Fridge Settings and Temperatures

[Perfectos]

Most of the stuff was cold, apart from a 2l bottle of tap water. Went down to around 8-10degC after a while, but I’ve ordered a Bluetooth logger and have it booked into the garage on Monday just before the warranty expires just in case!

I have no experience of a CaliO fridge, but :
Have you checked the gasket seal is not damaged / sealing correctly?

Poor seal = poor cooling/ uneven cooling / warm spots

 

[thehorse]

The seal looks fine, there is a fair bit of stuff in the fridge, but it’s been on all day at max. It definitely struggles more when there is more in it and there are much bigger temperature differentials depending on where you measure, than when it’s empty.

I think it would benefit putting some racking in against the back and bottom to allow the cold air to circulate better. The BD35 compressor and controller used in the Cali is also setup to use a cooling fan. I might try connecting a 12V fan to the output of the controller to see if it improves things. It gets pretty hot in this weather and ideally it should have some airflow to work efficiently.

 

[WelshGas]

Ok, these are helpful numbers to compare mine with. Because it's good to benchmark against them. So set at 4 (or 5) the temperatures measured in the middle of the fridge stay between the 4 and 6 degrees celcius? Or how do you define 'acceptable range'?

mine oscillates between -1 to +3c. so cans go at the bottom salad stuff at the top. Stuff that doesn't matter or want colder goes at the back.

 

[willwander]

Here it is, the one you've all been waiting for... Lol
Test with a full fridge on Level 5
- Fridge was off to start with
- Stuff in fridge was not pre-chilled


Reach
It took 7hrs and 20 mins to go from 29.6 degrees (scorchio!) to 9.2 degrees

Maintain
Fridge then began to cycle,
And temp continued to slowly drop a little on each cycle.
This continued for another 7ish hours until reaching 7.7 degrees
Then continued to cycle between 8 and 9 degrees, which is pretty much where it was when empty.

One more thing...
I've been measuring roughly half way up the basket.
I also measured at the bottom at the back it was -0.3 degrees, almost 10 degree difference !

 

[Calimili]

I do monitor my fridge temperatures. 4 or 5 keep the temperature measured in the centre of the fridge in an acceptable range. Level 6 or Max freezes everything, except the Gin, even stuff against the front wall, as far from the heat exchanger coil as you can get. Coke cans explode.

Have you made any modifications to the fridge? Do you get the same results with say 18°C and 30°C ? Your fridge seems to work pretty well , as results from several tests seems to be worse than yours. On 4 i also don' t get to 7°C measured at the rack, more like 10°C. But the back wall freezes..

 

[WelshGas]

Have you made any modifications to the fridge? Do you get the same results with say 18°C and 30°C ? Your fridge seems to work pretty well , as results from several tests seems to be worse than yours. On 4 i also don' t get to 7°C measured at the rack, more like 10°C. But the back wall freezes..

No modifications. Basket on R side. The Temperature sensor shouldn’t be blocked by anything. My Digital temperature probe is clipped to the L side of the basket such that it is central.
I use Level 4 in the cooler months and Level 5 otherwise.

 

[Benh76]

One more thing...
I've been measuring roughly half way up the basket.
I also measured at the bottom at the back it was -0.3 degrees, almost 10 degree difference !

Great bit of work Willwander! Amazed at the difference from basket to back of the fridge wall. Clearly the Cali fridge does struggle to cool the whole box evenly.

I have seen a lot of people recommend using spacers in the fridge to encourage circulation. So it would be great to see a similar test on level 5 with spacers and see if it cools a loaded fridge more evenly !?

 

[ThomasHJ]

Finished my own first testing-round. No lab-conditions of course and many variables not taken into account, but here are the results. First some basic information:

- I used a bluetooth thermometer inside the fridge. Placed halfway down the front wall (the wall opposite the cooling element).
- The fridge stayed closed for the entire duration of the experiment
- Fridge was completely empty
- Fridge set to 'Max'
- Van not on EHU
- Van parked in the sun
- Fridge started 'off' (temp. inside the van was 32 degrees C)
- Started at 19:30 on the 24th
- Ended at 18:17 on the 25th
- The final, steep increase in teh graph is -after- I turned the fridge off

Today (28C) and yesterday (32C) were hot days, but nothing you won't encounter on a daily basis during a summer holiday in say France, Spain, Italy or Portugal. The van was placed in the sun and kept closed. Again, not an uncommon situation during camping.

So, what have I learned?

Assuming that 4 - 6 degrees c is the ideal temperature for storing food in a fridge, it's interesting to see that it took the fridge about 2.5 hours to reach 4c. So, if I had gone camping, I ought to have turned the fridge on at least 2.5 hours before placing food inside. The temperature inside the fridge never went below -1c. After having had sufficient time to cool down (to 4c and eventually to -1c), it started warming up again in the morning, around 08:30. The temperature inside the fridge never got above 8c ( with an outside temperature of approximately 28c).

So, it seems my food isn't really 'safe' in the fridge set to 'Max. At least, not when you want to store it between 4-6c. And that's at 32c, which will surely not be the hottest outside temperature we will ever encounter when travelling in the van.

Now, many of us, inc. myself have had stuff get frozen in the fridge. Some of us, inc. myself have made or stored ice cubes in the fridge. I have had beer, juice and salmon filets freeze on several occasions. I often start the fridge at 'Max' to later turn it down to '4'. I'm sure that further tests will show that the temperatures against the back wall are much lower. But for now, I'm not really happy with the results. Because it seems that it's fairly possible that at least in part of the fridge, the 4-6c is not reached.

Planning on doing more amateur testing. Against the back wall first and later also in the middle of the fridge. At first with an empty fridge, again set at 'Max'. Later on also at setting '4' (the setting most recommended on the forums). And eventually, if I don't get bored, with a filled fridge. In the comming days the weather turns bad, so will have to wait to at least recreate the same circumstances a bit.

 

[thehorse]

Thanks ThomasHJ, my Bluetooth thermometer arrives tomorrow. So will do also do some testing. Unfortunately from the brief tests I’ve done it seems the situation is worse when loaded up with food which is the real world use for the fridge. I think it would be interesting to try popping the circular inspection trim off at the bottom of the cupboard to allow some airflow over the element which gets quite hot. If you blocked off the cooling element at the back of your household fridge I doubt that would work very well either.

 

[Wesel]

...
... So, if I had gone camping, I ought to have turned the fridge on at least 2.5 hours before placing food inside. ...
[/QUOTE]
No. The empty fridge will not have accumulated enough cold. The air does not accumulate much cold.
What is fundamental is to place food which has already been cooled at home.
Empty recordings are not at all representative of what is actually happening.

 

[ThomasHJ]

@Wesel sure, you have a point, although I honestly doubt that a full fridge will make things better. Probably worse. So probably more than 2.5 hours. Perhaps if I fill it with frozen stuff only, but how representative of a real life situation is that?

The empty recording is a starting point, which allows for comparison. Benchmark.

 

[willwander]

Been reading a bit, fridges are actually quite interesting, Lol.
The first vapor-compressor fridge was invented in 1834 but did not become popular until the 1950's.
Since then the technology has remained basically the same.

Rising demand for refrigeration and air conditioning mean the world now use more energy cooling things than heating, addressing this issue could be one of the biggest factors in solving climate change. Freon, the gas used in most fridges also destroys the ozone layer.

Many people have tried to improve the fridge, even Albert Einstein patented one !
Turns out if you could improve the efficiency of the fridge you will solve global warming, save the planet and become a billionaire.

Anyway, I have a few ideas

 

[Camperfamily]

Happy World Refrigeration Day.

And no, I’m not kidding:

World Refrigeration Day - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

 

[ArunAlec]

Happy World Refrigeration Day.

And no, I’m not kidding:

World Refrigeration Day - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

All down to Bournemouth to celebrate then? Maybe not.

 

[ArunAlec]

@Wesel sure, you have a point, although I honestly doubt that a full fridge will make things better. Probably worse. So probably more than 2.5 hours. Perhaps if I fill it with frozen stuff only, but how representative of a real life situation is that?

The empty recording is a starting point, which allows for comparison. Benchmark.

I reckon it needs a lot more than 2.5 hours to get to a working temperature. Although temperature wise this week is a bit extreme... I have half loaded the fridge with room temperature cans of beer and set to “6” at Midday, ambient temp 37. It’s taken 24hours to drop the fridge temperature from 30 down to 1.8. Obviously there are a number of variables. I tend to load the fridge with food and drink that’s been kept in the house fridge so that helps In normal condition.

 

[Mr T]

I’ve loved following these posts really interesting, thank you all.
One thought, could you put your temperature gadget in your house kitchen fridge for a bit. I’d be really interested to see what it reads based on your usual fridge settings, just by way if comparison. I say this as I recently bought a cheap digital thermoter to put in the Cali fridge but first have had it in my the kitchen fridge. I was surprised how warm it suggest my fridge was on a middle shelf, yet all seems nice and cold and has always been on the same setting.

 

[ArunAlec]

I’ve loved following these posts really interesting, thank you all.
One thought, could you put your temperature gadget in your house kitchen fridge for a bit. I’d be really interested to see what it reads based on your usual fridge settings, just by way if comparison. I say this as I recently bought a cheap digital thermoter to put in the Cali fridge but first have had it in my the kitchen fridge. I was surprised how warm it suggest my fridge was on a middle shelf, yet all seems nice and cold and has always been on the same setting.

I just happen to have put a thermometer in the kitchen fridge the other day! Setting on fridge says 4, middle door shelf has shown min 5.8 & max 8.9 with currently at 7. I guess there will be big increases every time the door is open when cold air pours out. One advantage of the top opening Cali fridge.

 

[willwander]

Same test as before, level 5 full fridge
Gadget in back/bottom of fridge, swinging around a bit, between -6 and 2.5 degrees

 

[willwander]

I’ve loved following these posts really interesting, thank you all.
One thought, could you put your temperature gadget in your house kitchen fridge for a bit. I’d be really interested to see what it reads based on your usual fridge settings, just by way if comparison. I say this as I recently bought a cheap digital thermoter to put in the Cali fridge but first have had it in my the kitchen fridge. I was surprised how warm it suggest my fridge was on a middle shelf, yet all seems nice and cold and has always been on the same setting.

Yep, no problem.

Thing with fridge doors.
Have you ever been in a supermarket and though how cold it was near the fridges?
Supermarkets could save a massive amount of energy if they put doors on the fridges.
However, they have worked out people buy less if the fridge has a door.
The extra sales make up for the cost of energy. very wasteful.

 

[Gavin123]

I just happen to have put a thermometer in the kitchen fridge the other day! Setting on fridge says 4, middle door shelf has shown min 5.8 & max 8.9 with currently at 7. I guess there will be big increases every time the door is open when cold air pours out. One advantage of the top opening Cali fridge.

Considering how often my kids stand there with the fridge door open wondering what to eat next I’m surprised the fridge is actually cooler than room temperature!

 

[Mr T]

Considering how often my kids stand there with the fridge door open wondering what to eat next I’m surprised the fridge is actually cooler than room temperature!

Here’s the answer:

GMX936SBHV_BST | LG American Fridge Freezer | ao.com

This GMX936SBHV_BST LG American fridge freezer has a 571 litre capacity, Total No Frost, InstaView™ Door-in-Door™, an inverter linear compressor & is 91cm wide.

ao.com

 

[Cali Phillip]

Great info, love the discussion, the engineer in me sees so many variables that could be at play.
I too have a 2019 T6 Ocean, and have looked at fridge temperature discussing with a friend with a 2011 T5 Ocean. Seems a similar story, the T5 seems better than the T6 it would seem.
I see similar results with my fridge winter or spring, needs to be on 6 to see around 5-6C in the middle of the food basket, fridge half full.
Also I noted the fridge seems colder for the same setting if ran off hook up or now solar with fully charged batteries, ~ +13v, the compressor is notably running faster.

I have to wonder is there a difference between the T5 fridge and the T6 fridge ?
if there Is the difference is that in the compressor, installation or the control system ?

After spending some time on this I decided to leave it set to 6 and that whatever food was in there, would be eaten within a few days of purchase, given two adults and the fridge size.
So maybe if it is at ~6-8c it doesn't really matter that much from a food safety view point, it still much better than the ambient temperature for food preservation.

 

[HectorPascal]

Playing with my new Bluetooth thermometer. Doing some tests on fridge.

TLDR
- Use Level 6
- Max, between -2.8 and -0.5 degrees
- Level 6, between 6.7 and 5.0 degrees
- Level 5, between 9.2 and 7.9 degrees
- level 3, between 11.9 and 8.6 degrees

Test Conditions
- 2019 Ocean
- Empty fridge
- measured half way up wardrobe side fridge wall
- temperature logged every 60 seconds

Setting - MAX
Reach Temperature
It took 55 minutes of constant cooling to drop from 15 degrees (ambient) to min temperature of -2.8 degrees
View attachment 61264

Maintain Temperature
Temperature rose from -2.8 degrees to -0.5 degrees. Before dropping again to -2.8 degrees. 20 mins of temp rising, followed by 20 mins of cooling. These 20 minute cycles were maintained over the rest of the test period. (1 full day)
View attachment 61265
Here is a full graph so you get the full picture.
View attachment 61266


Level 6
Reach
approx 55 mins to reach 4.9 degrees
Maintain
Between 6.7 and 5.0 degrees, 20 minute cycles.
View attachment 61452
Level 5
Reach
approx 55 mins to reach 7.9 degrees
Maintain
Between 7.9 and 9.2 degrees, 20 minute cycles.
View attachment 61538

Level 3
Reach
approx 55 mins to reach 8.6 degrees
Maintain
Between 8.6 and 11.9 degrees, 20 minute cycles.
View attachment 61401
You can see the effect of warmer ambient temp,
it was quite warm outside to start with.

Warm up
Fridge turned off, it warms back up pretty quick. -2 degrees to 21 degrees in 4 hours.

View attachment 61371

If I can be bothered, I'll log some other fridge setting.
If I do I will add them here.

Very useful information thanks. We are never quite sure what to set it to. Now we know - Level 6 to be comparable with the kitchen one - we almost.

 

[thehorse]

Here is my data.
Empty fridge, sensor in middle of the basket.
Outside temp 18-20degC
It's an easy test and fairly cool outside, but repeating now will some items in the fridge - will post when finished, but definitely struggling a bit more.

 

[ThomasHJ]

Ok, to make things worse, I did a second, totally not scientific test ;-) As said before, so many variables that can't be controlled, or I just don't feel like controlling, but still, I think very interesting results:

Some background info:

After my first test (sensor halfway down the front wall), I repeated the test with the sensor halfway down the back wall.

- Fridge set to 'Max'
- Started with fridge 'off'
- Outside max temperature at 23 (so much colder then in test1)
- Started with an empty fridge and later added food (most pre-cooled in home fridge)
- Van parked in the shade for the first 1/3 of the test.
- Van on leisure batteries, on hookup for 10 min. Then drove the van and then camped and had it on EHU.
- Opened the fridge several times while camping; normal use.

The most interesting thing is that I am seeing a minimum temperature of around -14c celcius. The second and most important thing is that I am seeing circa -12c constantly with no problems what so ever, while camping, thus using the fridge like you would in a real life camping situation. What surprises me the most is the huge difference between test1 (sensor halfway down the front wall) and test2 (sensor halfway down the back wall).

During test 1, on a hot day the sensor (front wall) measured 8c as the worst temperature with an empty fridge. So just above the 4-6c 'safe' temperature range.
During test 2, on a warm day, the sensor (back wall) measured -3c as the worst temperature with a filled fridge and was basically steady at -12 all the time.

That's a huge difference between front wall and back wall. And yes, the weather was different, but still.

For now I am concluding that there is a big difference between temperatures in the front of the fridge and in the back. Something that I had already noticed before starting testing. And, I do believe that the outside temperature (or better yet, the temperature inside the van) plays a big role as well.