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I've read the question on the ideal fridge temperature, but am asking a more involved question about a baseline temperature and temperature spikes. How will a few hours each day at 10 C effect the contents of the fridge? What about two smaller spikes to 7 C?

Background: I live in a small studio. The fridge makes noise. I'd like it to be quiet at night. If I can do so without frequent food spoilage, I'll get a timer and turn the fridge off from 2300 to 0800. If this is a bit too much time without cooling, I plan to turn it off while I fall asleep (2300 to 0200), turn it back on (0200 to 0400), and then have it be quiet in the mornings again (0400 to 0800).

I've put some temperature loggers in the fridge and unplugged it manually during the 2300 to 0800 time. The graph is attached below. The mean temperature is 3 to 5 C, rising to 10 C.

The 2nd day was 'bad' data: I added a few gallons of water to increase the thermal capacity of the fridge (temp spike), but added them too late in the evening. The water did not cool to 4 C, and when I unplugged it the temperature shot back up. The first day, with an almost empty fridge, is a worst-case scenario. When the fridge is full I expect the max T at 0800 to be 8 or 9 C, not 10 C. I am collecting that data now and will update the post in a few days when I've checked the variability.

If 6-8 C for a few hours, then 8 to 10 C for a few more, then a quick return to 3 C is bad for the food (mostly OJ, soy milk, cheese, and some veggies), then I'll cool it in the middle of the night when I'm in a deep sleep.

So... to the question: How important is a 4 C fridge? Is a few hours per day up to 10 C bad? What about up to 7 C? Any other suggestions how to quiet the studio as I try to sleep?

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mankoff
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3 Answers3

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Another possibility to consider would be adding ice blocks from a freezer during the times you want to not be running the compressor.

Vicky
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I think that allowing the hardware to work as it is intended is likely in your best interest. Instead, I would refer your question to DIY.se (perhaps), to find out how to stop your fridge from being so loud.

So instead of possibly ruining a bunch of food, look into the pathology of the noise issue of the fridge. Some options I can think of are to:

  • insulate the sound (i.e. unglamorously with a blanket)
  • clean out the backside of any dust(-bunnies) etc
  • verify that there are no air blockages (trapping the dissipating heat causes the compressor to work harder than it should)
  • verify that the compressor is in good working order
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mfg
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Have you considered earplugs? Or some other noise to mask it (like one of those nature sounds machines?)

Vegetables may go bad a little sooner (depends on the vegetable; some actually like it a little warmer). Cheese probably won't care. OJ is probably acidic enough to keep long enough to use it up. No idea about soy milk.

I would definitely not keep meat in there, since the ideal temperature for that is slightly below 0°C.

derobert
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