North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

[Don Yellman <don.yellman@webformation.com>]

Bunny:

Freezers use a different refrigerant, and their controls operate in a 
different temperature range than refrigerators.  A properly operating freezer 
will turn fruit to iceballs even at its lowest setting.  Many years ago I 
worked at the GE Appliance Control Division lab at Morrison, IL, where one of 
my jobs was testing refrigeration controls.  Hence, my reasonable certainty.

You don't say whether you purchased a new or used refrigerator, but there is 
something wrong with a refrigerator that cannot be brought down to 30 degrees 
F.  I have an older Welbilt that I bought used for $75, and at the midrange 5 
setting it runs at 34F.  If I turn it down it would easily go  below 32F.  I 
don't open the door of this basement refrigerator very often, and that helps 
keep it constantly cold.

If your refrigerator is used, check the heat exchanger intake at the bottom 
front of the unit for clogging with dust, cat hair, or bunny fur.  All these 
units should be vacuumed out at least every 6 months for efficient operation; 
more frequently under severe conditions of cats or bunnies running around the 
floor.  If that doesn't help, check the door gasket for integrity, and the 
fit of the door against the body of the unit.  Sagging doors can often be 
fixed by the addition of washers at the pivot of the bottom hinge.  If none 
of the above helps, your refrigerator may be losing refrigerant, and in that 
case it would cost more to find and repair the leak and recharge the system 
than most used refrigerators are worth.  Even a new door gasket will easily 
cost over $50.

All refrigerators marketed for at least the last 40 years incorporate 
automatic defrost systems that shut down the compressor and rapidly heat the 
cooling coils to melt off the ice.  Water is directed to an evaporation pan 
at the bottom.  These systems are on synchronous timers, and normally defrost 
twice in each 24 hour period.  The result is that refrigerators wring most of 
the moisture out of the air in the cabinet, resulting in very low humidity.  
Not so good for storing most of our fruit, but the alternative would be to 
defeat the auto defrost system and defrost the refrigerator every few weeks, 
just like in the old days.  When I store apples that have been grown in 
ziploc bags I leave the bags on when placing the apples in refrigeration.  
This seems to stave off shriveling for at least an additional 6 weeks or so.  
Of course, the bags are not perfectly sealed, but even with the corners cut 
off they seem to retain some humidity in storage.

Don Yellman, Great Falls, VA