What type of freezer is best?

[RunsWithDeer]

The company I work for recently purchased a company that makes home freezers which went bankrupt. I have been helping get things going again and have learned a lot about freezers.

There are two main types of freezers upright and chest, here's some pro's and con's on each.

Upright freezers:
Pro's: Easier to access food, can separate types of food on shelves. Less digging for what you are looking for. Takes up a smaller footprint than a chest.
Con's: Hard to use all available space efficiently.

Chest freezers:
Pro's: You can fill up the available space more effectively. Can fit some really large items that won't fit in an upright.
Con's: Takes up more area. Have to bend over to reach the bottom. Hard to sort through what is being stored.

There is one other consideration, that I think is the most important. No frost of manual defrost?

No frost:
Pro's: Convenient, don't have to defrost.
Con's: Initial cost to buy is a lot more. Less energy efficient, takes 40% more energy. Defrost cycle acts to dry out food, and makes freezer burn more probable.

Manual defrost:
Pro's: A lot more energy efficient than a no frost model. Does not tend to dry out food as bad, less likely to get freezer burn. Costs less to buy.
Con's: You have to manually defrost ice from the coils, depending on how often you get in the freezer and humidity added, could be just once a year, or as much as every 2-3 months.

Note, chest freezers are only available in manual defrost.

I used my employee discount to buy a new upright manual defrost.

Anyone have other considerations?

[your_comforting_company]

My grandma's chest freezer came with a rack system to help keep veggies and meat seperate. It adds a little to the organization of the freezer, making things easier to locate.
I prefer chest freezers myself, because I'm working with limited space. The freezer itself has a larger footprint, but you can fit way more groceries in there than the upright my neighbor has.
We usually clean / defrost ours once a year, which is also a good time to cull items that might be past their prime. It's a fair trade-off, to me, to have more storage space, for a few hours work each year.

[Batch]

I have a chest freezer. Because things are packed more densely I feel it helps keep the food during a power outage.

We went without power for more than a week after Wilma hit in '05. Food kept pretty good. Just keep the lid closed as much as possible.

As far as the door and keeping cold air in. Picture that heavy cold air at the bottom of the freezer. When you open a chest style freezer it swirls a bit but mostly stays on the bottom.

Now picture opening that upright door. where is all that heavy cold air going?

[Rick]

I have an upright freezer primarily for the footprint. It's in the garage and I didn't want to take up a lot of room. I actually have no complaints with it. Really easy to find stuff quickly, which means the door is not open for very long. Of course, any time you open an upright the cold air spills out.

My parents had a chest freezer that was great, too, but finding stuff in it could be a pain sometimes. That means the door is open longer but the sides trap the cold air like a bucket so you don't loose as much when you open the door, IMHO.

[kyratshooter]

growing up we had 1 of each.

the chest type will hold 2x as much for ther same cf size rating. We could get half a beef and a whole hog in ours. We kept the upright for fruits and veggies.

I had an upright in the garage and it was plenty for the wife and I but not a cargo hauler by any means. You just can't pack stuff in there like with a chest.

In addition, we used to keep a peice of cardboard over the food in the chest freezer as added insulation around the seal. I have seen the power go out for two days and nothing in that freezer even start to thaw. First words out of my mom's mouth in a power outage was "do not open the freezer".

[Rick]

And in other news. Two locals found starved to death with a freezer full of beef and pork after the two week power outage. Scrawled on the front of the freezer were the fateful words, "Don't open the freezer".

[SARKY]

Another con for upright freezers is everytime you open it up the cold air dumps out. Basic law of physics, cold air sinks, warm air rises.
With a proper rack system a chest freezer is easy to use effectively.

[RunsWithDeer]

Another point I learned is a full freezer stabilizes temperature more efficiently due to the increased thermal mass, especially when opening and closing the door. It is recommended to keep frozen milk jugs with water, or other water filled containers, to take up empty space.

[SARKY]

You can also use stacks of news papers to fill the voids.

[lennyjonn]

As far as other uses for freezers. I was working in Prescott. AZ. and about 5-6 years ago two things happened there involving freezers. First a serial killer had put one of his victims into a chest freezer inside a rental truck and parked the truck alongside his mothers house. he ran a cord inside to provide power for the freezer. I think he was apprehended when the truck lic. plate was finally run and came back rented/stolen. The second incident was a man whose wife died in a local nursing him. The widower picked her up from the home, (no law against it) and brought her home, placing her in a chest freezer he had in back of the house. When a neighbor finally got curious the cops found the dead old lady and 7 dead cats in the freezer. The widower explained he didn't have the money for cryonics?? remember Ted Williams head? and was keeping her there until he could afford the process. As an aside I think there was also a pack or two of tater tots, some mixed veggies and a freezer burned rump roast alongside the wife and cats. All true except for the last. Made a funny story at work.

[your_comforting_company]

You can also use stacks of news papers to fill the voids.

Or bottles of whiskey..

(teasing):wine:

[crashdive123]

I've always heard that chest freezers are more efficient for all of the reasons stated. That's why I got one. Now, my house being so small, where to put it became an issue. I had an idea one day. To save space, I stood it on end. Voila!

I think 2D2K is rubbing off on me. :innocent:

[Rick]

http://www.thinksafetysigns.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/doh-homer-simpson.jpg

[Alaskan Survivalist]

I'm partail to uprights. Chest freezers are more difficult to get at things. I also have things stored on top of my upright.

[Winnie]

I'm with you AS. I much prefer the upright type so much easier to arrange. I did have a chest freezer but got rid of it after I did myself a mischief when I tipped into it.

[klickitat]

I prefer a chest freezer. Yes they can be a pain in the butt, however we bought a bunch of milk crates to sort everything and can pull crates out to get to food.

Here is an idea for your company. Make a crate system that fits perfectly to your chest freezers. Make them color coded and sell them as an accessory. The profit on that accessory system would be better than the freezers themselves.

[Rick]

I do hope your nickers weren't showing. Stuck in the freezer and broadcasting to the world. What an embarrassing predicament.

[2dumb2kwit]

I've always heard that chest freezers are more efficient for all of the reasons stated. That's why I got one. Now, my house being so small, where to put it became an issue. I had an idea one day. To save space, I stood it on end. Voila!

I think 2D2K is rubbing off on me. :innocent:

It's scary...yet some how liberating, all at the same time, isn't it??? LOL :blushing::clap::innocent:

[2dumb2kwit]

I'm with you AS. I much prefer the upright type so much easier to arrange. I did have a chest freezer but got rid of it after I did myself a mischief when I tipped into it.

Aaaahahahahahaha!!!
Oh, wait......we weren't supposed to laugh, were we?:blushing:
I'm sorry.:innocent:

[2dumb2kwit]

I do hope your nickers weren't showing. Stuck in the freezer and broadcasting to the world. What an embarrassing predicament.

Nickers.....that's English for thong, right?:innocent: LOL

[Winnie]

It wasn't a very pleasant experience, there was no knicker exposure involved, just injured pride and a deep wish I was 6" taller.
Oh and thong is thong in English too!

[rwc1969]

There's a lot of good info in this thread, and I'm considering buying a small 5 cf chest freezer. I do have a couple questions.

Would it be ok to use cardboard boxes to separate items?

When you defrost these how long does it take and where do you put the goods while it's defrosting?

[crashdive123]

There's a lot of good info in this thread, and I'm considering buying a small 5 cf chest freezer. I do have a couple questions.

Would it be ok to use cardboard boxes to separate items?

When you defrost these how long does it take and where do you put the goods while it's defrosting?

Cardboard separaters work fine. As for defrosting - I put it in the fridge and let it defrost slowly. If in a hurry, soak in cold water.

[Rick]

I have two refrigerator freezers and the freezer. I just off load to the other freezers when it's time to defrost. Had to do that Thursday on the side by side.

[crashdive123]

Oops - for some reason I was reading thaw and not defrost. Sorry about that.

[rwc1969]

Thanks Rick and Crash. I just brought home my new toy. 5.3 cf Black and Decker from Walwart. It's energy star rated and has a lot more room than I expected. More than enough for a few hides and deer, and a few other things too.

I figured I'd read the manual before turning it on and it says if you tilt it or lay it horizontal to allow it to sit for 24 hours before starting. This allows the refrigerant to settle and prevents frying the compressor. Other than that it's good to go.

Figured I'd throw that out there for anyone who is moving them or the like.

[RunsWithDeer]

I figured I'd read the manual before turning it on and it says if you tilt it or lay it horizontal to allow it to sit for 24 hours before starting. This allows the refrigerant to settle and prevents frying the compressor.

That is true for anything with a compressor. The oil has to settle or the compressor can be fried.

[rwc1969]

Thinking back I do recall having to keep a/c units upright while transporting, it's been a while since I did any of that though. LOL!