Freezer page

[jostle]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a large freezer? Size? New/ Second Hand? Energy Efficiency? Chest or Upright? OK in a TX Garage? Alarm to know power has been off for substantial amount of time?

Right now I'm looking into purchasing a 10Cuft chest freezer. I think this should fit 1/4 comfortably and allow for more space for other freezer items.

[hannahc]

Check Craigslist, that's where we got our freezer second hand. We went with an upright, but a chest freezer is good too I think. My husband wants to get a thermometer/alarm as soon as we get it filled with meat in case it shuts off...he's such a planner


The only reason I would have wanted a new one would have been for the energy star rating to save energy, but the cost savings of second hand was far greater.

[Nick]

From reviews I've read (considering getting one myself) the upright models are in some cases atrociously bad. One GE model was mentioned by consumer reports as being 40 degrees F for food placed in the storage on the door (as opposed to 0). Chest freezers are better because the lids tend to be impossible to leave open accidentally unless you just leave them completely open in an obvious way (not 'cracked'), and the cold air stays in the freezer when you open it, as opposed to piling out onto your floor when you open an upright. Some chest freezers are so efficient, folks will rework the thermostat and use them as a super-low power fridge (they can use as little as a tenth the power of a normal upright refrigerator due to better insulation, the chest form factor, and compressor quality).


There are basically three manufacturers of freezers: Haier (China), Frigidaire (mfg. in US and Canada), and W.C. Wood (Canada). They all make freezers for other labels..Kenmore, Westinghouse, GE, Amana, etc. Frigidaire makes stuff for Tappan, WC Wood makes them for Amana, multiple brands make Kenmore and GE.


My impression of the quality is about what you would expect, in rank order: WC Wood, Frigidaire, and then Haier. Cost proceeds likewise.


I would figure out how big a chest freezer you need/how big the space available is (don't forget room to open the lid and 3" on each side for heat disposal), then figure out your budget/quality tolerance/desire to not buy things made in Chinese sweatshops. Then when you go shopping, grill the salespeople, get down there and peek at the manufacturing info on the compressor and on the back of the unit and figure out who made it.

[Nick]

Oh, in addition to the temp alarm, another feature to consider is whether it has an active or passive defrost. Some come with a heater coil so that you can defrost the whole thing in under an hour, and get your food back into it. If it's passive, you'll have to find some way to keep your food cool (or just eat it all and buy more afterward) for 8-12 hours while it melts (also, make sure you position it somewhere where it can just naturally drain out the side port..along the built-in slope in your garage, etc.).


Most decent models will be okay in a Texas garage (we had an upright in Austin from the time I was one or two that lasted through a move and then I finally sold as part of my mom's estate 25 years later, still working fine). If you live somewhere especially humid, it might have more difficulty (and if you're in Houston you should just rethink where you live anyway .

[egmutza]

FYI: You could probably get by with a smaller freezer and still have plenty of room for 1/4 cow and then some. We have a 7.2 cuft chest freezer, and we're doing just that. I'd recommend it, but I remember the instructions saying not to put it outside.