Is It Safe to Use An Old Refrigerator?


Is It Safe to Use An Old Refrigerator

It’s been a decade since you have purchased a refrigerator. Your fridge worked pretty well during this long period, kept your foods fresh, and chilled your drinks for family members. But these days the freezer is not working properly. It’s making unwanted sounds, not maintaining the correct temperature, using excessive electricity, and causing many more problems. You are in a fix whether to repair the old one and keep using it. Questions arising in your mind is it safe to use an old fridge. 

Unfortunately using an old refrigerator is not good for your health. Old refrigerators release toxic substances which are harmful to your foods as well as to your body. Also, it fails to hold the correct temperature and as a result bacterias easily grow inside the chiller and damage all the foods and perishable items. 

What to Do With An Old Refrigerator

So what can you do with your old and damaged refrigerator, just scrap it and throw it into the bin? No. There are many awesome and useful products you can make with your old fridge, all you need is just a little modification, tools, and time. You can use the refrigerator’s body and parts both for different uses. Let’s look at the cool stuff that you can make with your old fridge 

1. A cool shelf to keep stuff or books

2. An own lotus pond for fishes

3. Elegant furniture

4. Storage for dry grains

5. A garden pot for plants

6. Compressor to make useful items. 

What Tools I Need to Make Items From Old Refrigerator :

Before you start making any item from an old fridge, always keep in mind you will have to detoxify the whole body first. After you remove all the chemicals, let’s bring these tools to create your desired items from the old fridge :

1. Nut and screw remover

2. Cutting saw

3. Drill machines

4. Paint 

5. Hammer and pins 

6. Cleaner

7. Crack sealer

Now that you have all the items in your hand, let’s get back to the working process. Below I will discuss everything in two separate sections. One is how to make items with a refrigerator’s body and the other is how to make stuff from compressors and other electric parts of the fridge. 

5 Cool and Useful Items You Can Make With Old Refrigerator’s Body :

1. Make A Big Lotus Pond Fish Tank:

Old refrigerators can be used to make a cool and natural tank for your beautiful fishes, giving them a wide area to live. Let’s start the process of making a fish tank 

  • Separate the refrigerator body from the door and deep fridge part and detoxify it first. Wash every corner with water so that no stains are left. Check for any leakage inside the body. 
  • Let it dry or use a towel to make it dry. Now take a sealer and mix the two parts of the sealer. Apply it under the cracked parts to stop any kind of water leakages. Wait till it dries completely. 
  • Cover the fridge body with sand and soil mix. Then put a layer of aquarium rocks over it. Fill up the tank with water. Put an oxygen pipe and biofilter inside. 
  • Plant water lily, lotus, or any aquarium plants inside the tank. Now place your fishes inside the tank. That’s it, a new house for fish folks.

2. Create Beautiful Furniture With Old Fridge Body :

You can make amazing furniture such as a table and nap/sitting bench with an old refrigerator. The door part is for the table and the body part for the bench. Let’s get started

The Door Part to Table:

  • Take a screwdriver and detach all nuts to separate the door and body part. 
  • The door part should be cut in an accurate rectangular shape. Use a hand saw or automated cutting machine. Rub out the body with sandpaper and paint your favorite color. Make the same size hole in four corners to attach table holders or place the table over a metal holder. 

The Body Part to Sitting Bench:

  • Keep the front body over the ground horizontally. Turn the body upside down. Remove all electrical parts from the back. 
  • The back now has space. Cover the spaces with two hardboards. Cut them in size and attach them to the body by drill and screws. 

Now place a sitting sheet over the body. Your nap/sitting bench is ready. 

3. A Perfect Garden Pot For Whole Year :

You can use the space of an old fridge as a massive gardening pot. You can plant your lovely trees or vegetables inside it. Follow the process:

  • The Head part and body part of the refrigerator can be used as two separate pots. First, clean them properly and dig holes for water to pass. Cover holes with brick chips.
  • Now put your garden soil to fill up the empty spaces. Your gardening pots are ready. Plant anything you want now for this summer.  

4. Store Your Dry Grains or Vegetables Inside Old Refrigerator Body :

Just detach the door and racks from the old fridge and clean the body. Now you can use it as storage for your dry grains such as cereal, rice or potatoes, onions. 

5. A Nice Shelf to Keep Books or Stuff:

An empty old refrigerator can be used as an elegant shelf to keep your books and other stuff. Here is how you can do it. 

  • Detach the door part from the fridge body by screwdriver, also remove holding racks from the body. 
  • Cut hardboards according to the width of the body. Cut the sides a little bit so that they can fit inside. Before placing them inside, paint them with beautiful colors. 
  • Take a drill machine to attach screws from both sides with each hardboard from outside.
  • When boards are tightly attached your shelf is ready to use.  

Old Refrigerator Compressor For 2 Cool Use :

Now we are going to talk about how to use the electrical parts of an old refrigerator. And you know compressors are the heart of electrical parts. Let’s talk about how to use this part in our daily life. 

1. Use Old Fridge Compressor to Make Pressurized Car Wash Machine :

The process is simple. Take a big gallon first. Make two holes, one in the bottle cap and another on the top of the body. Attach two pipe connectors in the hole and cover up the hole with glues. Now follow these steps

  • Take a pipe. Attach one side of it with a compressor and another with the bottle top connector. Fill the whole gallon with water.
  • Attach the main pressure pipe with the connector of the bottle cap top. Start the compressor. Now your pressure car wash is ready to use. 

2. Compressor for Homemade Air Cooler :

Use the compressor and evaporator part of the old refrigerator as a room air cooler. Here is how you do it:

  • Detach the compressor and evaporator joint along with all other parts from the old refrigerator.
  • Now place a fan that should stay on level with the evaporator. Turn on the condenser and the evaporator will start the cooling process. Turn on your table fan and it will spread the cooling air all over your room.

How Long Can I Use My Old Fridge : 

When your fridge passes 10 years or more, it is considered as an old refrigerator. Old refrigerators 

should not be used more than their given lifespan and should be replaced as soon as possible for your betterment.

Why Old Refrigerators Use More Electricity 

Old refrigerators consume more electricity for various reasons. The compressor does not work properly, the door gets loosened over time and the refrigerator fails to keep a constant temperature inside. The instability of temperature forces it to consume more electricity.

How Do I Know My Refrigerator Is Old and Need Replacement

An old refrigerator will likely show the following symptoms, you can decide by these reasons whether your fridge is old enough to replace :

  • The age of the fridge should not be above 10 years. 
  • Motor making uneven sounds.
  • Fridge consuming more electricity than before
  • No control in temperature.
  • The rotting smell inside the fridge. 
  • Loss of cooling efficiency. 

Final Words:

Old refrigerators are not good for use as they are harmful to food and health. But with a little effort, you can turn your old refrigerators into some amazing stuff. Try it with your old freezer and create your very own artistic products.

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Shifat Hossen

Hey guys, This is Shifat Hossen. I'm a professional chef. I have been cooking for the last 10 years. I have a restaurant business as well. If you love cooking, be with me.

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