Fridge: 45 degrees, coldest setting

fridge was left on all night, door shut, thermometer inside it, and when i opened it this morning, the thermometer STILL said 45 degrees. that's what it said when i checked it last night, too.

last night i had noticed that it didn't seem very cold inside, when i reached in there for something. so i put a 'house' thermometer in there. (not a medical thermometer.) 45 degrees.

googled it. supposed to be around 33 to 47. mine is on the COLDEST setting, so i would expect it to be around 33. they gave it plus or minus 6 degrees: it varies when the room temperature is higher or lower, and if you're opening the fridge door a lot. so at highest, mine should be maybe 39 degrees.

left alone all night long, it would reach the coldest, with nobody opening the door.

called a repair guy to ask questions. he thinks a leak is unlikely. i think so too: it seems like it would have all leaked away by now.

but he agreed with me that 45 degrees was unusually warm, especially on the coldest setting.

but maybe i'm so chemical-sensitive that only a few molecules are leaking, and that small amount is screwing me up really badly.

another *anecdote* found on the web said that a coolant leak gave somebody else symptoms of fatigue, sleepiness, mental confusion, and some other problems, i forget, which were similar to mine. it was inside a vehicle and it came from the air conditioner, if i recall, but i'm not sure. (I <3 Anecdotes. I don't normally use metaphors, but, the internet is a gold mine, and medical anecdotes are the gold.)

it would have to be very, very slowly leaking only a few molecules at a time. it really seems like it would be all leaked out by now, and totally not working anymore, if it's been going on for these weeks and weeks.

this is in the category of things that might or might not be my fault. i don't know how i would have punctured any part of the fridge... except that i did accidentally push it back against the wall, when i fell or leaned against it one day. it's on wheels, and it rolled easily and banged against the wall. all those metal bars on the back, which radiate heat, DO NOT contain any refrigerant: i asked the repair guy that question. i mistakenly believed that refrigerant circulated around inside those metal 'pipes' in the back, but it doesn't. however, it could still have sent a mechanical shock to the place where the metal bars attach to the stuff inside.

so, latest theory: refrigerant leak, very slow, only a few molecules, somehow slowly enough that it still barely has enough refrigerant left to keep almost functioning, but not very well.

will talk to landlord. the thermometer shows a visible number which can be seen by the eyes of non-chemical-sensitive people. so he can agree: it's unusual for the coldest setting to reach only 45 degrees. he has no symptoms from the fumes, and will never agree with me that there's anything wrong with the air at all.

i am afraid to be hopeful: i'm afraid i'll get the fridge fixed or replaced, and the problems will still continue. but i can only do one theory at a time and then see what happens...

if you notice any misspellings or typos, i am being very careful, but even staying in here a few minutes (unless i open the windows and air it out) screws up my brain. (i guess i could use a spellchecker, but i am not in the habit of using them and i usually forget they exist. *REAL* bloggers don't USE spellcheckers! lol) when i'm close to the fridge, my legs get weak and i actually stumble and become uncoordinated. i have to keep typing and erasing words to fix the typos. it's annoying.

i still can't believe this would be the source of the fumes. it seems like there was SO MUCH. it seems like the fridge would have leaked it all and it would be gone by now. but we'll see.