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jackbombay Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007 Posts: 2723 Location: Eastern Idaho
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 11:07 am Post subject: Vitrofrigo thermometer mod |
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I've had my VF for about 8 months now, it is quite nice, but the temp control is not as accurate as I'd like, I had a thermometer in the fridge for a while, but then you let the cold out everytime you check the temp.
So here is what I did.
I took a ~6" long probe thermometer from the hardware store and drilled a hole through the top of the door at an angle into the inside of the fridge and dropped the thermometer in.
Finished product,
Inside shot,
And here you can see where the hole comes out inside the fridge,
I actually drilled the hole in the top edge of the door and then drilled a hole on the inside of the door then drilled back through from the top and out the inside hole. There was actually almost nothing between the 2 holes so it is easy to "connect the dots" with a long drill bit.
I initially made a jig to get the correct angle for the drill and intended to drill all the way through from the top but the bit didn't want to go through the inside plastic at such an angle. You can see the small relief in the plastic inside the fridge, its perfect for a spot to drill through. _________________
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glutamodo The Android
Joined: July 13, 2004 Posts: 26297 Location: Douglas, WY
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:20 pm Post subject: |
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LOL, well, it looks pretty well done, and it works.
Me, I think I'd just had used a wired remote-read digital indoor/outdoor thermometer, they are pretty cheap, their cords are pretty thin and shouldn't have affected the door seal much, if any. (or you could have cut the probe's wire, ran it through a drilled hole, then caulked it, then resoldered and taped the wires) Glue a strong magnet to the back of one and you have some flexibility as to where you mount it. I've used them like that on my bugs for years, with the outside probe through the passenger ventwing. Here's an old worn out one that I retired from car service after I messed the cord up by mistake. I later fixed it and sometimes use it now to check my kitchen freezer's temperature:
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jackbombay Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007 Posts: 2723 Location: Eastern Idaho
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:30 pm Post subject: |
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glutamodo wrote: |
it looks pretty well done, and it works.
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It was cheaper than an electronic one, and it will never need batteries, and I can slide it out and use it for cooking. Also the hole is really a non issue because there will never be a time when I won't want to know the interior temp of the fridge so the thermometer will just about always be in there. _________________
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Alaric.H Samba Member
Joined: March 28, 2009 Posts: 2529 Location: Sandy Springs GA
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 12:41 pm Post subject: |
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Are you sure the drill did not slip one day and you said I
know what I can do with that hole.
Yes but I can fix my english.
Last edited by Alaric.H on Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:48 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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jackbombay Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007 Posts: 2723 Location: Eastern Idaho
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glutamodo The Android
Joined: July 13, 2004 Posts: 26297 Location: Douglas, WY
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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jackbombay wrote: |
It was cheaper than an electronic one, and it will never need batteries, and I can slide it out and use it for cooking. |
Yeah, that's certainly true! Although the battery thing, not a big deal, I get at least a year of life out of the batteries in my thermometers. |
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PDXWesty Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2006 Posts: 6235 Location: Portland OR
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jackbombay Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007 Posts: 2723 Location: Eastern Idaho
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 1:47 pm Post subject: |
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My entire van is worth somewhere between 5 and 10 buck now that there is a 1/8" hole in the fridge.
Well, truth be told I was actually drilling a hole in my tire and the gas tank so I could change the air in my exhaust system and the drill slipped and I put a hole in the fridge... _________________
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1621 Samba Member
Joined: May 15, 2006 Posts: 2174
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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Does the thermometer get in the way of putting things on the shelf? It looks as if it may interfere. Would putting a couple dabs of silicone in the holes help seal it up? _________________ '85 Westy |
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jackbombay Samba Member
Joined: October 19, 2007 Posts: 2723 Location: Eastern Idaho
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Posted: Thu Apr 09, 2009 9:08 pm Post subject: |
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1621 wrote: |
Does the thermometer get in the way of putting things on the shelf? |
Only slightly, its about 1/2" from the end of the shelf.
1621 wrote: |
Would putting a couple dabs of silicone in the holes help seal it up? |
Yea, there's not much space around the thermometer probe though, I'll probably wrap a bit of tape around the the top end of the thermometer so it fits snug in the top edge of the door. _________________
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climberjohn Samba Member
Joined: January 11, 2005 Posts: 1840 Location: Portland Orygun
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Posted: Fri Apr 10, 2009 4:44 pm Post subject: |
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Jack,
This is a clever idea. Thanks for the post and nice pictures. _________________ '86 Westy, 2.5 Subaru power
Know your limits. Exceed them often. |
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