Sense found 1 of my Frigs ( I have 2 ) and it shows 45w. I unplugged the Frig and put a watt meter on it and it does show 45w. It’s a Fisher Paykel with the freezer on the bottom.
My question is at times the watt meter shows 140w. Isn’t the Frig either on or off? I did make sure that the light is off and it is but when it is on it’s only 5w. /
https://www.google.com/search?q=Frig&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b-1
Sounds like an expensive Frig.
Refrigerators don’t have a constant draw. Depends on the brand and the age, but there are different patterns and none are a flat 45w. Have a look to see if you can find some old posts - several people, including me, have posted fridge profiles in the past.
Any “smart” refrigerator would have a constant draw unless it contained some battery-powered electronics. Using the “watt” meter directly (as Paul2 did) measures from the device to the power outlet, so that can’t be ignored in favor of Sense reporting.
I would recommend having a look at previous posts on refrigerator profiles and reading up on compressor function. While there are certainly points in the cycle in which older compressors flatline, they pull a steep draw just like any motor would at the start. i.e. they don’t have a constant draw.
Just to be clear - the Kill A Watt meter I’m using normally shows approx 45w but occasionally increases to approx 145w. Both of these measurements stay on for a long period of time and are not instantaneous like at startup or shutdown. Also the change is not due to me opening the door.
When Sense Detected my Frig it was at 45w. Also, the Sense Power Meter shows a constant 45w except at startup when it’s approx 70w for a very brief period.
@Paul2 do you have “ActiveSmart” in your model? As I’d suggested before, any type of smart monitoring or smart-feature could require a constant power draw, especially if it’s using and/or storing values in memory.
Yes it has ActiveSmart but it don’t understand:
any type of smart monitoring or smart-feature could require a constant power draw, especially if it’s using and/or storing values in memory.
@Paul2 anything with long running sensors or computing will require some amount of power to save state - i.e. if you set the time on your electronic watch, you’ll need a battery to keep it’s time. Same thing applies to ‘smart’ appliances. I suspect that’s going on with your refrigerators. This would beyond the typical on-off run cycle that traditional refrigerators have that is managed by a thermostat, that can operate without a power draw. Anyway, I emailed Fisher Paykel and here is their response:
On Feb 2, 2018, at 6:38 AM, Fisher & Paykel Appliances customer.care @fisherpaykel.com wrote:
Hello Robert
Thank you for your email. We have discussed with our technical team and they have advised. Yes they will draw that amount of power. However we do have variable speed compressors so internal and external influences can change the power requirements. Most of our ActiveSmart refrigerators draw between 545-585Kwatts per year.
Kind Regards
Maree
--------------- Original Message ---------------
From: bob.fisherpaykel@******.com
Sent: 2/02/2018 11:38 AM
To: customer.care@fisherpaykel.com
Subject: Robert Smith - Product enquiry
First Name: Robert
Last Name: Smith
Email: bob.fisherpaykel@****.com
Phone:
Mobile:
Address:
Country: United States of America
Category: Other
Model: Refrigerators
Message:
Hello,
A friend of mine told me his FisherPaykel refrigerator has a constant power draw of 45 watts. Could you confirm whether some of your models, particularly those with ActiveSmart, will draw that power constantly? I’m wondering for power consumption calculation.
Thanks.
Thank-you very much for your help! I appreciate it!
Now I think I finally understand what’s going on with my Frig.
You’re lucky! I’ve had Sense for 18 months and it still hasn’t identified my Samsung fridge.
@gary1 - is your Samsung fridge one of the more current ones, released in the past 3-5 years? Some of these have a unique startup pattern and we’ve been looking into new ways to detect them. Let me know!
Mine is model RFG297AA and it is 8 years old. I know it has motors,
compressors, and heaters, but none have been identified as part of the
fridge. I think I’ve identified the defroster and ice maker, but it’s
only a guess.
My washer and microwave get confused as the same device, as does my
dryer and stove. Very few device have been correctly identified.
@bradatsense I have a brand new Samsung Fridge. If you would like I can upload the model and the electrical signature when I turn it on, just let me know.
Hi @Gary1 - I’m just getting caught up on all your device issues that you’ve posted here in the forum and submitted through support. I’ll reach out via direct message just to see if there’s anything else I might be able to do to help with this.
Very sorry for the frustration!
Thanks @scottbel - we have a bunch of information collected from a couple of Samsung refrigerators that the staff own so I think we’re ok for now, but I’ll be sure to let you know if we need more data!
@gary1, @scottbel, and anyone else who might have an electronically controlled fridge:
if you’d be willing, would you be able to send me a private message here on the forum? We’re doing some research on these refrigerators right now and would be grateful for permission to look more deeply at your data to analyze these fridges.
Thanks!
Sure - what do you need
Any progress on this Samsung refrigerator? Still waiting after 2 years for its detection.