Fridge "reclamation" project (pic heavy)

[shilala]

Originally Posted by ChasDen

Is the "metal freezer body" part of the unit or just a box?

Can it be removed to just expose the coils you talk of?

How much condensation are we talking here, a gallon a day, a week a month?

Chas

Usually the coils are soldered onto the freezer body, or built in.
Not likely.
Did you see the ice clunker?
That's how much water vapor it'll rape from the air.
That's why we build closed systems for cigars, so we can maintain humidity without adding or removing water from the confined area.
If you collect water in a jug and then use a fan to recycle it back into the beads or air, you have a zero net loss/gain. That'd work. That's what you want.
If you keep taking water out, you gotta put it back in. That's a pain in the ass. You have to fill hydras, add sponges, and do all sorts of stuff, and you really never gain control or stability.
That's the problem I have with my big leaky display.
On the other hand, vinos and wine fridges work great if you plug the drain and let the fan run because the water constantly recycles itself.
This fridge can be made to work, but it'll take some ingenuity.
If the evaporator can't be cut down, all that freezer space will be lost because anything that touches it will get wet when it turns on.
A drip pan underneath could catch water, then a fan could be used to dry things and recycle the condensed water to the air, creating a zero net loss/gain of water.
There's all sorts of stuff that could be done, it just depends on that evaporator.
In that particular type of fridge, the INTENTION is for frost to build on the freezer section. That's what cools the fridge below and holds the condensed water (in ice form) from dripping on your food.
It's cause that's the way they work.
It's an old fridge, too. Through the years they devised lots better ways to do things.