# Does a refrigerator cool more efficiently when full? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\ **Created:** [June 16, 2006, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908 "2006-06-16T09:48:42Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RiledRifler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RiledRifler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RiledRifler)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 9:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/1 "2006-06-16T09:48:42Z")
[Does a refrigerator cool more efficiently when full?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060616.html) So, when the door is opened, more cool air is lost in an empty fridge than a full fridge. I don’t believe it. Why would anyone be opening the door on an empty fridge? ---
**Author:** ![Blake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a9a28c/32.png) [@Blake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blake)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 10:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/2 "2006-06-16T10:15:38Z")
[QUOTE=RiledRifler] Why would anyone be opening the door on an empty fridge? [/QUOTE] To see if it has been refilled of course. ---
**Author:** ![zut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zut/32/2875_2.png) [@zut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zut)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/3 "2006-06-16T14:37:41Z")
[QUOTE=RiledRifler] Why would anyone be opening the door on an empty fridge? [/QUOTE] You do realize that the proper method of insertion of food _into_ a fridge is through the door, yes? ---
**Author:** ![Elmo409](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e79b87/32.png) [@Elmo409](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmo409)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/4 "2006-06-16T14:48:31Z")
Leaving the door open – yes it matters, but once you’ve opened it the damage is done. All that cold air sunk down to the floor and cooled your toes about as quick as you opened the door, so you might as well hang out and look for that New York Style Pizza that you put in there in 1973 instead of settling for something that hasn’t been properly aged. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/5 "2006-06-16T15:49:18Z")
[QUOTE=RiledRifler] [Does a refrigerator cool more efficiently when full?](http://www.straightdope.com/columns/060616.html) So, when the door is opened, more cool air is lost in an empty fridge than a full fridge. I don’t believe it. Why would anyone be opening the door on an empty fridge? [/QUOTE] Why would you not believe it? It’s a simple matter of thermodynamics, and the laws don’t change based on why the door was opened. Welcome to the Dope, by the way, and mad props to you for linking to the column in question. ---
**Author:** ![Cervaise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cervaise/32/16693_2.png) [@Cervaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cervaise)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/6 "2006-06-16T17:29:29Z")
[QUOTE=RiledRifler] Why would anyone be opening the door on an empty fridge? [/QUOTE] To light the kitchen because one has been too lazy to replace the bulb in the overhead fixture? ---
**Author:** ![flight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbce88/32.png) [@flight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flight)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2006, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/7 "2006-06-16T21:05:33Z")
[QUOTE=kaylasdad99] Why would you not believe it? It’s a simple matter of thermodynamics, and the laws don’t change based on why the door was opened. Welcome to the Dope, by the way, and mad props to you for linking to the column in question. [/QUOTE] Whoosh, he means that if there is nothing in the fridge there is no reason to open it. Therefore it gets opened less and you use up less energy. Good job **RiledRifler** , not many people manage to both format correctly and whoosh somebody on their first post. ---
**Author:** ![saoirse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@saoirse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/saoirse)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/8 "2006-06-17T04:07:48Z")
Because I know there’s one more beer from that case. ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/9 "2006-06-17T04:24:43Z")
[QUOTE=Elmo409] Leaving the door open – yes it matters, but once you’ve opened it the damage is done. All that cold air sunk down to the floor and cooled your toes about as quick as you opened the door, so you might as well hang out and look for that New York Style Pizza that you put in there in 1973 instead of settling for something that hasn’t been properly aged. [/QUOTE] I think you’re partially correct, but then you’ll also get into warm air starting to heat the items in the fridge, and the fridge motor running constantly to try to cool the air and not being able to since warm air will continually be mixing in. I reckon you’ll even get some radiation from the room into the fridge as well. ---
**Author:** ![flodnak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/838e76/32.png) [@flodnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flodnak)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2006, 8:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/does-a-refrigerator-cool-more-efficiently-when-full/360908/10 "2006-06-17T08:38:25Z")
[QUOTE=RiledRifler] Why would anyone be opening the door on an empty fridge? [/QUOTE] To see if the Grocery Fairies have magically restocked it since the last time it was opened, of course.