My Tehtford N404 Fridge is freezing our food. It is winter in Adelaide. Does this make a difference to the temperature we should have the fridge set at?

Hi,

please increase the temperature in the fridge portion of your fridge as it sounds like you've set that compartments temperature too low.

Thank you.

First some fridge 101, the refrigerator/freezer models cool by directly refrigerating the freezer section and the refrigerator section is cooled when "some" of the cold air from the freezer is directed over to the refrigerator side (typically by a fan) to keep food fresh and not frozen a temperature controlling damper opens and closes to regulate the temperature of the fridge by introducing more or below freezing air into the cabinet. In older models where the freezer was on top the air simply "gravity" drained into the refrigerator cabinet, if the food was too cold you turned the fridge knob up and less air sank from the freezer to the fridge, simple but effective.

When you adjust the temperature level it controls the freezer temperature and this turns the compressor on and off to keep the food frozen. There is typically a knob or lever and some even have electric dampers that open and close to direct more or less air from the freezer and direct it to the refrigerator cabinet based on your temperature requirements.

Now that you know how it works there are a couple things to check. If the condenser coil is plugged with dust the internal system pressure will rise and in some cases make the fridge an over achiever and can chill too much so check/clean the condenser coil. Check the freezer temperature control and turn in up, also make sure the fridge temperature control setting is not set too cold.

Finally as the temperature changes around the refrigerator it will have an effect on the inside of the fridge too so expect to turn it up and down as the environment changes, down in the summer and up in the winter.

Hope the novel helps to resolve your issues.

35 degrees Fahrenheit equivalent to 1.6 degrees Celsius / Centigrade

set at minor temperature,set the thermostat dial at warm temperature.maybe its a little bit empty of food and at full coldest settings

Many residential refrigerator / freezers are designed to work at temperature considerably above above freezing. Most modern refrigerator / freezer have a single electric thermostat - located in the fresh food compartment. This lone thermostat will control the compressor to keep the fridge (fresh food) section at the desired temperature (usually between 34 - 38 degrees F). The freezer will get colder regardless of how cold it is already whenever the fridge thermostat turns the compressor on.

Now that you see how the thermostat works, let's look at what happens when the fridge is placed in an unheated space - like a garage. In winter time, the temperature can drop considerably below 38 degrees. If the outdoor temperature remains cold enough, for long enough - it will affect the thermostat in the fridge. The temperature inside the fridge could drop below 38 degrees, preventing the thermostat from telling the compressor to turn on. Meanwhile, the temperature in the freezer compartment slowly rises from the normal -10 to 0 F degrees. It will continue to rise until it is the same temperature as the fresh food compartment or until the thermostat in the fresh food compartment tells the compressor to turn on again. This means the freezer contents will thaw.

If the temperature in the garage is even in the 40 to 50 degree range, the loss of cold in the fridge may not happen often enough to keep the compressor coming on often enough to keep some freezer items frozen solid - such as ice cream. Remember, water freezes at 32 degrees F, other products may require lower temperatures to remain frozen, and could thaw at 28 or other temperature.

Good luck!

The settings are "relative". Someone with this fridge in Montana may need to run the same fridge with different settings than someone in Texas to get the same temperatures.

Many manufacturers recommend that the fresh food compartment should be 34 degrees F, and the freezer -10 to 0 degrees F. To set this properly, place a thermometer in the freezer (that can display temperatures as low as the desired temperature). Adjust the thermometer for the correct freezer temperature before going on to the fridge. A fully stocked freezer could take 12 hours or more for temperatures to stabilize after making changes to the thermostat. Once the -10 to 0 degree temperature has been achieved, set the fresh food compartment temperature.

Place a thermometer (that can display below freezing) in a 6 (or so) oz flexible plastic cup of water and place on a shelf in the fridge. A glass of water could break if the temperature gets below 32 degrees if the water turns to ice. The water acts as a buffer to rapidly changing temperatures when the door is opened to read the thermometer. If the fridge is "full", allow 24 hours for the temperature to stabilize before making changes.

If the fridge and freezer are empty, changes may be seen in just a few hours or less. Otherwise, wait the 12 / 24 hours for the freezer / fridge compartments.

I hope this helps and good luck!

If your veg is freezing you need to RAISE the temp in the fridge,if #7 is coldest,then #1 is warmest.SET IT TO #3.You should keep a fridge at +5C for best storage of CHILLED food.you should also adjust your fridge for summer and winter ambient temperatures.a fridge/FREEZER thermometer is ESSENTIAL.OTHERWISE YOUR WASTING MONEY/ENERGY.

get a thermometer and set the freezer to -18C and a fridge to +5C.
these are the optimum temperatures for keeping food.the internal knobs are for guidance once set,to adjust to seasonal changes.summer to winter.....and for when you refill

The 643V has an issue that it can freeze the water in the line during winter.
You must switch the fridge off until the water starts to run again. Then set the temperature of the fridge up as high as possible in winter. Draw 1 litre of water at least twice a day during winter.

This fixed my problem.

You can set the tempertaure back down in the fridge during summer without a problem.

usually there is an adjustment at the back for the difference between the fridge and freezer compartment. Often is just a vane that blocks freezer air, too much air would freeze the food. Normally you set the fridge thermostat for a normal food temp, then adjust the air to keep the food warmer than the freezer.