Reddit mentions of AcuRite 00986 Refrigerator Thermometer with 2 Wireless Temperature Sensors & Customizable Alarms for Fridge & Freezer, Standard

Good luck to you, but frankly I think you're trying to create a solution to a problem that doesn't exist. Here's how I already solve all these issues:

1. When I use a bulk item and I notice it's getting low, I write it on my magnetic laminated shopping list that lives on the fridge with a dry erase maker. I add the list to my groceries app before I go shopping. Total cost, $1.50.
   
   
2. Food going bad for temperature control reasons is extremely rare. Almost to the point of being not worth spending anything to prevent it. But I'll bite. I bought $500 worth of beef directly from a rancher years ago. Because if that i have a two channel battery powered fridge/freezer monitor/alarm from Amazon AcuRite 00986A2 Refrigerator/Freezer Wireless Digital Thermometer It has an audible alarm, records high\low temps and works quite well for the entire fridge and freezer. $25
   
   
3. I don't even know how I would use this. Either I would need 40 of these devices to track most of the kitchen staples I own, or it's a game of roulette that I put it on the container that I'm going to misplace next. Do people really lose things in their kitchen that often?
   
   Like I said, good luck. I hope this is a amazing success and I'm just an outlying laggard. People who want smart home everything, or people addicted to buying kitchen uni-taskers are probably going to be your core customer.
   
   All the best.
   

I mean, something like this doesn't seem so complex. Latches are great, but sometimes they can be the thing that keeps the door open, and they don't alert you to things like a blown circuit breaker or GFCI.

Which reminds me - we just got a deep freezer and have been meaning to pick up an alarm. Thanks for reminding me!

>you can reasonably assume people don't go turn a fridge off.

Firstly it's never safe to make assumptions about human behaviour/mistakes. That's what gets people killed/things damaged.

> The massive cost of having UPS of sufficient size to keep a fridge running for every sample fridge in the CSIRO would be enormous.


Secondly, with that kind of thinking you should fit right in in the public sector. You can get a $30 temp sensor alarm that would have alerted them to the problem. They should have had that regardless in case the fridge became faulty or a fault developed in that outlet/fuse. Idiots can't even safeguard a fridge with millions of dollars worth of samples.

sensor

I was looking at this myself http://amzn.to/2ukXDzh but haven't bought it yet. Traveling a lot means getting Amazon is a bit tricky..

Want to track your fridge/freezer temps while you drive? Try using the AcuRite 00986A2 Refrigerator/Freezer Wireless Digital Thermometer, you put the sensors in the fridge/freezer and you can keep the readout in your truck while driving. Amazon has it here, but I think you can find it cheaper elsewhere for longer shipping times.

Something like this?

Just one cheap example I found. Looking into fridge/freezer thermometers should give you options. Just check the specs to make sure the listed temperature range works for you.

Edit: Didn't read clearly. Not wireless. I found this one instead, which does display 2 temps, but both are remote sensors. Maybe a backyard temp and a greenhouse temp, keep her focus off the indoor temp altogether.

An unnoticeable fridge failure seems like probably once in a lifetime occurrence. I think I would notice if my fridge inched up a few degrees because I like really cold drinks, but that's me. Anyhow, I would just keep using the regular refrigerator, and if you're worried get something like this with an alarm if it gets too warm.

http://www.amazon.com/ACU_RITE-Refrigerator-Wireless-Thermometer-00986/dp/B004QJVU78/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1381248602&sr=8-5&keywords=refrigerator+thermometer

When you say it will be outside where will it be outside?

Also keep the freezer full with water jugs, once the water is frozen it will act as its own battery keeping the freezer cold. Using a freezer alarm will let you know if you are having issues with the freezer so you do not lose all the food, but you should have that for any outdoor freezer.

If you don't mind a slightly lesser output than the Sportsman 6000/7500 dual-fuel, I'd recommend:

Champion 100231 dual fuel for $680.
5500/6900W (5000/6250 on propane)
Up to 10 hrs on 6.1 gal (6.5 hrs on 20 lb propane) at 50% load
74 dBA
3 year warranty
TSC link

There is also a similar non dual-fuel for $650 at TSC, Champion 100452 if you don't need dual fuel. I didn't link it but you can search for it on TSC.


If you can go even lower, Champion 100519 for $850.
5000/6250W inverter
Up to 12.5 hrs on 4 gal at 25% load
69 dBA
3 year warranty
Acme preorder

Both generators have a 3 year warranty vs Sportsman 1 year, both are quieter (I think Sportsman is spec'd at 80 dBA), both are mor efficient.

Sportsman would use up 16.5 gal/day (9 hrs @ 50% load on 6.2 gal).
Champion 100231 would use up 14.6 gal/day (10 hrs @ 50% load on 6.1 gal)
Champion 100519 would use up 7.7 gal/day (12.5 hrs @ 25% load on 4 gal)

Up to you to decide what works best.
The non inverters have more output but is louder and the output is not pure sine wave, so some electronics and UPS backups will not run off AC power when hooked up to a non inverter generator. Sensitive electronics won't like it either.

Inverter generators are quieter and more efficient. They are rated at 25% but you have to realize that 25% of 5000W is 1250W. Your emergency backup loads will usually be under that, except when your fridge or well or large loads kick in. You save a boatload of gas going the inverter route. (Example: ethanol free gas @ $4.30 a gallon would be approx. $25 - $30 per day in operating costs when comparing 7.7 gal/day vs 14.6 gal/day). Also think about how much gas you would have to store, you'd need approximately double to go non-inverter with above options.

I know it's not quite apples to apples, so you need to decide what matters to you. Do you want dual fuel (keep in mind running on propane will reduce the output by ~ 10%), does noise level matter, do you want to run as long as you can with the gas that you have at hand, etc.

I had used a 3500/4000 Champion to power a 1/3 or 1/2hp well pump and it handled it with a 32" TV, my linear compressor fridge, some fans, lights. When not running the well, I could run my furnace or a portable 10kBTU air conditioner. That said, I feel like the inverter generator at 5000/6250 I linked above would probably let me run both. If you throw an additional large appliance like chest freezer in to the mix, then I'm guessing you might be pushing your luck and might have to turn one thing off but if you're willing to do that, then the inverter might be a good choice for you.

I put these sensors in my refrigerator and chest freezer to monitor the temps so I could turn off the freezer if needed to run other loads (washer, portable air, etc) which helped me get by with a smaller generator and still make sure my chilled stuff stayed cold Accu-rite sensors

best = time + money + features you want

if all you need to do is measure temperature, you can do that very easily and reliably with any of the AcuRite wireless thermometers. Here's a random one with two sensors from Amazon https://www.amazon.com/AcuRite-00986A2-Refrigerator-Wireless-Thermometer/dp/B004QJVU78/ref=pd_sim_86_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=YXWRSAYM2NAPCQJWSVP8

Acurite has lots of models. Amazon link above can be used to get to the list of the various models they carry. Typically we get them at the local Home Depot or Lowe's type store, but I've even seen them in grocery stores.

If you go the sensor way, you could even run weewx on a pi to aggregate your data and do graphs etc. I do that with an outside building via a pi with a DS18B20 sensor that serves up the data via nginx to a different box inside running weewx.

The ESP8266 way somebody else mentioned looks fun though.