Should I put a Ferris Wheel in my Fridge?

[PegasusIX]

For my top loading fridge I had 5 Perspex boxes made up to fit shape of fridge. Two side by side in two top levels. I made up as cardboard template boxes to make sure they would fit, then took to a plastic fabricator. Stops food getting squashed, keeps things together and easy to find. Things you use less often in the bottom, meat etc at the bottom to keep cooler, and condiments and things you use a lot at the top.

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by Sailshabby

If you bred Arctic Hamsters (closely related to Siberian Hamsters, which are currently unavailable due to the Ukrainian thing) and used a hamster wheel, you could no doubt train them to search out and hand up requested items. I know a guy who knows a guy who’s Siberian/Arctic mix has developed an internal clock and has a cold beer ready when he gets home from work. Wish I’d have thought of it first.

Excellent idea, needs to go near the top of the ToDo list!

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

You could put all that effort into organizing the fridge or into modify the access.

[...]

That looks quite interesting! You'd still need to leave enough room to slide the trays to the side? Can you get them out (e.g. for cleaning) by tilting them on the rails?

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by hzcruiser

That looks quite interesting! You'd still need to leave enough room to slide the trays to the side? Can you get them out (e.g. for cleaning) by tilting them on the rails?

I will be able to get all the trays out to clean them however the top frame will not be removable without removing the track. About 3/4 of the volume is usable by the sliding trays without having to lift out anything else. Since the box is fairly large this will be the case pretty well all the time. The only configuration which would provide more usable volume is the drawer system.

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

I will be able to get all the trays out to clean them however the top frame will not be removable without removing the track. About 3/4 of the volume is usable by the sliding trays without having to lift out anything else. Since the box is fairly large this will be the case pretty well all the time. The only configuration which would provide more usable volume is the drawer system.

OK, yes, stacked drawers might be the most efficient way, but I like your rails, too! Not sure if they would tend to slide back and forth in heavy seas?

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by PegasusIX

For my top loading fridge I had 5 Perspex boxes made up to fit shape of fridge. Two side by side in two top levels. I made up as cardboard template boxes to make sure they would fit, then took to a plastic fabricator. Stops food getting squashed, keeps things together and easy to find. Things you use less often in the bottom, meat etc at the bottom to keep cooler, and condiments and things you use a lot at the top.

Do you have any pics? Do the boxes have lanyards to lift them out?

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by hzcruiser

OK, yes, stacked drawers might be the most efficient way, but I like your rails, too! Not sure if they would tend to slide back and forth in heavy seas?

The rails run for and aft so should be stable against roll if there is a problem with the boat pitching I will need to have a locking system but I suspect that it will not be necessary.

[JAFO]

Originally Posted by Manateeman

Why do you post stuff like this...it will only give my manatee crew MORE crazy ideas. We have a regular commercial refrigerator with a door so I can tell if they have thrown out regular food and replaced it with beer. My freezer has nothing but pizza. Welcome to my world.
Mark

Wait.. your boat is loaded up with beer & pizza, and you're complaining?

[hzcruiser]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

The rails run for and aft so should be stable against roll if there is a problem with the boat pitching I will need to have a locking system but I suspect that it will not be necessary.

OK, that's good. Mine would have to go athwardships.

[Triumph]

I use lingerie bags. The zippers are nylon and will not rust. These are the bags used in the washer at home for small items. They are about 2 gallons in size. It makes it easy to retrieve things quickly

Bill on TRIUMPH

[Celestialsailor]

That's a clever and inexpensive way of doing it.

[Coltrek]

Originally Posted by RaymondR

The problem with lust stacking everything in, no matter how it's packaged, is that with time it tends to get all frozen together in one big mass. And even if it does not you have to remove everything on top to the stuff on the bottom.

On my previous boat I put horizontal cleats along the inside walls and used pieces of ply with holes cut out into which I could suspend plastic containers. I could slide the containers back and forward to get at the lower layers.

I am in the process of rebuilding the box in the boat I have now but instead of plywood supports have SS steam table trays suspended on frames with rillers which roll on SS rails.

Ready access to everything in the box and high packing density are what needs to be achieved. If you have the room the newer drawer type refrigerators achieve this nicely.

I would love to see a picture of this!

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Coltrek

I would love to see a picture of this!

Busy with autopilot problems at the moment but when I finish putting the top rail in I will be doing a trial fit and will post some images then.

[Icarus]

Originally Posted by grantmc

That's an awesome idea.

No, it's nonsense

[RaymondR]

Originally Posted by Icarus

No, it's nonsense

No, it is actually awesome.

I was doing my morning coffee and newspaper thing at my favorite diner this morning and, having finished the paper, but having a couple of sips of coffee left, starting pondering on the OPs idea.

One of those blinding flashes of inspiration, which had I been standing up would have driven me to my knees, struck me and I realized that the "ferris wheel" refrigerator configuration would be an excellent way to build a eutectic refrigerator.

Now, instead of using just an axle we have a cylindrical eutectic tank for the axle. Being in the middle it would be in proximity to all the buckets. It would not rotate and the bucket cage would have a number of cam rollers fitted in order to rotate around it.

If one then used a motor with a planetary gearbox and a worm drive on the bucket cage you could power rotate the buckets around and with a timer do so at intervals do that all the buckets experienced the colder part at the bottom of the box. This drive arrangement would be on a pinned attachment at the off worm end so that the cage and buckets could be rotated manually.

I think it's a brilliant idea and would implement it myself if I didn't have my fridge rebuild 3/4 parts done.