Howie wrote
Does our fridge temperature go from warmest (#10) to coldest (#1)??
or vice versa?

This is pretty easy. When you fridge is not running, open the door
and turn the dial in one direction. If the compressor motor starts
running, then you have determined which direction on the dial is
for "colder/coldest."


There is a lot of good advice already posted in reply to your questions.
I would also add that you should purchase 2 inexpensive electronic
thermometers with digital readouts. You want to monitor fridge temps
without guessing. I like 40 degrees in the fridge and 0-10 in the freezer.
Others would probably recommend 20 or so in the freezer.

Most of the electronic thermometers have a remote probe connected via
a rather thin wire. This makes it easy to leave the probe inside the fridge
and the display unit outside of the fridge, with the thin wire running over
the door seal. Most of these units have a memory feature, which is great.
If the clocks are flashing "12:00" when you come home from work, you can
check these thermometers to see just how much the fridge warmed up
during the power outage. If you leave town for a few days, this is even
more important.

Gideon