RECENT stories of exploding domestic fridges raise a number of serious safety concerns for society generally and for this industry in particular.
There is no denying the rarity of these incidences but those who dismiss them on that basis fail to gauge the public concern on this matter which will erupt if, or when, someone is killed or seriously injured.

While manufacturers have been slow in coming forward with reasons for these latest incidents, similar occurrences in the past have been caused by hydrocarbon refrigerant leaking into the refrigerator compartment and being sparked by the thermostat.
It might also be said that some manufacturers have attempted to sweep this problem under the carpet.

I spoke to one householder whose utility room was severely damaged by a fridge explosion. The householder was told by the fire brigade that they suspected a build up of gases within the fridge. The fridge manufacturer, however, said that it could find nothing mechanically wrong with the unit and offered the homeowner £100 'as a gesture of goodwill'.

Hydrocarbons are a good and efficient refrigerants but they need to be treated with respect. As with the use of any potentially dangerous substance there are safety issues that need to be addressed. Certainly the safety standards for the design of these fridges are detailed and strict but how effective can any safety measures truly be in a society where lowest cost is king?

Explosions can, and have been, caused by people actually storing flammable liquids in a domestic refrigerator. That is why laboratories always use specially designed but widely available 'spark-free' fridges. Because of the potential danger of flammable fumes being ignited by an arc, technicians at universities, etc, are specifically warned against using a normal domestic refrigerator in laboratory applications.

You will receive no prizes for guessing why domestic refrigerators are not built to the same standard as laboratory fridges.

The manufacturers could have gone down the route of developing spark-free fridges as in the case of laboratory fridges but this safe option would appear to have been sacrificed at the altar of our now favourite religion, cheap.

I don't know whether this is significant or not but I have seen no evidence of similar incidents in the commercial sector where hydrocarbons are also now being used.
I would join with others, however, in questioning whether it is sensible to force the industry, through a potential phase-down of HFCs, to widen the applications for hydrocarbons.

Three cheers for those behind the new Environment Agency building in Bristol which has attained the highest ever BREEAM rating. Careful attention has been paid to using a raft of environmentally-friendly and energy efficient technologies including solar, rainwater harvesting, natural ventilation and a ground-source heat pump. Best of all in my mind is the fact that the developers have not attained this highest energy efficiency standard at the expense of the comfort of those who will eventually have to work there because this new building incorporates...(whisper it!)... mechanical cooling.

Yes, some ill-informed environmentalists will hate it but air conditioning, that great environmental ogre, will be provided for workers in the new Environment Agency building. But it will be efficient - the cooling load, like the heating load, being greatly reduced by the incorporation of well applied alternative technologies.

Those involved in this new building should also be applauded for not taking the route of so many idealists who have been quite happy to bask in the green glory of designing a building without air conditioning while letting their eventual occupants boil. Even worse, from an environmental point of view, is that same building having to be retro-fitted with ac at a later date.

As I said last month, it makes sound environmental and economic sense to employ natural ventilation, solar shading, etc, to reduce the cooling load but it is never a substitute for air conditioning.


Neil Everitt
ACR News Editor