3 way norcold fridge

Jltab

I'm just wondering, is the fridge can be used to stored frozen item?

Dalehelman

No

Jltab

How low can it go Temp wise?

Nomad

But, they will take a while to thaw - In my experience, 2-3 days if you put them below the fins.

AldebaranJill

I have unintentionally had vegetables freeze solid when I put the thermostat too low.

TabberJohn

Crank up the cold and you'll definitely get the temperature well below 32 degrees.
In theory you could box in the top shelf along with the cooling fins. The enclosed section would be for frozen goods while bottom shelf and doors would be warmer.
You could experiment with some cardboard and a thermometer to see if the temps would vary enough.
The thermostat sensor might not handle this setup or the mod might cause excessive ice to form on the fins.
Has anyone tried anything like this?

Photomom

TabberJohn said:

Crank up the cold and you'll definitely get the temperature well below 32 degrees.
In theory you could box in the top shelf along with the cooling fins. The enclosed section would be for frozen goods while bottom shelf and doors would be warmer.
You could experiment with some cardboard and a thermometer to see if the temps would vary enough.
The thermostat sensor might not handle this setup or the mod might cause excessive ice to form on the fins.
Has anyone tried anything like this?

I saw this mod on one of the FB forums, I think. Instead of cardboard which will get soggy quickly the modder used thin styrofoam.

The first time I tried my fridge on propane it got to 23F overnight!

Photomom

Okay, the plans are on the T@B Camping Trailers FB page. Go to the Files section and look for Norcold 3136 SuperFreezer.pdf

Nomad

Photomom - What the heck setting did you use to get 23?

RollingLagrima

@PXLated, on last trip, pork chops placed under the fins in an aluminum tray inside a thin plastic bag (unfrozen to start) froze solid when my fridge got down to 25 degrees on "4".  They were still frozen solid after I turned the fridge off and drove scenic highway 78 home from Carlsbad, stopping in Julian, CA for apple pie -- about a four hour trip.  

Bottled/canned drinks and other packaged food was very cold but not frozen like the chops.

The freezing occurred while on propane.

Salads/veggies never do well in there for me as I wind up freezing those too.  User error, I am sure.

@Jltab I have no doubt that if I pre-cooled on "5" using propane and loaded up with only frozen items it would hold as a freezer for quite some time.  

Photomom

PXLated said:

Photomom - What the heck setting did you use to get 23?

I left it on 3.5, the same setting that gives me 36F on shore power.

ericnliz

PXL, I've found on settings of 3.5 to 4 on propane, if you set things right under, or right next to the fins, they get REALLY cold, sometimes freeze[Mostly right underneath]. Lower down, and away from the fins are places we put stuff for regular "fridge cooling" ie: milk, and cold drinks. 
RollingLagrima, Yup, Don't put the salad/veggies or eggs next to the fins, we experienced, and learned the same way as you. Pre-cooling keeps things frozen for a while, but definitely not made for a freezer. I'll have to try the "box" around the fins, sounds intriguing.  

Nomad

I generally run on 3.5-4 and haven't experienced the freezing - or maybe aven't noticed as the things I keep under the fins are the things I pull out the least.

ericnliz

Just sayin' frozen eggs suck! Be careful!

TabberJohn

I was suggesting cardboard as an experiment to see what the temp difference is between the top enclosed section and the rest of the frig.
If it works the enclosed section could be a plastic box, sheet metal, or Styrofoam like the super freezer PDF on FB suggests.
Frig in our old camper van had a metal tray on top with drip pan below. Stuff always froze up there but not much room other than a mini ice cube tray plus one or two frozen food boxes.

Dalehelman

True you can get things to freeze, but you can not get the temp low enough to be a proper freezer. Proper freezing needs to be maintained at around 0'. Just keeping things at 20' to 30' would probably do more damage than good.

Nomad

Come to think of it, I did have frozen eggs once (were stored in door shelf in front of fins) and they do suck :-)

TabberJohn

Dalehelman said:

True you can get things to freeze, but you can not get the temp low enough to be a proper freezer. Proper freezing needs to be maintained at around 0'. Just keeping things at 20' to 30' would probably do more damage than good.

Agreed. Not a good mod if you need freezer storage, but should be fine for short trips with frozen foods to be used within X days.