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Don Piven · October 19th 09, 03:22 AM posted to rec.radio.shortwave

wrote:
Which nationaly known/brand name stores sell those solid state
refrigerators that are about four to about five something feet
high/tall? The kind of solid state refrigerators that use a heat sink
looking thingy that has fins on it is what I am talking about.I want to
buy a refrigerator like that.

Why? Conventional refrigeration systems are about 8-10 times more
efficient than a Peltier cooler. The only plus to the Peltier is that
you don't have a compressor and circulating fluid, unless you count the
need for airflow over the heatsink to keep the hot-side temperature low
enough so the cold side of the Peltier device has a chance to cool
something other than itself.

I have a small wine-cooler-size Peltier fridge, and that's about all
it's good for (well, substitute soft drinks for wine in my case). The
particular unit I have can't be set to cool below 44F, and practically
speaking, it won't cool more than 15-20F lower than ambient temperature.
During the summer when our kitchen is typically 75-80F, the "cooler"
won't get lower than 60F, and in order to manage THAT, I need to pull it
off the shelf about every other week and give it a good once-over with
an air can to get rid of the dust bunnies that collect on the fan and
heat sink. It also pulls more current than a "dorm-sized" conventional
fridge.

When that thing craps out, I'm definitely not replacing it with another
Peltier unit... what good's a cooler that can't keep beer cold?