How to build a refrigerator in RimWorld: a complete guide from foundation to freezing

Storing food in RimWorld - one of the key survival mechanics, and without properly organized refrigerator your colony risks being left without food by the first winter. Unlike real refrigerators, in the game this is not a ready-made device, but engineering design, which needs to be designed taking into account the climate, available resources and even the psychology of the colonists. Beginners are often confused by the lack of a “build a refrigerator” button - instead the game offers modular approach: a combination of walls, coolers and storage areas.

In this article Let's look at it all stages —from choosing the optimal location to automating the temperature regime. You'll learn how to avoid common mistakes (for example, why storing meat next to a cooler without insulation leads to spoilage 3 times faster), what materials save energy, and how to make sure that colonists don't spend half a day looking for food. And at the end - an FAQ with answers to the most frequently asked questions from players, including tricks for extreme biomes like an icy desert or jungle.

Spoiler: a properly built refrigerator not only preserves food, but also increases the mood of the colonists (nobody likes rotten cabbage) and saves resources - up to 40% of electricity compared to “chaotic” storage. Let's start with the basics.

1. Where to build a refrigerator: choice of location and layout

The location of the refrigerator determines half its efficiency. The main rule: avoid open spaces and areas with sudden temperature changes. Ideal options:

• 🏠 Inside a mountain complex —natural insulation from heat and cold, minimal cooling costs.
• 🌡️ Underground (2-3 levels deep) —temperature stable all year round, but requires ventilation.
• 🏗️ Annex to living quarters - convenient for colonists, but additional thermal insulation of the walls is needed.

Avoid placing next to forges, stoves or generators —even one wall adjacent to a heat source can increase the internal temperature by 10–15°C. In biomes with extreme climates (for example ice desert or volcanic terrain) it is better to build a refrigerator in the center of the baseaway from external walls.

Optimal size: a room is enough for a colony of 5-8 people 5×5 cells. If you plan to store animal meat or large stocks for the winter, increase to 7×7. Don't forget about passages for colonists (at least 1 cell wide) and space for coolers.

2. Materials for walls: what to choose for maximum insulation

The walls of the refrigerator should slow down heat transfer with the external environment. Each material has a hidden parameter (the lower it is, the better). The best options: RimWorld each material has a hidden parameter thermal conductivity (the lower it is, the better). Best options:

For most biomes is optimal granite or sandstone. In hot regions (for example desert) you can combine: an outer layer of granite, an internal layer of wood (cheaper and faster to build). Never use steel for the walls of a refrigerator - it conducts heat almost like an open space.

⚠️ Attention: In game versions older than 1.4, the thermal conductivity of materials could differ. If you are playing on a mod assembly, check the current values ​​in Dev Mode → Materials.

3. Cooling: how to keep the temperature below 0°C

The heart of the refrigerator is cooler (Cooler). Its task is to maintain the temperature at -10°C…0°C (optimal for meat and vegetables). Installation rules:

• 🔌 One cooler effective for the room 5×5. For large rooms, additional ones are needed.
• ❄️ Place the cooler near the ceiling —cold air falls down, filling the space evenly.
• 🔋 Connect to a separate power supply with batteries: when the lights are turned off, the temperature will rise in 2-3 hours.

Temperature setting:

1. Build a cooler and connect to the network.
2. Select it and in the menu Temperature set the target temperature (for example, -5°C).
3. Activate the mode Cool (cooling).

Condensation problem: If water accumulates in the refrigerator, check:

• Is warm air getting in through the cracks (for example, unclosed doors).
• Is the cooler located too close to the products (minimum 1 space indentation).

The cooler is connected to the network with backup batteries|

The temperature is set to -5°C...0°C|

There are no heat sources in the room (torches, stoves)|

Doors are closed and insulated-->

4. Doors and ventilation: how to avoid cold leaks

Doors are the weakest point in insulation. Ordinary wooden doors allow up to 30% of the cold to pass through, so they need to be replaced or modified:

• 🚪 Automatic doors (Autodoor) - open only when a colonist approaches, minimizing losses.
• 🔒 Double doors with a vestibule — leave an empty cage between two doors (the “air cushion” effect).
• ☠️ Prohibition for animals — in the zone settings (Zone → Restrict) check the box Animalsso that they do not carried cold air.

Ventilation is needed only if there is a refrigerator Completely sealed (for example, in a mountain without natural air exchange). In this case, install Ventilation unit (Vent) and connect it to the external wall. Do not direct ventilation directly to the cooler —this will negate its work.

Critical error: using open passages instead doors. In this case, the temperature in the refrigerator will coincide with the outside temperature within 10–15 minutes.

5. Organization of storage: zones, racks and priorities

To prevent colonists from throwing food anywhere, you need to set up storage zones:

1. Build racks (Shelf) or refrigeration chambers (Cooling Unit - requires research).
2. Select the racks and in the menu Storage set priority (for example, Critical for meat).
3. In the zone settings (Zone → Stockpile), check the product types:
   • 🍖 Meat (meat)
   • 🥕 Vegetables (vegetables)
   • 🥚 Eggs (eggs)
   • 🍯 Prepared Meals (ready food)

Optimization advice: Divide the refrigerator into two zones:

• Basic (temperature -5°C) - for meat and perishable foods.
• Auxiliary (temperature +2°C…+5°C) - for vegetables and eggs (they spoil more slowly).

This will reduce the load on coolers and save energy.

What will happen if you do not set priorities storage?

The colonists will begin to drag food from the refrigerator into random piles throughout the base, and the meat will rot 2-3 times faster due to the constant opening of doors.

6. Automation and control: sensors, schedules, mods

To avoid monitoring the refrigerator manually, use:

• 📊 Temperature sensor (Thermostat) - connect it to the cooler to automatically maintain the set mode.
• ⏰ Schedule of the cooler - in hot biomes turn it on only at night (when the temperature outside drops).
• 🤖 Mods for convenience:
  • Dub's Bad Hygiene - adds realistic food spoilage.
  • Vanilla Factions Expanded: Mechanoids - new types of coolers.
  • Simple Sidearms - allows assign colonists “responsible” for the refrigerator.

Advanced trick: If you play on high difficulties, set backup cooler to a separate switch. When there is a power outage, the colonist manually activates it until the main one is repaired.

⚠️ Attention: In multi-user servers (mod Multiplayer), the temperature sensor settings can be reset after a restart. Check them after each entry into the game.

7. Typical mistakes and how to avoid them

Even experienced players sometimes make mistakes that lead to food spoilage or excessive energy consumption. Let's look at the top 5 problems:

1. The cooler works constantly → Solution: Install a temperature sensor and set threshold values (for example, turn on when -3°C, turn off when -8°C).
2. Meat spoils despite low temperatures → Solution: Check that it is not lying on the floor (racks are needed) and that there is no light from torches.
3. Colonists ignore the refrigerator → Solution: Assign a storage area with maximum priority (Critical) and check the access paths.
4. Accumulation in the refrigerator water → Solution: Install a drainage pump (Water Pump) in the corner of the room.
5. Cooler can't handle the heat → Solution: Add a second cooler or increase wall insulation (for example, double layer of granite).

If the problem is saved, use Dev Mode (key ~) to check the temperature map (Show Temperature). Red zones are heat sources, blue zones are cold areas.

8. Refrigerator for extreme biomes: desert, ice, volcano

In some biomes, standard solutions do not work. data-i="258">Desert: specific tips:

• 🌵 Desert:
  • Build a refrigerator underground at a depth of 3+ levels.
  • Use solar panels to power coolers (during the day they work at maximum).
  • Replace the doors with automatic airlocks (mod Doors Expanded).
• ❄️ Ice desert:
  • Coolers are not needed - enough of the isolated room with the temperature -20°C.
  • Problem: products can freeze (become inedible). Solution - heater (Heater) at minimum power.
• 🌋 Volcanic terrain:
  • Walls should be made of uranium ore or plastic (low thermal conductivity).
  • Install coolers twice as muchthan usual.
  • Use water cooling (mod Vanilla Expanded: Power).

In the jungle, the main problem is humidity. To prevent mold on food, install dehumidifier (mod Dub's Bad Hygiene) or ventilate the refrigerator more often (opening the doors for 5-10 minutes once a day).

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about refrigerators in RimWorld

🔹 How to quickly cool a refrigerator after construction?

Use a temporary "booster": place it next to the cooler 2-3 ice sculptures (Ice Sculpture). and after stabilization, return to -20°C, and after stabilization, return to -5°C.

🔹 Why don’t the colonists put food in the refrigerator?

Check:

1. Do they have access to the storage area (not blocked Is there a way).
2. Is food assigned to Forbidden (prohibited for a specific colonist).
3. Are the shelves overcrowded (increase the limit in the zone settings).

🔹 Yes Is it possible to use a refrigerator to store bodies?

Technically yes, but:

• Corpses do not spoil at temperatures below 0°C.
• However, they take up space and lower mood colonists (-3 for "storing the dead").
• It is better to select a separate morgue with a cooler and set the zone to Corpses.

🔹 How much electricity does the cooler consume?

One cooler consumes 100 W in active mode. For a room 5×5 with temperature -5°C in a moderate biome it works approximately 60% of the time, that is, ~144 W/h per day. In the desert, consumption can increase to 200–250 W/h.

🔹 How to preserve food without electricity?

Options for emergency situations:

• 🏔️ Mountain caves —natural temperature +2…+5°C.
• ❄️ Ice blocks —build them into the walls of a temporary refrigerator.
• 🌑 Night cooling - open the refrigerator doors at night (in the desert the temperature drops to +10°C).
• 🧊 Snow - fill the drawers with it (mod Snow Storage).