How cold should the fridge be?
- Thread starter Puesta del sol
- Start date
FDA says a fridge should be 40 or lower to retard mold growth, most beers are best at 35 to 45, I stick mine in the freezer so the bottles come out icey.
I like 35-40. Over 40 is bad for the food. Under 35 and some things have a freeze risk. We use a 12V fan duct to bring cold air from the bottom and blow it across the top to attempt to keep the temperature even.
57F is not adequate. Even a Peltier element cooler should be able to better that in 95F weather. First make sure the coils are clean, second make sure the air flow is not obstructed. Check that the thermostat is appropriately set and that you allow for a pre-cool routine. If it still is not cooling then you may be low on Freon. QA refrigerator low on Freon or with an obstructed air flow tends to ice up the coils interrupting the cooling cycle.
jssailem
SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
- Oct 22, 2014
- 23,404
I found you also need to be sure the door and the seal are closed. I had an issue where the door looked closed but a food box was pushing the bottom corner open and chilled air was leaking out. Once I solved that issue my unit has worked as advertised.
Funny you should ask since I just started checking mine with a fridge thermometer. Cycles between 40 and 50 deg F near the mid-depth, a bit less than 40 near the bottom, when not turned down all the way.
That is why a fan to circulate the air inside the refrigerator is recommended. Most RV accessory places carry them. I have also used one of those wireless outside temperature sensors to monitor the temperature inside the refrigerator.
We have a different system-the admiral loads the bottom of the fridge w/ the most perishable of the items--e.g, raw meats some dairy products, and certain veggies--nearer the top goes other, less perishable stuff, like "precooked" items, left overs, other veggies and some fruits--basically a whole tried and true layered system, each layer in its own bag, over the (narrow) range of fridge temps. Beer gets a place down low.
Dam I went to the boat this afternoon and the spillover hole was iced up. The frig temp was 47 and the coffee creamer spoiled :-(
I use a product known as "Irish Cream", The Irish have invented a method to preserve cream with alcohol so no refrigeration is required and it would last a long time if the bottles were bigger.
