A Really Accurate Fridge Thermometer

You want my "underboard" fifteen dollar dial thermometer"? When food is refrigerated to 35 - 39F, it lasts a heck of a lot longer than at 42 - 45F.

My underboard thermometer reads 35 when temp is at 41

I don't like to squander hundreds of dollars of food, pour a glass of chilly sour milk or find green on the spaghetti that haa been in the reefer three days.

I am SPECIFICALLY NOT RECOMMENDING an expensive thermometer

I am recommending a way to INSURE any thermometer from one dollar to a hundred is accurate. Starts out accurate and remains trustworthy.

donandmax wrote:
We bought a cheap thermometer from walmart and haven't had anything spoil yet. Not necessary to go overboard with these things.After all your rv is not a lab.controlled devise. But its your dollars. In our case you can't argue with success.

Dollars is exactly the point. The OP isnt spoiling lettuce, it's $1500 worth of meds, and in this case it almost needs to be lab standard. the point is accuracy. Mine are as much as 8 degrees apart between the 3 (grouped together) that are in the various boxes.

We bought a cheap thermometer from walmart and haven't had anything spoil yet. Not necessary to go overboard with these things.After all your rv is not a lab.controlled devise. But its your dollars. In our case you can't argue with success.

Johno02 wrote:
If you haven't already done it, check with(call customer service) the manufacturer of the medicine as to the criticality of the storage parameters. Many times the actual facts are overstated, and you may be able to relax a bit by knowing the actual manufacturer recommendations. At least, you will know all the facts for sure. In my case, insulin must be stored refrigerated, but once opened, is good for 30 days at normal room temps. and cold shots hurt a lot worse. I just wish each vial would last 30 days!

Because of liability issues a manufacturer toes the line and information in the package insert will agree word for word with text within the Physician's Desk Reference - the PDR.

Everyone without exception will defer the patient to the prescribing Dr.

Personally if the Rx Dr. Isn't an Internal Medicine specialist I then turn to a registered pharmacist for snippets of pharmacological lore. I've encountered too many red-hot pharmacists for this to be a fluke. One in particular was packed with info about Amiodarone a truly hazardous cardiac anti arrythmic

Just Some Thoughts...

pconroy328 wrote:
I'm not trying to make a mountain from the molehill, but I don't see anything on that Accurite that talks about **accuracy**.

Meaning the display could show you 40.1* F but you have no idea if that's correct or not. Might be 35*, might be 45* and it might be 40.1*.

If you need *accuracy* you've got to invest in a device that's been calibrated. If I had $1500 of medicine on the line, I'd be buying a thermometer that's been verified to be accurate and precise!

Accuracy is +-2 degrees

If you haven't already done it, check with(call customer service) the manufacturer of the medicine as to the criticality of the storage parameters. Many times the actual facts are overstated, and you may be able to relax a bit by knowing the actual manufacturer recommendations. At least, you will know all the facts for sure. In my case, insulin must be stored refrigerated, but once opened, is good for 30 days at normal room temps. and cold shots hurt a lot worse. I just wish each vial would last 30 days!

I don't know where you can get these any more, but check with a pharmacy when you get a chance. When I was getting my insulin via mail-order, they shipped in a very durable, thick foam container. Many times after a two-day delivery, the freeze packs would still be frozen hard. For your critical medicines, having one of these available, and a frozen freezer pack always in the freezer would be a good idea. It would at least get you to a working cooler if you had any type of failure.

Chemical supply and lab supply stores offer lab grade old fashioned tubular column thermometers. Some are expanded scale like a scope of 20F to 80F. Resolution is incredible. And I will stake my rear-end on the fact these guys are not play toys. THEY CAN NOT BECOME INACCURATE - EVER.

I use my column thermometers as B.S. detectors. A glance every day or two will verify or discredit a bargain digital thermometer. I worked up a system for a really sweet elderly couple. The man had ultra temp sensitive medication. I sold him one of my extras then scrounged enough foam board and aerosol foam spray to make a second container for the med. The second container buys a lot of time in case of a refrigeraton malfunction.

N.I.S.T. grade thermometers are far too accurate for your needs. +- 1F is even getting a bit carried away. But whatever you get you can't afford for it to start telling fairy tales

I agree with the poster who suggested the AcuRite system through Amazon. VERY inexpensive but WORKS and is accurate. I bought one for the RV fridge AND got another one for an older home unit that does not have the built in thermometer the newer units have. Nice to have a monitor that records BOTH the freezer and the fridge box AND it has an alarm that can be set so you hear a signal if the temp drops below what you set it for.

Nutinelse2do wrote:
This is the one we have. Been very happy with it so far.

I've has the same thermometer "freeze" on a reading with no indication it wasn't working. The replacement did the same thing. If you use this one, I'd reset it often.

Keeping the meds in a small, thick walled styrofoam box kept in the refrigerator is a way to avoid temperature fluctuations, but I'd sure want some way to be sure the temperature stayed within the acceptable range.