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Energy Saver: Refrigerator & Freezer Set Points
(continued ...) thermometers each in separate soup bowls. Position the bulb and of thermometers in the bottom of the bowl. Fill the bowl with ice cubes of pure water while making sure to cover the thermometer bulbs completely. Wrap the bowl and ice cubes with a couple dish towels for insulation and wait an hour.
Then one-by-one, quickly pull the thermometers out, take their reading and write it down. For example, thermometer #1 may read 30 F (-1 C) and thermometer #2 may read 35 F (2 C). We know those readings are both wrong because we know the properties of ice. Thermometer #1 is then reading 2 F (1 C) lower than it should. Thermometer #2 is reading 3 F (2 C) higher than it should. You now know the amount of error in the temperature range where we need to take readings for our refrigerator and freezer.
Now conduct the temperature testing. For upright-type, drawer-type and chest-type refrigerator and freezer machines, there will be warmer areas and colder areas inside each respective design. We want to calibrate the 'warmest' area to meet the FDA recommendations. That way we know that no matter where you stack your left-over meatloaf it will be safe to eat later. In all cases, colder air falls and warmer air rises. The warmest area is the top of a given compartment. For a standard residential refrigerator, that means the top shelf. Place your two different thermometers there side-by-side about half way back toward the rear. Let them sit for at least 24 hours. Allow your family to use the refrigerator normally during that time period. We want the door to open as it normally would and be closed as it normally would.