upright freezers...frost-free or manual defrost
I was wondering if it's safe to store a frost-free freezer in the garage?? Had heard that it's not good for it because of the outdoor temps confusing the defrosting sensor and therefore defrosting more often than it needs to. Does anyone know how accurate that is?? Or if there's a way to turn off the automatic defrost on one of these??
Thanks!!
There's another thread here that discusses this. Of course search isn't finding it :-(
Bottom line, freezers may be OK in an unheated garage in Chicago winters (check your owners manual, I posted what my new one said), but most combination refrigerator freezers WILL NOT WORK IN THE COLD.
The reason is simple. They have a single compressor system, with a thermostat in the fridge. But it's the freezer section that is actually cooled, and the fridge gets cooled by convection. What happens is that in 40 degree weather the fridge thermostat thinks everything is fine, so it doesn't run the compressor. Then your freezer defrosts because the compressor thinks it doesn't have to run to keep the food cold. Even at 20 degrees, your freezer won't defrost, but it won't be as cold as it should be. You're in trouble any time the temperature is between your normal fridge temp and the normal freezer temp.
Plus, on real cold winter days, like we had last winter, the stuff in your fridge could freeze.
IIRC I saw a unit called the GLADIATOR that was specifically designed for garage use, but it wasn't cheap. They've even got a Freezerator which has a small fridge compartment on top, with a big freezer on the bottom, the opposite of your typical fridge. It's over a thousand bucks!
We got an upright frost-free for our garage and it will be fine, like our last one, according to my hubby.
Also, wanted you to know that the freezer deal at Jewel is usually in February, if you need more info on that let me know.
The upright we found was brand new on craigslist under $100 - we were soooo lucky.
and i even considered doing the freezer deal at jewel earlier this year just to get the free food and then to turn around and sell one of the freezers.....and who knows that may be a possibility for next year but I'm to the point where i can't find or organize anything in my freezer and am so anxious for an upright! never wanted a deep freezer because i knew i'd run into the problem of not being able to find anything but on the flip they're so much cheaper which is why i settled for one.
I would love to hear more about the freezer deal. I have heard mention of it but don't really know the details. Thanks!
We have an automatic fridge/freezer in our garage and yes, in the cold temps, the freezer stops working. I never realized it was "defrosting", but that sure makes sense. We just keep our meat inside in the winter and only keep bread out in the garage freezer. I'd also like to know if there's a way to turn that automatic defrost off because maybe that would solve our problem!!
We have one of the Jewel freezers, which are manual defrost, and it has been happily living in our garage for almost 2 years now. The advantage to having a manual are yes, you can keep it in the garage -- but it also keeps things frozen much longer than a frost-free. Especially for things like meats and ice cream, which are affected by the constant warming/cooling cycles of a frost free -- you can deep-freeze these items much longer.
(A frost-free keeps itself free of frost by sending warm air periodically around the inside perimeter of the freezer -- which is tough on meats and also causes ice cream to grow those "crystals" on top.)
Is there a way to turn that feature off?
You can't -- it's built-in. You would need a manual defrost freezer to get around that "feature."
(And, while frost-free is great in a fridge/freezer, a non-frost-free is better for long term storage. I think people get scared when they hear they must defrost it manually, but I've had mine almost two years and it barely has a tiny dusting of frost on some walls. I think I keep it so packed that frost barely has a chance to form..! :)
My old manual defrost upright would have 2" of ice over the shelf coils in less than a year. I had to defrost it annually just to get the space back. We kept it in the basement right next to the sump pump, so we'd consume stuff and not restock, then transfer what was left to coolers. We sped defrosting by putting a hose on the hot water heater, and used a garden sprayer to melt the ice off with the hot water. Simultaneously defrosts the freezer and drains the bottom of the hot water tank! All the water would just drain into the sump.
Manual defrost IS more energy efficient, and the frost free feature speeds freezer burn. But it's also a PITA!
How old was it? Truly, everyone I know with the Jewel Igloo freezers isn't experiencing much of a frost issue at all -- as long as you keep it pretty full.
1997. We needed it when we had our Sams membership. Can't recall if we bought it there, or at one of the other big box stores. It was one of the first units with the new ozone friendly refrigerant. The frost was an issue as long as we had it. Replaced it the first of the year.
Is the Jewel Igloo a chest or upright? It may be less of an issue with the chest freezers, which are more efficient, but again more of a PITA.
The Jewel Igloo is a chest freezer. Let's see if I can convince DH that we should get one this year. ;) We have an upright already, so he wan't too keen on getting another freezer last Jan. or Feb. when the deal hit Jewel.
I'm not sure I've got room for another one. Too much junk and clutter already. Not sure that SWMBO wants another monolith in the basement. Well, actually I am, she doesn't.
Recent comments
2 hours 18 sec ago
3 hours 53 min ago
4 hours 10 sec ago
4 hours 51 min ago
4 hours 56 min ago
5 hours 3 min ago
5 hours 18 min ago
5 hours 29 min ago
6 hours 16 min ago
6 hours 35 min ago