How To Isolate Section of 12 V Freezer To Use As Refrigerator?

Van Living Forum

Help Support Van Living Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
I keep the thermostat at 38 degrees on the fridge side and 16 degrees on the freezer side.

I tested the internal temps with two digital thermometers by setting one probe at the bottom of the left side of the freezer (where it dips down next to the compressor) and the other probe was near the top of the right side of the freezer. After many hours of testing and noting the temps I can see that the bottom of the freezer stays about 2 degrees cooler than the upper section.

Next testing will be with strategically placed sheets of foam.
 
Meaning that you would wrap the stuff you want refrigerated in the freezer compartment in aluminum foil?
Many people really do struggle with understanding how reflecting radiant heat works. There is obviously no radiant heat inside a freezer compartment to reflect. Do not bother to wrap foods in aluminum for the freezer if the goal is to make them colder in the freezer. If it did anything it would just make a very small slowing down of getting that food to the freezing temperature. Just wrap the food the same way as you would for a freezer in a house. But of course get rid of excess bulky, space hogging packaging.
 
Last edited:
Many people really do struggle with understanding how reflecting radiant heat works .....
A lot of people don't understand how insulation works:
Insulation just slows down the transfer of heat, it doesn't stop it. Items in an insulated part of a freezer (away from cooling coils) will eventually freeze. How long that takes depends on how good the insulation is and how often you open the lid. You have to experiment to get the right combination to keep things from freezing.
 
Many people really do struggle with understanding how reflecting radiant heat works. There is obviously no radiant heat inside a freezer compartment to reflect. Do not bother to wrap foods in aluminum for the freezer if the goal is to make them colder in the freezer. If it did anything it would just make a very small slowing down of getting that food to the freezing temperature. Just wrap the food the same way as you would for a freezer in a house. But of course get rid of excess bulky, space hogging packaging.
I don’t want to make it colder. I am hoping to isolate a section of the freezer so I can use it for refrigerated stuff.
 
A lot of people don't understand how insulation works:
Insulation just slows down the transfer of heat, it doesn't stop it. Items in an insulated part of a freezer (away from cooling coils) will eventually freeze. How long that takes depends on how good the insulation is and how often you open the lid. You have to experiment to get the right combination to keep things from freezing.
Right. I will experiment with foam to see if between opening the freezer lid and loss around the edges of the closed lid plus the fridge/freezer box in general if I can prevent the isolated section from freezing. Set at 16 degrees now, even ice cream stored on the bottom stays fairly soft. I don’t see myself putting vegetables in there but other stuff could be ok.
 
Top