My bedroom is near the kitchen refrigerator and the noise of it cycling on and off every 15 minute keeps me from sleeping. If there isn't some way of finding a quiet one (30 inch wide w/ a bottom freezer) I'd like to adapt the thermostat to increase the temperature range so that it comes on a few degrees lower and turns off a few degrees higher. This, at least, would reduce the number of times the loud click and thud occurs when it turns on and off. Maybe it's also possible to encase some sound baffling inside the refrigerator without causing excessive heat and damage.
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You refrigerator should NOT be coming on every 15 minutes! Unless it's a really old one (in which case, you ought to consider replacing it -- just the electricity savings alone will make that worthwhile).
Sounds like the rubber seals around the doors are worn out, and letting hot air leak inside. Replacing those seals is an easy task, and they probably cost only $10-$20.
A quick test to see if your refrigerator seals are still good: put a dollar bill in the door and close it with the bill sticking out halfway. Then try to pull the dollar bill out while the door is closed. It should be hard to do -- to the point where you almost think you are going to tear the bill in half. If you can pull the bill out easily, then the door & door seals aren't tight enough, and need to be replaced.
Another item to check is the leveling. The refrigerator ought to be set slightly downhill, so that if you leave the door open, it will slowly swing shut on it's own. If the door stays open, you should adjust the leveling feet on the bottom. If your refrigerator leans the wrong way, that might make the door not stay closed as tightly as it should.
Sounds like the rubber seals around the doors are worn out, and letting hot air leak inside. Replacing those seals is an easy task, and they probably cost only $10-$20.
A quick test to see if your refrigerator seals are still good: put a dollar bill in the door and close it with the bill sticking out halfway. Then try to pull the dollar bill out while the door is closed. It should be hard to do -- to the point where you almost think you are going to tear the bill in half. If you can pull the bill out easily, then the door & door seals aren't tight enough, and need to be replaced.
Another item to check is the leveling. The refrigerator ought to be set slightly downhill, so that if you leave the door open, it will slowly swing shut on it's own. If the door stays open, you should adjust the leveling feet on the bottom. If your refrigerator leans the wrong way, that might make the door not stay closed as tightly as it should.
