Home Refrigerator Freezer Thermometer, Model 5304487199
The Smart Choice Thermometer 5304487199, helps overcome a shortcoming of most fridge freezers these days, and we review this device here. This compensates for the usual temp controls in these appliances, that do not give a precise temperature reading.
Instead, you see numbers like 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, where 5 is the coldest (MAX), and 0 is the warmest (or OFF) position. Often, no markings of where “the best” position would be for most well preserved food are provided. So, the new icebox owner is left to guess at the correct settings.
Often tables that map these numbers to real temperature appear in the icebox’s user’s guide. But they often give these for a different model of refrigerator than the one the user bought. Or they are generic in that they apply for all refrigerators in a given line, in a specific place. Since real operating spaces tend to vary widely, from cool and damp basements to baking hot attics, these tables are often wrong.
No tools needed. It just hangs or sits.
Stands up on its own pedestal, which is part of its case. Or, you can hang it from shelf rungs. Adjust it for best fit via its bendable hanger hook.
While big enough to read, this gauge is small in size. So, finding a good spot for it is easy, even in the most over-packed freezers and coolers of any size.
Hangs from a shelf, placed in a veggie drawer, or just stood on any flat surface inside the deep freeze or fridge.
Very affordable at under $6 per copy.
It has a large, easy-to-read, multi color dial, analog not digital. This shows the best temp ranges for refrigerating or freezing of food. The red zone, from 40 to 80 degrees F, means a temperature that is too high for both refrigerators and freezers. The purple zone at the top, from 32 to 40 degrees F, means the acceptable tempe range for fridges. The light blue zone, between 0 and 32 degrees F, is acceptable neither for freezers nor refrigerators. Finally, the dark blue zone, from -20 to 0 degrees F, shows the best temps for freezers.
Accurately measures temperatures from -20 degrees F to +80 degrees F.
This is a wireless fridge freezer thermometer. But you cannot read it remotely via WiFi.
Place as close to the center in the fridge or freezer as possible for the best readings.
Just don’t squash it against the wall when pushing a large and heavy casserole dish into the fridge.
Don’t spill liquids into the air holes in the rear of the unit.
They make this thermometer from a very light and flimsy metal. So it is easily bent or dented. Very cheap, easily damaged construction.
The back of the unit has several large holes, that expose the sensing element. We guess that they did this to allow faster readings, by directly exposing the sensor to the cold air. But this means that you can easily spill stuff into the unit.
Yet this is of not such big concern, given how little these thermometers cost. Still though, we prefer a fully sealed gauge. We want one with either a very thick glass or plastic case. We would pay perhaps $20 for a well-built, unbreakable freezer thermometer.
A magnetic base would have been useful. With this, you could stick the thermometer on any wall within the refrigerator / freezer, for spot temperature checks.
Does not let you know if temps inside your icebox move outside of safe ranges.
We believe this unit to be of low quality. But it appears to read temperatures in both refrigerators and freezers quite accurately. It’s cheap enough that you can buy one when you buy a new icebox, for setting the temp controls at first. You can figure out, using this thermometer, where to set the fridge’s control for the optimum 35 degrees, and the freezer for the optimum 0 degrees reading. Once you know the right settings, then you don’t need this device anymore for home refrigerators.
So, while it may not last long, it indeed is durable enough to get those first readings. Used in this way, this thermometer works quite well. So we rate this thermometer at 90 out of 100.
We only found this product at Home Depot home improvement centers so far.
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