Fridge temperature fluctuation

B0bbyEwing

I got a fridge thermometer & story short noticed that items were freezing in our fridge if sat too close to the back of it. Thermometer backed this up & said freezing.

Turned the dial a little & it went to 10c. Turned it back & it settled to about 4c - happy days. Except the next day it was minus again. Basically it seems to be jumping from very low like -2 to -4 up to 4c-7c.

Is there a location you're supposed to put these thermometers? Such as top shelf, bottom shelf, middle, front, back etc.

Not sure why the thing is jumping around. So fridges 'power down' & kick in again, similar to say leaving your phone on charge where it wont just keep giving charge all the time once it's at capacity?

Albermarle

The back of the fridge is where the freezing elements are, so best not to put items right up against it.

To measure the temperature I would just plave the thermometer in the middle of the middle shelf, where it should be around 4 degrees. The lower shelf should be one or two degrees cooler, and the top shelf one or two degrees warmer.

chrisw

It's difficult to accurately measure the air temperature of a fridge as opening the door lets the air in/out depending on how full it is.
A better method is to put a thermometer in a glass of water to measure the actual food temperature. Adjusting it to get it right is likely to take days or even weeks. But different areas of the fridge will always have different temperatures.

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82111921#Comment_82111921

It would seem to have an oversensitive thermostat !

Plus I think even on a low setting a fridge should not get to 10 degrees.

FreeBear

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82111994#Comment_82111994

I've used a wireless sensor (DG-R8H) to record the temperature & humidity in my wine cellar (fridge) - Worked quite well, and I even had one in the freezer for a while. The wine cellar is now fitted with a PID temperature controller with a wired sensor inside. The cable is quite thin, so just runs through the door seal. Maintains a steady 14°C which is perfect for my port collection.

Bigphil1474

We had a Hoover fridge freezer that had a temperature differential of nearly 6c between top and bottom of the fridge (from new). We ended up putting less perishable stuff at the top where it was warmest around 7c (eggs, jam, sauces etc.), and drinks at the bottom where it was just above freezing. Everything else in the middle. We used a meat probe with a long cable on it to measure as you can close the door while you leave the thermometer to settle.

MyRealNameToo

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6680680/fridge-temperature-fluctuation

All heating and cooling devices osculate in temperature, an oven set to 200C will heat up to 210C then let it cool to 190C and then turn the element back on to bring it back to 210C. One of the "features" of more expensive models is typically these osculations are over a much smaller range giving a more consistent temp and hopefully therefore more consistent results.

Fridges do the same but have the dual issues of being a much larger volume and typically not having fans to circulate the air. The cooling element is typically at the back so it cools the immediate air which becomes denser so sinks to the bottom of the device so not only is the fridge osculating ±3C but you have zone differences. Plus when you open the door the cold air falls out the bottom.

Most would put the thermometer in the middle of the middle and put those more perishable items lower in the fridge where its colder and less sensitive items at the top where its warmer

Albermarle

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/82113811#Comment_82113811

Normally anyway it is advised to put less perishable stuff on the top and middle shelves, such as cheese, cooked meats, ready meals, yoghurts, milk etc. whilst even less perishable stuff like sauces , jam, eggs etc can go in the door sections.

The bottom shelf is best for raw meat, chicken, fish etc.

For drinks, it depends how cold you like them I guess.

Bigphil1474

The only problem with putting raw meat at the bottom is that it can be slow to defrost or can refreeze if the temp is too low. We tended to wrap raw meat well and use the middle shelf, although we are a 2 fridge house these days.