posts: 1625
Registered: 5-30-2005
Location: bcs
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Maspacifico, it might have been me. We bought a US Resource Saver a few months before we moved down here in Dec. so we could bring it with the rest of
the household goods. Can't break ground on the casa that the fridge will occupy until the elusive impact Study is in hand (1-2 more months) so I don't
have energy notes to compare. it's sitting in the garage and we use a small propane fridge in the casita.
I'm on the Pacific side of the central coast of BCS where over the past month the daytime temps never got out of the 60's ! Over this past week, it
finally crept up to 82 one day and still drops as low as 58 at night so it doesn't sound like I could give you a very accurate comparison anyway.
I'll let you know when we fire it up
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maspacifico
Nomad
Posts: 317
Registered: 4-22-2008
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Okay oladulce. You must have been the one! I was hoping you would be on the hot side so I would get a comparison. Must just be the heat. It will work
great on the Pacific side for you.
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Bob and Susan
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8813
Registered: 8-20-2003
Location: Mulege BCS on the BAY
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are you on batteries?
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toneart
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4901
Registered: 7-23-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pompano
| Quote: | Originally posted by DENNIS
| Quote: | Originally posted by toneart 9/21/2007
I have a Mexican Whirlpool refrigerator that went through the Mulege flood.
It floated to the ceiling, got wedged between the kitchen counter and the ceiling and was filled with mud. It is covered with dents and scratches.
Some of the plastic drawers and shelves were broken. I had a local appliance guy haul it away, thinking that's the last I will see of it. To my
surprise, he showed up at my front door with the fridge in the back of his pickup. He had cleaned it out, soldered some broken tubing and recharged
it. I thoroughly disinfected it and glued some of the broken plastic. He charged me $68 U.S. dollars and it is purring right along. ....works
perfectly. No warm Pacifico! |
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Tony...I wonder if that was Arturo out on the ice plant road? |
Roger,
Yes, it was Arturo. Some people say he has not done well for them, but he has done well for me. This year he got my AC cleaned out, figured out the
electronics and it runs well. Right now it is disconnected, stored upstairs on top of stuff, just in case.
Dennis,
Your quote was from my post in 2007. It has been through two floods since then and is still working well. I am curious though, as to why you took the
trouble to dig into the archives to pull that post up. 
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longlegsinlapaz
Super Nomad
Posts: 1685
Registered: 11-18-2005
Location: La Paz
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maspacifico, you said you moved it a little better air circulation....but where does it sit in relationship to a slider or window....i.e., is there
outside sun hitting it for any portion of the day? Also, if you have pets, when was the last time you vacuumed animal hair off the coils
underneath?
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maspacifico
Nomad
Posts: 317
Registered: 4-22-2008
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Bob and Susan I am a long way from electric lines. 800 amp hours of batteries and I use about 2KW a day now that the fridge is working harder.
longlegs...Used the vacuum yesterday. It's out of the sun and the wall it is closest to is the North wall. It gets a little afternoon sun but that
will change soon as the sun moves away from it's peak. Our neighbors are in La Paz today and they say it's "smokin'"
It turned warmer this afternoon and I'll see if moving it away from that wall for more circulation did anything.
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 3-12-2006
Location: on the bayou
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They're closing the US Whirlpool assembly plant and moving the whole operation to Mexico. The US loses another 1,000 or so jobs.
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