Fizz
Ottawa, Canada
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Joined: 07/28/2003
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skipnchar wrote:Sounds like a nice trick but I"ll just look at the thermometer 
Ice cubes are free and reliable.
We use to go to the cottage only on weekends. It's deep in the woods with frequent outages due to storms. Once in a while the ice cube would be half melted, enough to toss the meat. We learned not to stock the freezer. A minor inconvenience but we never got sick from eating tainted meat. Actually it hurt more to toss out the ice cream.
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Homer
Northwest Ohio
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Joined: 11/23/2000
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Personally I appreciate this little bit of information and tip. I must admit I have been camping for 45 years and never thought of any of these. I check my freezer daily, but sometimes I will go on a trip,(away from RV), and be gone a day or two, it could happen and I would not know it. Thanks to all for the smart pill.
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Dutch_12078
Great Sacandaga Lake, NY
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Joined: 10/07/2008
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ShapeShifter wrote:skipnchar wrote:Sounds like a nice trick but I"ll just look at the thermometer
Does that thermometer track the highest temperature seen? Or are you planning on watching it 24 / 7 / 365?
The point is to know if the freezer warmed up while you weren't watching.
Our Chaney fridge/freezer thermometer records the highs and lows, as well as sounding an alarm if the setpoints are exceeded...
Dutch
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Deus Ex Machina
Central New Jersey
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Joined: 09/25/2009
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Dutch_12078 wrote:ShapeShifter wrote:skipnchar wrote:Sounds like a nice trick but I"ll just look at the thermometer
Does that thermometer track the highest temperature seen? Or are you planning on watching it 24 / 7 / 365?
The point is to know if the freezer warmed up while you weren't watching.
Our Chaney fridge/freezer thermometer records the highs and lows, as well as sounding an alarm if the setpoints are exceeded...
Dutch
My 3 channel Radio Shack thermometer does the same. I put one remote unit outside, and one is mounted in the fridge. It records high and low temp extremes.
HOWEVER...
It doesn't tell you HOW LONG the high temp lasted for. Could be 1/2 hour, could be two days, could be a week. 
So...
As much of a techno geek as I am, I will admit than NO thermometer, no matter how sophisticated, can replace something as simple as a penny/marble on an ice cube, or ice cubes in a ziplock bag. It deoesn't "reset" once the fridge starts working again, and you KNOW it's been warm long enough to cause food spoilage.
If the penny/marble on the ice cube strikes you as too crude, there are little stick-on labels used in commecial shipping of perishable good that will turn red if the overall temp has been high enough over time to cause spoilage.
Do I use the peeny/marble method? No, I never have food in my RV fridge except for when I am camping, and the temp gets checked regularly (several times a day). In other long term cases, the penny method, or commercial temp sensing labels is the best.
Paul
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Dutch_12078
Great Sacandaga Lake, NY
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Deus Ex Machina wrote:Dutch_12078 wrote:ShapeShifter wrote:skipnchar wrote:Sounds like a nice trick but I"ll just look at the thermometer
Does that thermometer track the highest temperature seen? Or are you planning on watching it 24 / 7 / 365?
The point is to know if the freezer warmed up while you weren't watching.
Our Chaney fridge/freezer thermometer records the highs and lows, as well as sounding an alarm if the setpoints are exceeded...
Dutch
My 3 channel Radio Shack thermometer does the same. I put one remote unit outside, and one is mounted in the fridge. It records high and low temp extremes.
HOWEVER...
It doesn't tell you HOW LONG the high temp lasted for. Could be 1/2 hour, could be two days, could be a week.
So...
As much of a techno geek as I am, I will admit than NO thermometer, no matter how sophisticated, can replace something as simple as a penny/marble on an ice cube, or ice cubes in a ziplock bag. It deoesn't "reset" once the fridge starts working again, and you KNOW it's been warm long enough to cause food spoilage.
I agree, although the alarm on my Chaney thermometer doesn't reset either once it's been tripped. I don't know how long the batteries would last with the alarm sounding, but I'd expect it to be several hours at least.
Dutch
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PackerBacker
Home is Montreal Qc & Seasonal is NY Adirondacks
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Joined: 08/22/2002
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Well I leave our's on 'Auto' so if we lose 110v it rolls over to propane. We also have an ice maker and usually has cubes in the bin below it, so if everything went out I guess we'd have one big cube or a container of water.
Eric
2009 Holiday Rambler Admiral 33SFS (34' 3")
2008 Jeep Liberty - North Edition
FQCC/Camping Quebec, KOA, Good Sam, Coach-Net
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crickeydog
Marietta, Ga.
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Joined: 01/29/2004
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DutchmenSport wrote:Ah! so the food melts and spoils and gets bacteria and mold, then refreezes, has freezer burn, and that white frost all over it .... oh geee..... this is making me really hungry! .........
Well now that this poor dead horse has been beaten back to life, I certainly didn't mean to spark an international debate over the issue of "melted ice cubes". I simply wanted to pass along a tip I discovered not everyone knew anything about. As painfully evidenced in the post by "DutchmanSport".
Happy camping!!! See ya'll down the road!!!
USAF RETIRED
2006 GMC 3500 CC DRW D/A LBZ 4X4 SLT,4" BANKS,PREDATOR, VOLANT CAI, FS-2500, AIRDOG, SHIFT KIT.
1997 FORD F-350 CC DRW 7.3 XLT, STOCK.
2004 HR PRES 30SCD
CHEROKEE & CHEYENNE DOXIE'S.
LOADED LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN, FLYIN LIKE A JET PLANE.
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TexasH
Katy, TX
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Joined: 02/24/2006
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My home fridge has a built in indicator. If the power goes out, the ice in the icemaker melts and slowly leaks out past the seal onto the floor. You know the power was off when you get the bill for the new kitchen floor!!!
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eastern shore girl
eastern shore of Maryland
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Joined: 10/30/2008
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I never would have thought of this. Great tip! Easy and cheap.
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Gadget Guy
Whitefish/Calgary
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Joined: 02/18/2007
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If you need do this trick in an RV freezer compartment, you are definitely going to long between adult refreshments!
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