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Refrigerator

The Fridge is a white-enamel Whirlpool-Roper model RT12DKXAW00 type 12TFA94 upright top-mount fridge-freezer, manufactured January 1994. It contains CFC11 and CFC12 in its refrigeration cycle.

Food items only, with some exceptions.

What belongs in the fridge

Both

• Shelves, racks
• Thermometers, thermal loggers/IoT thermometers
• Meats, depending on how soon they'll be cooked
• Vegetables, fresh or frozen
• Medicine and medical supplies to be kept cold or frozen.

Refrigerator

• Cold drinks
• Beer/alcohol to keep cold
  • Follow the law.
• Dairy products, milk, cheese, eggs
• Bakery products, sliced bread, cakes, pies

Freezer

• Cold packs
• Ice trays
• Ice cream
• Frozen foods
• Frozen leftovers (see [[leftovers]] policy)

What does NOT belong in the fridge

Both

• Chemicals
• Electronics, batteries
  • "Cold-boot"/RAM retention experiments may be carried out if kept in a ziploc bag.
• Member projects, experiments involving cold temperatures, without approval from Board.
• Solvents, cleaners, detergents
• Alcohol drinks while minors occupy the space.

Refrigerator

• Anything frozen to thaw that isn't kept in a watertight bag or container.

Freezer

• Drinks.
  • Do not put drinks in the freezer to "rapid cool" them.
  • They will explode.
  • Use ice.

PERISHABLE

Info: Not an official DMA Policy, Rule or Guideline

The information enclosed here is not approved by the board of dma.space, and does not represent official policy guidance unless and until it is edited and approved through the appropriate governance channels.

This rule-colored prose is only included for example, and as a template to include proper and cited ruling from the decision-making body.

BEGIN Rules Review: PERISHABLE Items Policy

PERISHABLE food items are:

Any food items that enter the space, that require freezing or refrigeration, or will spoil if left out, or pasteurized/canned items that are opened and not consumed.

This includes [[leftovers]], but those have a separate policy.

The goal with this policy is to:

• prevent anything from spoiling at the space, to the extent possible.
• prevent accidental or unwanted disposal or consumption of items brought to the space
• ensure a healthy common use of the fridge and kitchen facilities.

PERISHABLE Items Policy

• Anything PERISHABLE should be dated once first opened, or purchased/brought into the space.
• Refrigerate or freeze all PERISHABLE items as soon as they enter the space, unless they are specifically to thaw for preparation same-day.
• PERISHABLE items left outside the fridge or freezer may be disposed of if you leave the space.
• Do not bring in PERISHABLE items for only yourself. All members, within reason, should be allowed to consume or dispose of PERISHABLE items in a timely manner.
• "a timely manner" means roughly 72 hours (3 days) to a week in the fridge.
• If something is brought in for yourself, it MUST be dated before being put in the refrigerator, and it SHOULD fulfill a purpose (e.g., ingredients for a recipe being prepared at the space).

END Rules Review: PERISHABLE Items Policy

In case of power outage

DO NOT open fridge or freezer unless ABSOLUTELY necessary.

Opening doors will spoil items. For every second a door is open, add 15 minutes to the fridge outage clock.

Monitor fridge thermostats/logs in Home Assistant or, if UPS has expired, directly over wireless comms if possible.

• Check items for spoilage, especially milk
  • If >2 days, prepare to discard all [[#PERISHABLE]]s.
• If an outage longer than 24 hours is anticipated, Acquire 10lbs of dry ice.
  • Don't pay much more than $20 for 10 pounds of dry ice.
  • Check welding supply and welding gas stores; they often have/generate dry ice, and cheap.
  • Supermarkets like Winco and Safeway may have it, but at a much higher price (Safeway's price is $40 for 10lbs worth.)
  • 8 pounds of dry ice in the freezer and 2 pounds in the top shelf of the fridge will keep them maintained for between 2 and 5 days.
  • Exercise caution when handling dry ice; use gloves to handle and avoid skin contact.
• If dry ice runs out, is not replenished, or was not acquired:
  • Dispose of thawed [[#PERISHABLE]] freezer items
    • Cook immediately if <6 hours or <45 deg
    • Discard if >6 hours or >60 deg
    • Use better judgment on e.g., ice cream, freezer pops, refreezable items etc

Settings

The refrigerator controls should be set at # for the fridge and # for the freezer. [TODO: Verify against current settings]

The temperature of the freezer should be below -2ºC (27ºF), and the refrigerator at or below 3ºC (36ºF) but above 1ºC (34ºF).

If the temperatures are discovered to be above freezing in the freezer, and above 40ºF in the refrigerator for an unknown period of time, follow [[#in_case_of_power_outage|the power outage procedure]] on this page, and then ensure the settings are correct.

If the temperatures are off and the numbers set are correct, adjust the refrigerator controls as needed. This should be unlikely, but may occur if the space is very hot or very cold.

If the temperatures continue not to improve, the refrigerator will need replacement or service. Contact the Facilities department.

Care and Cleaning

Make sure fridge door is closed and latched shut prior to leaving the space.

Fridge door sensors can be viewed in [[:software:home-assistant]].

Cleaning

Clean up spills immediately!! Do not let them dry on, crust over or get sticky.

More specific cleaning procedures can be found in the [[#manual]].

Inside

Use light cleaners/detergents, rags or clean sponges, and warm to hot water to break up sticky patches.

Do not use a dank old musty sponge on food storage or preparation surfaces, please!

Do not use bleach, vinegar, or ammonia, especially on freezer. Chemicals and flavors may leach into food, especially in the freezer, causing "freezer taste".

Front and sides

Remove magnets, and wash like kitchen countertops. Don't use heavy solvents or abrasives.

Rear, coils

Vacuum dust from coils quarterly. Swiffer or dust-wipe the coils occasionally to prevent dust buildup.

Maintenance

Ensure that the coils on the back of the fridge are vacuumed/swiffered about quarterly, and any dust or cobweb buildup is knocked down.

Defrost procedure

This refrigerator is a "No-Frost" feature model. It will automatically run a defrost cycle if the thermostat and cycle pressure senses a freeze condition. When this happens, you may hear water dripping onto a pan on the compressor motor in order to evaporate it; this is normal.

(In the event that the automatic defrost procedure fails, check the source code of this page for the manual procedure below this paragraph.)

Manuals

{{ :space:kitchen:roper_refrigerator_rt12dk_use_and_care_guide.pdf |ROPER Refrigerator RT12DK Use and Care Guide}}

Parts

Parts may be difficult to find. Refer to the major model type, "RT12DK" for parts searches; the exact model number brings up drop-ship suppliers with poor delivery and availability track records.