modifying temp range on refridgerator

[simoncnx]

I live in the north of Thailand....   most recipies say "maintain at room temp for xxxhrs"  room temp is anywhere from 25degc to 40degc; way too hot.  so my idea was to buy a fridge for cooling drinks and set it to 18degc.  But you CAN'T.  there were 2 trpes of temp regulators available; digital and mechanical.  the digital controllers were limited to the rance 0 to 10 degc   and the mechanical i tried on the minimum setting averaged at about 9 degc.  Anyone know how to dismantle either and modify it so i can go up to 18 degc?

any help gratefully received

[BethGi]

Have you tried adding an on-off control? (The type I bought is usually used to turn lights on and off when you are away from home.)So you could plug the refrigerator in to that, and program the control to cycle it on and off. Get a small temperature sensor for inside the refrigerator, and you will be able to see how it does -- most give you a minimum and maximum history so you can, with some playing around, figure out how often to cycle it 'on' to keep it closer to the temperature you want. On my unit, I have managed to keep the interior within about 5 degrees (F) of where I want it.