Dangerous Fridge?

[Scarlett]

I have A small tabletop fridge with a little icebox that doesn’t actually freeze much.

I’ve noticed that the sides of the fridge are really hot – I know it’s a hot day, and it’s obviously struggling, but is this dangerous? There is a bit of ice collected around the icebox, but not a massive amount. I would normally defrost it, but because of my back I can’t actually sit down and do it!

[Buenchico]

Is it humming (as one would normally expect a fridge to be, at least intermittently) or is it silent? If it's constantly silent, the compressor fan has packed up, which would account for it trying to lose heat via its side panels.

Are the vents all fully unobstructed and free from excessive dust build-up? If not, the compressor fan will be struggling to do its job.

[douglas9401]

"You may notice that the outside of your fridge feels warm. This is normal and is caused by the heat dissipated from the refrigeration process.21 Jul 2022"

Samsung.

[Buenchico]

^^^ There's a difference though, Douglas, between "warm" (as mentioned by Samsung and, indeed, by every other fridge manufacturer too) and "very hot" (as mentioned in the question)

[douglas9401]

If one expected something to be cold and it was quite warm one might describe it as hot I suppose.

Any fridge I've ever owned has had hotspots on the sides.

[Scarlett]

It was surprisingly hot. Rather like a radiator – I had to take my hand off it because it was too hot. I turned it down on the dial, and it powered it self off, so I assume it was running up until that point! The sides are now cold.

Maybe it’s just struggling to operate in the extreme heat ?

[douglas9401]

It'll be fine.

[naomi24]

I wouldn’t be happy with that. Call the manufacturers ad ask their advice.

[FatticusInch]

…..or just act like a normal human being and use common senses(contradiction in terms for most) combined with gut instinct.
They’re usually the best fail-safes.