The Laws of Refrigerator Physics: Why Your Beer Isn't Cold Yet
You just arrived in Rocky Point. The car is unloaded, the swimsuits are on, and somewhere inside your vacation rental a refrigerator has just been introduced to 48 warm beers, two cases of water, six pounds of carne asada, three bags of groceries and enough salsa to provision a small restaurant. Twenty minutes later somebody opens the door and announces: "The refrigerator isn't working."
We understand the concern. Cold drinks are an important part of any successful Puerto Peñasco vacation.
But before declaring the refrigerator deceased and calling Castaways to report an appliance emergency, we would like to introduce a troublesome little concept: physics.
The Great Lukewarm Cerveza Crisis
Picture the scene.
You survived the drive through the desert, crossed the border, made the final stretch through Sonoyta, arrived at your Rocky Point vacation rental, and began unloading.
During the trip, however, your groceries have been enjoying the same Sonoran sunshine you have.
The bottled water is warm. The soda is warm. The beer is warm. The condiments are warm. The steaks are warm-ish. Even the watermelon seems angry.
You then open a perfectly cold refrigerator and fill nearly every cubic inch of it with all of this warm stuff.
Fifteen minutes later:
Probably not.
Newton Had Apples. We Have Coronas.
We are taking a few liberties with Sir Isaac Newton here, but if he managed vacation rentals in Rocky Point, we suspect his laws would look something like this:
Warm Things Contain Heat
This sounds obvious until approximately 80 pounds of warm groceries are placed inside a refrigerator.
Your refrigerator now has to remove the heat contained in every bottle, can, watermelon, steak, jar and leftover burrito you just put inside it. That heat does not magically disappear when the refrigerator door closes.
Cold Air Needs Somewhere to Go
Refrigerators cool by circulating cold air around the food.
If the shelves resemble a championship-level game of grocery Tetris, there may be nowhere for that air to circulate.
Packing every shelf from the front wall to the back wall doesn't help the refrigerator cool faster. It actually makes the poor thing's job harder.
Opening the Door Every Four Minutes Does Not Help
We realize this is controversial.
Unfortunately, repeatedly opening the refrigerator to check whether the beer has become cold allows cold air to escape and warm room air to enter.
Opening it again eight minutes later to see whether physics has changed its mind produces roughly the same result.
The Refrigerator Is Not a Time Machine
A refrigerator's normal job is to maintain food at a cold temperature. Cooling a large amount of warm food and beverages can take several hours.
The more warm material you put inside at one time, the longer the process can take.
A refrigerator that was nice and cold before you arrived may temporarily become considerably warmer after being loaded with groceries from a hot car. That doesn't automatically mean anything is wrong with it.
A Case of Warm Beer Is Basically a Heat Battery
One warm beer isn't much of a challenge.
Forty-eight warm beers, twelve bottles of water, several liters of soda and a week's worth of groceries are another matter.
All of those items have stored heat. Your refrigerator has to pull that heat out one little bit at a time and send it into the room.
Yes, this means your refrigerator is technically working very hard while you're standing in front of it explaining to your spouse that it is definitely broken.
The Rocky Point Refrigerator Survival Guide
Fortunately, avoiding the Great Lukewarm Cerveza Crisis is surprisingly easy.
Upon arrival:
- Keep drinks in your cooler for a while if they're already cold.
- Load the refrigerator gradually when possible instead of filling every inch at once.
- Leave some space between items so cold air can circulate.
- Don't block the vents at the back or inside the refrigerator.
- Avoid repeatedly opening the door to check the temperature.
- Put the items you need cold first in the refrigerator first.
- Give the appliance several hours to remove the heat you've just added.
But What If It Really Isn't Working?
Refrigerators do occasionally break. We aren't trying to convince you that appliances have achieved immortality.
If the refrigerator was never cold when you arrived, isn't running, isn't producing cool air, or remains warm after being given reasonable time to recover, please contact us.
That's exactly what our team is here for.
But if you arrived 30 minutes ago and just placed the entire beverage inventory of a convenience store inside the refrigerator, give it a little time before scheduling the funeral.
Physics: Undefeated Since the Beginning of Time
We would love to tell you that our refrigerators contain special Rocky Point technology capable of instantly converting a 90-degree case of beer into an icy bucket of happiness.
Sadly, we remain subject to the same laws of thermodynamics as everyone else.
So unpack the car. Turn on some music. Pour whatever beverage managed to survive the drive inside your cooler. Walk out to the balcony. Look at the Sea of Cortez.
And give the refrigerator a chance to catch up.
Your cerveza will be cold soon enough.
Now That We've Settled the Physics...
The only remaining scientific question is which Rocky Point vacation rental has the best balcony for enjoying that newly chilled beverage. We can help with that one too.
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