# This could be a useful tip



## scept1c (May 10, 2005)

Apologies if you've heard this before but it may prove useful to some.

A Useful Tip : A Coin in the Freezer

WHY YOU SHOULD ALWAYS PUT A COIN IN THE FREEZER BEFORE YOU LEAVE HOME.

Have you ever come home from vacation, business trip or maybe a long weekend away with the family - and noticed your digital clocks flashing the wrong time? You quickly realize that you had a power outage while you were away, but it's basically impossible to tell when it occurred or how long it lasted. It's therefore also impossible to tell just how long the food in your freezer may have thawed, gotten destroyed and then frozen again. Or is it?

But the trick is certainly also good to know in case of any prolonged departure from your home - and will ease your mind about whether or not the food in your freezer is good to eat - or best be thrown out right away. The trick lies in the magical combination of three simple but effective tools everyone already has at home: a mug, a coin and some tap water.
You put a cup of water in your freezer. Freeze it solid, then put a coin on top of it and leave it in your freezer. That way, when you come back after you've been away, you can tell if your food went completely bad and just refroze, or if it stayed frozen while you were gone._

_If the coin has fallen to the bottom of the cup, that means all the food defrosted and you should throw it out. But if the coin is either on the top or in the middle of the cup, your food may still be ok. It would be a great idea to leave this in your freezer all the time. Then, if you lose power for any reason, you will have this tip to fall back on._

_If you don't feel good about your food, just throw it out. The main thing is for all to be safe._

SIMPLE, EFFECTIVE - AND DEFINITELY A MONEY SAVER, BECAUSE YOU DON'T HAVE TO TOSS OUT LOADS OF FOOD UNNECESSARILY.


----------



## Zebedee (Oct 3, 2007)

Thanks for passing that on Scept1c

What a simple but clever idea. Wish I had thought of it. :wink2:


----------



## HermanHymer (Dec 5, 2008)

Wow, some people are so clever!


----------



## Spacerunner (Mar 18, 2006)

Neat!


----------



## rayc (Jun 3, 2008)

I am all in favour of useful suggestions and ideas but could you not achieve the same result with an ice cube sat on a saucer? Come back and it is still an ice cube then no defrosting has taken place. If it is deformed looking like an iceberg floating on the sea then some defrosting has taken place. If just a pool of frozen water then total defrosting took place.


----------



## cabby (May 14, 2005)

Best way for you to find out is maybe try both ways and let us know the result rayc.:surprise::surprise:

cabby


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Just ask yourself how long you have been without power, on any single occasion, in the last 10 years and and then ask yourself how long the contents of your freezer would take to de-frost. 

I suspect the first number, time without power, is much less than the second, time for contents to even partially defrost (remember you won't be there so the door will remain firmly shut) 

So although this seems like a clever idea, when looked at a little more closely and logically it seems less clever, and borders on the pointless really. 

Sorry!

Andy


----------



## jo662 (Jul 27, 2010)

Good one,thanks!:smile2:


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Mrplodd said:


> *Just ask yourself how long you have been without power, on any single occasion, *in the last 10 years and and then ask yourself how long the contents of your freezer would take to de-frost.
> 
> I suspect the first number, time without power, is much less than the second, time for contents to even partially defrost (remember you won't be there so the door will remain firmly shut)
> 
> ...


Andy

For most home freezers in UK you may be right, except for floods and overhead power-lines down in certain ares, when the periods might be days.

In other countries it is different, as lack of power may last longer, and MHers may be relying on EHU for freezers in those countries, maybe not a problem on site, as they will not be away from the MH for long enough not to notice, but even then do you want to run the engine all night to keep the freezer going? Others have MHs in temporary storage and may not empty the freezer if on EHU.

We have left our MH with friends in rural France on EHU for 3 weeks and I cannot remember whether we emptied the freezer(compartment). I think the friends were there all the time as it happened, but had they not been we could have used this technique to check on return.

Geoff


----------



## Mrplodd (Mar 4, 2008)

Geoff

I TOTALLY missed the obvious purpose of this thread :sign3:

I was thinking of home freezers NOT freezers in motorhomes etc for which this tip is brilliant.

But in my defence the OP did say to do this before leaving home!!

I will now slink away looking suitably contrite (and dopey) 

Andy


----------



## nicholsong (May 26, 2009)

Andy

Do not castigate yourself lad - the OP reference was indeed to leaving 'home' and returning 'home'.

I just extended it to other countries than UK and to MHs in those countries, for which the same trick would work, and might be more necessary due to less reliable electric supplies - Basia's Sister in rural Turkey often loses supply for a day or more.

Geoff


----------



## Glandwr (Jun 12, 2006)

Being someone who lives in a house that regularly had power cuts of days at a time a couple of decades ago. (2 miles of over head cables) l can assure you that you will have no doubt if your freezer had defrosted and re frozen. All things that were separate are solid. Hard to miss. Save your coins for spending, a triumph for logic over reality methinks.

Dick


----------

