Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...m-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:

"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...r-thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone here
would say "I use link" ... there's one on amazon which got a very poor
review ...

Jethro :
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...al-thermometer

....but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

The sensor is a 2-way magnetic alarm switch. The magnet is sticky-padded
to the underside of the door at the opposite side from the hinge. The
switch is sticky-padded to the underside of the body of the fridge,
almost touching the magnet when the door is closed. Also there's an LED
indicator which is wired in series with the switch. The switch/LED is
connected to a control box, about the size of cigarette packet, stuffed
into the gap at the side of the fridge.

When the door opens, the switch closes, which lights the LED (to confirm
that it's working) and starts a timer. When the door closes properly,
the switch opens, the LED goes out, and the timer stops.

But if the door isn't closed properly, the LED stays lit, and the timer
sounds an alarm after a couple of minutes. Closing the door properly
cancels the alarm.

The whole thing is powered by a wall wart. I used a pre-built timer
module from Maplin or CPC (I forget which), which has a simple adjuster
for the timer delay.

Once installed, it's simple and effective.

--
Mike Barnes

On Sep 21, 12:37 pm, Jethro wrote:
On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:
"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...r-thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone here
would say "I use link" ... there's one on amazon which got a very poor
review ...

or you sh/could have just said "I have already googled and seen these
links - tho the one on Amazon got a poor review....anyone any
experiences?"

;)

Jim K

On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
Jethro :

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

The sensor is a 2-way magnetic alarm switch. The magnet is sticky-padded
to the underside of the door at the opposite side from the hinge. The
switch is sticky-padded to the underside of the body of the fridge,
almost touching the magnet when the door is closed. Also there's an LED
indicator which is wired in series with the switch. The switch/LED is
connected to a control box, about the size of cigarette packet, stuffed
into the gap at the side of the fridge.

When the door opens, the switch closes, which lights the LED (to confirm
that it's working) and starts a timer. When the door closes properly,
the switch opens, the LED goes out, and the timer stops.

But if the door isn't closed properly, the LED stays lit, and the timer
sounds an alarm after a couple of minutes. Closing the door properly
cancels the alarm.

The whole thing is powered by a wall wart. I used a pre-built timer
module from Maplin or CPC (I forget which), which has a simple adjuster
for the timer delay.

Once installed, it's simple and effective.

--
Mike Barnes

neat! wish they'd build em in FFS

Jim K

On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
Jethro :

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

The sensor is a 2-way magnetic alarm switch. The magnet is sticky-padded
to the underside of the door at the opposite side from the hinge. The
switch is sticky-padded to the underside of the body of the fridge,
almost touching the magnet when the door is closed. Also there's an LED
indicator which is wired in series with the switch. The switch/LED is
connected to a control box, about the size of cigarette packet, stuffed
into the gap at the side of the fridge.

When the door opens, the switch closes, which lights the LED (to confirm
that it's working) and starts a timer. When the door closes properly,
the switch opens, the LED goes out, and the timer stops.

But if the door isn't closed properly, the LED stays lit, and the timer
sounds an alarm after a couple of minutes. Closing the door properly
cancels the alarm.

The whole thing is powered by a wall wart. I used a pre-built timer
module from Maplin or CPC (I forget which), which has a simple adjuster
for the timer delay.

Once installed, it's simple and effective.

--
Mike Barnes

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

Jim K

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:37:34 GMT, Jethro
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:

"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...r-thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone here
would say "I use link" ... there's one on amazon which got a very poor
review ...

I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

So, how long was that freezer door open?

MM

On Sep 21, 1:18*pm, Jim K wrote:
On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:





Jethro :

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

The sensor is a 2-way magnetic alarm switch. The magnet is sticky-padded
to the underside of the door at the opposite side from the hinge. The
switch is sticky-padded to the underside of the body of the fridge,
almost touching the magnet when the door is closed. Also there's an LED
indicator which is wired in series with the switch. The switch/LED is
connected to a control box, about the size of cigarette packet, stuffed
into the gap at the side of the fridge.

When the door opens, the switch closes, which lights the LED (to confirm
that it's working) and starts a timer. When the door closes properly,
the switch opens, the LED goes out, and the timer stops.

But if the door isn't closed properly, the LED stays lit, and the timer
sounds an alarm after a couple of minutes. Closing the door properly
cancels the alarm.

The whole thing is powered by a wall wart. I used a pre-built timer
module from Maplin or CPC (I forget which), which has a simple adjuster
for the timer delay.

Once installed, it's simple and effective.

--
Mike Barnes

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?


They do. My freezer has an alarm that sounds if the tempertaure rises
too high. I

Robert

Mike Barnes wrote:

Jethro :
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

Bad luck mate...

In the 70'/80's I made a Heathkit freezer alarm kit. It had a temp sensor
*and* a door-ajar sensor which was a microswitch on a little bracket, sticky
padded to the frame and a rubber stick on bump-stop on the door that
operated the microswitch when closed.

I'm thinking you could nearly trivially DIY this (maybe with a reed switch
and magnet instead). PP3, small bleeper module and reed switch so it bleeps,
softly but annoyingly when the door is not closed.

For extra marks, put a 60 second time delay on it.

Cheers

Tim

--
Tim Watts

Jim K wrote:


neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

Jim K

Miele do. On my fridge anyway - beeps after about 30 seconds open, with a
silence button.

I suspect my other suggestion might be cheaper for the OP though
--
Tim Watts

Jim K :
On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
Jethro :

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

[...]

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

They do, kind of, but because they're lazy/cheapskates/incompetent they
put the sensors on the hinge side. Which is OK for detecting a door wide
open (who needs that FFS?) but completely useless for detecting a door
open only a few mm because a drawer isn't pushed fully in.

I do wonder sometimes why it is that manufacturers so often fail to
address the problems that real users have - problems that are not
exactly new. Why do they make kettles with switch-off thermostats that
take several minutes to reset? Why do they make teapots with spouts that
drip? Why do they make trousers that lose all your change when you sit
in your car? It's not rocket science.

--
Mike Barnes

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:14:07 +0100, Mike Barnes wrote:

Jethro :
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...eless-digital-
thermometer

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

The sensor is a 2-way magnetic alarm switch. The magnet is sticky-padded
to the underside of the door at the opposite side from the hinge. The
switch is sticky-padded to the underside of the body of the fridge,
almost touching the magnet when the door is closed. Also there's an LED
indicator which is wired in series with the switch. The switch/LED is
connected to a control box, about the size of cigarette packet, stuffed
into the gap at the side of the fridge.

When the door opens, the switch closes, which lights the LED (to confirm
that it's working) and starts a timer. When the door closes properly,
the switch opens, the LED goes out, and the timer stops.

But if the door isn't closed properly, the LED stays lit, and the timer
sounds an alarm after a couple of minutes. Closing the door properly
cancels the alarm.

The whole thing is powered by a wall wart. I used a pre-built timer
module from Maplin or CPC (I forget which), which has a simple adjuster
for the timer delay.

Once installed, it's simple and effective.

Funny, discussing with the Mrs over lunch, and we decided that a
*temperature* alarm was probably not the way, since the freezer is
usually opened last thing at night, for the next days meal, and is the
other side of the house. So we'd never hear the alarm by the time the
temperature had gone up ...

So I said we need a *door ajar* alarm instead ... I see what I can cobble
together .. (it's be years since I soldered in anger).

Many thanks for the description

On Sep 21, 1:18*pm, Jim K wrote:
On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:



Jethro :

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

The sensor is a 2-way magnetic alarm switch. The magnet is sticky-padded
to the underside of the door at the opposite side from the hinge. The
switch is sticky-padded to the underside of the body of the fridge,
almost touching the magnet when the door is closed. Also there's an LED
indicator which is wired in series with the switch. The switch/LED is
connected to a control box, about the size of cigarette packet, stuffed
into the gap at the side of the fridge.

When the door opens, the switch closes, which lights the LED (to confirm
that it's working) and starts a timer. When the door closes properly,
the switch opens, the LED goes out, and the timer stops.

But if the door isn't closed properly, the LED stays lit, and the timer
sounds an alarm after a couple of minutes. Closing the door properly
cancels the alarm.

The whole thing is powered by a wall wart. I used a pre-built timer
module from Maplin or CPC (I forget which), which has a simple adjuster
for the timer delay.

Once installed, it's simple and effective.

--
Mike Barnes

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

Jim K

Whirlpoo have them built in too. 30 seconds with door open, eg while
loading it up, and it starts bleeping. Close the door and it continues
bleeping for a few minutes more. And no, the cancel button doesnt. And
if the mains feed fails, well, there wont be any alarm. Oh well, I
guess it sounded like a good idea. In reality its a nuisance, and
since the door is well sprung it has close to no use. The only time it
would ever be of use is if the thermostat or comperssor failed. And
even then, few people will have spare freezer space in another machine
to use, or get a new machine delivered within hours.

So yes, theyre useful, but get the design details right or theyre
nothing but a stupid liability.


NT

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:44:26 +0100, MM wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:37:34 GMT, Jethro
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:

"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave
in the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I
know cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...e-and-freezer-
thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone
here would say "I use link" ... there's one on amazon which got a very
poor review ...

I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

So, how long was that freezer door open?

MM

Long enough that the burgers in the top drawer had completely
defrosted ...

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:14:47 -0700, Jim K wrote:

On Sep 21, 12:37 pm, Jethro wrote:
On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:
"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave
in the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ?
I know cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...e-and-freezer-
thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone
here would say "I use link" ... there's one on amazon which got a
very poor review ...

or you sh/could have just said "I have already googled and seen these
links - tho the one on Amazon got a poor review....anyone any
experiences?"

;)

Jim K

Fair point :-)

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:17:02 GMT Jethro wrote :
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

Aside from the technical answers, I had this problem with my fridge
freezer in the UK. When I moved here I read the instructions (shock!)
with my new one which said to jack the front feet up a little so the
doors self close. Simple. But you may have done this already.

--
Tony Bryer, Greentram: 'Software to build on',
Melbourne, Australia www.greentram.com

On 21/09/2011 12:31, TMC wrote:

"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Don't be a wuss. Unless the food had been at room temperature for a
while, the worst that will happen is that some of it may have
agglomerated (e.g. frozen chips), and icecream will have shrunk.


Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say


http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them


I fitted one of their BUZ-LK models to my inlaws' freezer, since the old
chap often left it open. It's a bit crudely made, and mounting the main
box on the side of the freezer only works if there's a lot of room
between it and the next appliance. Because theirs is an under-worktop
model, I had to mount the box below the door, where it's vulnerable to
being kicked, or knocked off when they pull the bottom basket right out.

Still, it's reduced the number of times my wife's had to go and defrost
it for them.

I couldn't face re-learning how to make electronic devices without any
valves - hence the diy was only installation.


--
Kevin Poole

On 21/09/2011 12:17, Jethro wrote:
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

My fridge has a door open alarm - it goes off constantly because the
little ice box door has fallen off and you can't switch that compartment
off separately! Grrr...

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 05:55:38 -0700 (PDT), RobertL wrote:

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

They do. My freezer has an alarm that sounds if the tempertaure rises
too high.

Our Hotpoint has similar shove a couple of loaves of bread in and a
few minutes later the alarm sounds. Also sounds if the door is left
ajar for a few minutes. This freezer has electronic rather than
mechanical thermostat control.

The fridge has a door open alarm but it is based around the light
switch so if the door is only just open it doesn't sound.

--
Cheers
Dave.

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:22:50 GMT, Jethro wrote:

I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to
get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

So, how long was that freezer door open?

Long enough that the burgers in the top drawer had completely
defrosted ...

Bit of a "piece of string question". If the room is warm defrosting
will happen quicker than being in a cool room. Found the door of our
upright slightly open the other day. Alarm light on (no audible
alarm, has a light why not have a beep as well FFS!), compressor
working overtime trying to keep everything frozen, it succeeded in
that a lot of the melt was frozen, food may have got a bit warm but
was still solid. Certainly colder than when it gets put in after the
hours journey back from the supermarket.

Not sure how long the door had been ajar but hours rather minutes.

--
Cheers
Dave.

MM wrote:

I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

Welcome to the 21st Century.


--
Adam

On 21/09/2011 13:44, MM wrote:
On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:37:34 GMT,
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:

wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...r-thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone here
would say "I uselink" ... there's one on amazon which got a very poor
review ...

I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

So, how long was that freezer door open?

MM

A lot of modern freezers have alarms built in, they beep loudly if the
temp drops by a certain amount.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:17:02 +0000, Jethro wrote:

Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

I used an indoor/outdoor thermometer with built in alarm.

Put the 'outside' temperature sensor inside (thin wire stright over the
door seal) and set it to shriek if the temperature rose past a certain
point.


--
Use the BIG mirror service in the UK:
http://www.mirrorservice.org

*lightning protection* - a w_tom conductor

On Sep 21, 12:17*pm, Jethro wrote:
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

Wire something in parallel with the interior light if it has one.
If not, door switch as per other fridges.

On 21 Sep 2011 16:40:15 GMT, Bob Eager wrote:

I used an indoor/outdoor thermometer with built in alarm.

Put the 'outside' temperature sensor inside (thin wire stright over the
door seal) and set it to shriek if the temperature rose past a certain
point.

Me too. Took a bit of looking to find one with programmable alarm limits. But it
was cheap...


Thomas Prufer

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 14:18:38 +0100, Mike Barnes
wrote:

Jim K :
On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike Barnes wrote:
Jethro :

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave
in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I
know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

[...]

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

They do, kind of, but because they're lazy/cheapskates/incompetent they
put the sensors on the hinge side. Which is OK for detecting a door wide
open (who needs that FFS?) but completely useless for detecting a door
open only a few mm because a drawer isn't pushed fully in.

I do wonder sometimes why it is that manufacturers so often fail to
address the problems that real users have - problems that are not
exactly new. Why do they make kettles with switch-off thermostats that
take several minutes to reset? Why do they make teapots with spouts that
drip? Why do they make trousers that lose all your change when you sit
in your car? It's not rocket science.


"They" DO make trousers which prevent change spilling out. First pair I
got, I thought someone had mis-stitched across the pocket. And that is
still what it feels like. Things get stuck and, overall, I hate them.

--
Rod

On 21/09/2011 14:56, Tony Bryer wrote:
On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:17:02 GMT Jethro wrote :
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

Aside from the technical answers, I had this problem with my fridge
freezer in the UK. When I moved here I read the instructions (shock!)
with my new one which said to jack the front feet up a little so the
doors self close. Simple. But you may have done this already.

I have my fridge set up that way. (Can't remember why but could easily
be accident rather than design).

Chest freezers might be more inconvenient than uprights but safer for
the absent minded. I left the lid of mine up for more than 12 hours a
few days back and it didn't defrost. Had a lot of ice to hammer off
before I could get the lid to close properly though. Freezer is already
30 years old so I wonder how many years that 12 hours of hard work for
the compressor has knocked off its remaining life.

--
Roger Chapman

Jethro wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:

wrote in message

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises?

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

I was hoping someone here would say "I uselink"

Or, "I used $LINK and it saved my bacon" ...

On 21/09/2011 17:40, Bob Eager wrote:
On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:17:02 +0000, Jethro wrote:

Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

I used an indoor/outdoor thermometer with built in alarm.

Put the 'outside' temperature sensor inside (thin wire stright over the
door seal) and set it to shriek if the temperature rose past a certain
point.



I've got a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer. When we had a problem
with our 'frost free' freezer not really getting cold enough*, putting
the outdoor unit in the freezer meant we could monitor the temp from
another room.

Works fine and you can tell if the battery has gone flat because the
reading disappears altogether.


*This is a common problem caused when overpacking blocks the airflow
that is necessary for the frost free to work. We were on the verge of
buying a replacement, but as we were away for a weekend we decided as a
last go to use up as much of the contents as possible then left it
switched off for 48 hours (with a towel on the floor).

It's been as good as new since then.

On 21/09/2011 14:18, Mike Barnes wrote:
Jim :
On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike wrote:
:

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

[...]

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

They do, kind of, but because they're lazy/cheapskates/incompetent they
put the sensors on the hinge side. Which is OK for detecting a door wide
open (who needs that FFS?) but completely useless for detecting a door
open only a few mm because a drawer isn't pushed fully in.

I do wonder sometimes why it is that manufacturers so often fail to
address the problems that real users have - problems that are not
exactly new. Why do they make kettles with switch-off thermostats that
take several minutes to reset? Why do they make teapots with spouts that
drip? Why do they make trousers that lose all your change when you sit
in your car? It's not rocket science.

Why do they make toasters that won't take all brands of bread?

--
Dave - The Medway Handyman www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

On 9/21/2011 2:46 PM, Owain wrote:
On Sep 21, 2:00 pm, Tim Watts wrote:
In the 70'/80's I made a Heathkit freezer alarm kit. It had a temp sensor
*and* a door-ajar sensor which was a microswitch on a little bracket, sticky
padded to the frame and a rubber stick on bump-stop on the door that
operated the microswitch when closed.

So did I!

It had a resistor in series with one of the sensors so you could tell
the difference between door and temp.

It came in a fetching American Electrical Beige case.

Both of Heathkit the reel-to-reel tape recorders I built, were that
colour, but some of the test equipment was a pale grey.

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:59:24 +0100, The Medway Handyman
wrote:

On 21/09/2011 14:18, Mike Barnes wrote:
Jim :
On Sep 21, 1:14 pm, Mike wrote:
:

Grrrr ... about 200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave
in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I
know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

You can buy them, e.g...

http://digitron.co.uk/product/10/wir...wireless-digit...

...but IMO a temperature sensor isn't the right solution for this
problem.

I made (this *is* uk.d-i-y) an alarm device that senses if the door is
left open, even slightly open, for more than a couple of minutes.

[...]

neat! why dont they build em in FFS?

They do, kind of, but because they're lazy/cheapskates/incompetent they
put the sensors on the hinge side. Which is OK for detecting a door wide
open (who needs that FFS?) but completely useless for detecting a door
open only a few mm because a drawer isn't pushed fully in.

I do wonder sometimes why it is that manufacturers so often fail to
address the problems that real users have - problems that are not
exactly new. Why do they make kettles with switch-off thermostats that
take several minutes to reset? Why do they make teapots with spouts that
drip? Why do they make trousers that lose all your change when you sit
in your car? It's not rocket science.

Why do they make toasters that won't take all brands of bread?

This *is* uk.d-i-y - make your own bread to fit the toaster you have got.
:-)

And if you do so, may I recommend slow, cold rising? In a plastic bag in
the fridge overnight - or longer.

--
Rod

ARWadsworth wrote:
MM wrote:
I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.
Welcome to the 21st Century.

My granny's great-aunt started off doing home food deliveries:
http://www.botham.co.uk/bakery/botha...t-history.html

Welcome to the 19th Century

JGH

Jethro wrote:
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....


why? food doesn't instantly tirn into bacteria if the temp goes over 0C...

Re freeze it.


Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave in
the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I know
cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

Jethro wrote:
On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:44:26 +0100, MM wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:37:34 GMT, Jethro
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:

"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave
in the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I
know cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.
google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...e-and-freezer-
thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html
http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony
Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone
here would say "I use link" ... there's one on amazon which got a very
poor review ...
I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

So, how long was that freezer door open?

MM

Long enough that the burgers in the top drawer had completely
defrosted ...
So re freeze them.

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:50:48 -0700 (PDT), Owain
wrote:

What would be most useful is an electromagnet which drops a weight
which pulls the door shut.

Or, just a weight on a pulley. No electrics at all.

"Grimly Curmudgeon" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:50:48 -0700 (PDT), Owain
wrote:

What would be most useful is an electromagnet which drops a weight
which pulls the door shut.

Or, just a weight on a pulley. No electrics at all.

Just tilt the thing back with a couple of wedges under the front feet and
have self closing doors.

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:22:50 GMT, Jethro
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:44:26 +0100, MM wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 11:37:34 GMT, Jethro
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:31:40 +0100, TMC wrote:

"Jethro" wrote in message
...
Grrrr ... about £200 worth of food wasted ....

Does anyone know if you can get some sort of doohickey you can leave
in the freezer which will sound an alarm if the temperature rises ? I
know cold kills batteries, so have no idea how it could work.

google him say

http://www.legendcookshop.co.uk/digi...e-and-freezer-
thermometer-
alarm-25797-0.html

http://www.fridge-freezer-alarm.co.uk/

Have never used one but am considering it now that I have seen them

Regards

Tony

Thanks for that ... obviously I can google, but I was hoping someone
here would say "I use link" ... there's one on amazon which got a very
poor review ...

I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

So, how long was that freezer door open?

MM

Long enough that the burgers in the top drawer had completely
defrosted ...

Oh, THAT was a pretty long time, deffo.

MM

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 16:58:25 +0100 (BST), "Dave Liquorice"
wrote:

On Wed, 21 Sep 2011 13:22:50 GMT, Jethro wrote:

I don't have a freezer, but since my op last Friday I may have to
get
one as I can't drive and will need to get food delivered.

So, how long was that freezer door open?

Long enough that the burgers in the top drawer had completely
defrosted ...

Bit of a "piece of string question". If the room is warm defrosting
will happen quicker than being in a cool room. Found the door of our
upright slightly open the other day. Alarm light on (no audible
alarm, has a light why not have a beep as well FFS!), compressor
working overtime trying to keep everything frozen, it succeeded in
that a lot of the melt was frozen, food may have got a bit warm but
was still solid. Certainly colder than when it gets put in after the
hours journey back from the supermarket.

Not sure how long the door had been ajar but hours rather minutes.

I wouldn't risk it. I think if the recommended temperature of -18 deg
is not maintained, some foods are going to make you ill, especially if
they get a little warmer, and are then frozen again when the fault
(open door/lid) is detected. That way food poisoning lies.

MM