Re: New Fridge - setting up monitoring

["Robert Green" <robert_green1963@xxxxxxxxx>]

"Nonnymus" <nobody@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:bdSdnWFc75J6f8TRnZ2dnUVZ_q6dnZ2d@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
>
>
> "Robert Green" <robert_green1963@xxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
> news:i3blc9$3pu$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> > Just got a new fridge, and I thought I would try monitoring operating
> > parameters with my home automation system.  I 've got sensors for kWhs
> > used,
> > ambient room temperature, freezer and refrigerator temps and the
> > temperature
> > of a sensor on the back of the unit.  I was hoping this should give me
> > enough of a baseline to be able to detect "out of whack" conditions
before
> > they show up in a puddle on the floor or a failure to cool.
> >
>
> We once had a cabin up on a mountain.  On occasion, the power would go out
> and the refrigerator would let food thaw.  When power returned, the only
> clue would be misshapen packages or a scent, so I wanted a sure-fire way
to
> know not if there was a power failure, but whether a failure had affected
> the freezer and refrigerator contents.
>
> The solution was inexpensive:  a high/low thermometer from Radio Shack.
> When we'd go to the cabin, I'd simply look at the high temp and instantly
> know if the power had been off and if damage had been done.

A while back I bought a nice magnetic fridge thermo that Bob Bass found on
the net that has an RF sender for the freezer and refrigerator compartments
and high and low alarm settings.  That's what got me started on automating
the temperature (and other) readings.

I wanted the home automation system to call me if the conditions indicated a
power or mechanical failure in the fridge.  You can get one hell of a
stomach-ache eating refrozen food if it's sat out long enough.  As you point
out, sometimes the clues that refreezing has occurred can be mighty subtle.
Tupperware containers don't get misshapen.  I always leave something in a
cardboard container on edge in the freezer to make it obvious that a
meltdown has occurred.

Speaking of which, once upon a time, when I did photography as a side line,
I was doing a food shoot of a Thanksgiving dinner.  The turkey had been out
under the lights for about 4 hours and then we put it back in the fridge in
case we had to do a re-shoot.  Well, the guys we shared the studio with saw
the turkey in the fridge a week later and made turkey sandwhiches.  That was
the first time I had ever seen someone turn green (right before the sluices
opened at both ends of their alimentary canals).

You can't be too careful with your food storage these days, especially with
all the recalls and salmonella poisonings.

Thanks for your input!

--
Bobby G.