Whirlpool has weighed in on the issue of loading your fridge with magnets
There are numerous urban myths circulating in society but it appears there could be some validity to one widely-held belief – and it’s probably not for the reasons you might expect.
Placing a substantial number of fridge magnets on your refrigerator could have a damaging effect on your bills, according to appliance manufacturer Whirlpool.
The firm explained the genuine worry isn’t the magnets’ influence on power consumption, but rather the potential damage to your fridge’s door.
According to the website CMU, a spokesperson from Whirlpool stated that when too many magnets are crammed on, the additional weight could strain the door hinges, potentially reducing the appliance’s lifespan.
It’s comparable to the issue of people attaching padlocks to bridges, reports the Express.
One “lovelock” isn’t a problem, but several thousand can add tonnes of weight to the structure and potentially create difficulties.
A spokesperson from Whirlpool said: “If you only use a few magnets, you shouldn’t expect the refrigerator to operate poorly. The only downside might be some scratches on the surface.”
However, it was noted if the magnets accumulate, the risks of mechanical damage rise due to the excessive weight placing pressure on the fridge’s structure.
Nevertheless, not all companies share Whirlpool’s view and tackled the issue from different perspectives.
Several other organisations didn’t perceive any problem with fridge magnets affecting a refrigerator’s surface or expenses. Energy firm Endesa has labelled this notion as “completely false”, further explaining that magnets are “so insignificant to the refrigerator’s operation that their magnetic fields don’t even penetrate the fridge doors.”
The Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) also supported this view, stating that although magnetic fields can interact with electrical currents, the magnets on fridges are too weak to affect energy consumption, regardless of how many you have.
Tech titan LG stated: “Magnets on the outside of a refrigerator have no impact on energy use, lifespan, or food preservation. This is simply a myth.”
While fridge magnets won’t secretly ramp up your utility bills, it’s still wise to check how many you have on yours and whether the extra weight is straining your hinges.