Looking for a freezer/fridge alarm

[jo-jo]

We went for a fudgesicle, it was very soft. Thought the door was open a crack, not enough to set off the alarm but enough to let in warm air. Check three hours later, still soft. un oh.....11 at night , I'm googling and moving fridge to get to the back. Little dusty on the back but not awful. Fridge/freezer seems ok this morning.

Now I'm looking at alarms. One with a phone alert would be nice. Any suggestions?

 

[Stratman50th]

If you just want to know if it's shutting off but cutting back on, like if you were on vacation, a little trick would be to freeze a small cup of water and set a quarter on top. If you return and the quarter is frozen at the bottom of the cup you know there was a thaw and refreeze. Probably should throw out the perishables. It obviously doesn't come with phone alerts but you can always open the door and look in.

 

[jo-jo]

If you just want to know if it's shutting off but cutting back on, like if you were on vacation, a little trick would be to freeze a small cup of water and set a quarter on top. If you return and the quarter is frozen at the bottom of the cup you know there was a thaw and refreeze. Probably should throw out the perishables. It obviously doesn't come with phone alerts but you can always open the door and look in.

I do put a stack of ice cubes in a tall cup method.

Yesterday we were home, had no idea the freezer wasn't cooling properly. Looking for something that will beep when freezer goes about 2 degrees for example. But if it worked with the phone, and we are away, we can say "Hey DS , my phone is saying problem with freezer, could you run over and check it out".

 

[NotUrsula]

I've never used one, but Temp Stick gets pretty good reviews, and I know of some lab groups that use them to protect tissue specimens. About $150. https://www.amazon.com/Ideal-Sciences-Temperature-Monitoring-Historical/dp/B07SG7BPM3

We have a chest freezer, and one of the stealth situations that often causes problems with it is that plastic freezer bags used to contain foods sometimes end up draped over the seal when it gets closed. That creates a very tiny air passage and causes ice buildup, so I've really started riding my family about making sure that all plastic is tucked down away from the gasket when they shut the lid.

Our French-door fridge has issues with not sealing really well sometimes, so I tie the door handles when we go out of town. Part of the problem is caused by vibration from the ice dispenser, which feeds through the fridge door, so I also shut off the icemaker when we travel.

 

[barkley]

We have a chest freezer, and one of the stealth situations that often causes problems with it is that plastic freezer bags used to contain foods sometimes end up draped over the seal when it gets closed. That creates a very tiny air passage and causes ice buildup, so I've really started riding my family about making sure that all plastic is tucked down away from the gasket when they shut the lid.

the other issue i've seen is when we bring home stuff from the store and it gets shoved in without us paying attention to make sure the stuff in the back is'nt pushing against the vents. if the vents get blocked then the air isn't circulating and it can not only cause the temp to rise but also kill the fan (or greatly shorten it's life span).

 

[DLgal]

Yep, as mentioned it is crucial to keep the vents clear. In addition, try to maintain about an inch of space between the freezer walls and the food packages. Don't let them get shoved up against the sides and back. You need air to circulate freely.