Normally condenser coils are at the backside of a fridge. Move those to bottom of the fridge. These condenser coils should be in two layers, one inch apart, immersed in a tray full of water connected to water supply.

My guess is that this is lot more efficient since water cooling is more efficient than air cooling.
-- VJW, Jun 18 2011

What keeps the water cool?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Jun 18 2011


Marlon Brando with a cold?
"I coulda been a condender"
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jun 18 2011


If the warmed water in the tray is sent off down the drain, you'd probably not spend much money on cooling water (maybe less than you'd spend on air-conditioning a normal fridge's heat out of the air).

In winter you'd miss the heat that the fridge puts out. (We've done the old idea of venting a fridge to the winter outdoors, and figured out that a running fridge actually heats the house.)

If you sent the warmed water off to the water heater, you might even make money.

Whatever you do, the coils are going to need periodic cleaning to prevent mineral scale build up.

I'd bun this if I lived in a hot climate and had cheap, mineral-free water.
-- baconbrain, Jun 18 2011


[+] Bun, but only if you list a few useful destinations for the fridge's waste heat.

In winter, an indoor water feature (a decorative fountain) could double as a way to get rid of the fridge's heat (while keeping that heat in the house), and as a source of humidity.

In summer, the waste heat could be sent into an outdoor cooling tower.

Summer or winter, the heat could be sent into a swimming pool, or into an outdoor water feature, or, if one's home uses a geothermal heat pump for heating and cooling, into the geothermal loop.

I also feel compelled to mention that water cooled fridges do exist -- they're primarily used on boats, but there's nothing to prevent them from being used on land.
-- goldbb, Jun 19 2011


I think such a fridge will be dramatically more efficient than regular air cooled fridge. This might compensate for periodic cleaning to prevent mineral scale build up.

AFAIK, efficiency of a fridge is directly proportional to how well condensers lose heat. If they don't lose any heat at all, fridge simply wont work inspite of compression and expansion of the gas.

Water sticks to the surface of pipes absorbing heat much better than air would do.
-- VJW, Jun 19 2011


//But what keeps the water cool ?//
A small pump circulates the water through pipes into the fridge.
-- AbsintheWithoutLeave, Jun 20 2011


//But what keeps the water cool ?//

Water is circulated periodically. Warm water is disposed off in drain. Tray is filled with fresh water, which is at room temp.
-- VJW, Jun 20 2011


One can always keep those 86 litres of water some where and use it next day again.; No wastage of water at all.

//which is not exactly new// Yes, true.
-- VJW, Jun 20 2011



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