When it comes to storing a quarter of a cow, or half of it, first you must be sure about the space needed to adjust this small amount of meat and what size of chest freezer I need to accommodate this much meat.
The market is simmering with a plethora of different options regarding freezers that will flaunt their extraordinary features and different sizes. The choice and decision are in your hand to choose the best that suits you the best. The commonly known dimensions in the freezers are compact, small, medium, and large.
What Size Chest Freezer Do I Need
Family size and kitchen demand highly influence the size of the freezer to be selected. If you are a small but foody family, the medium freezer will work perfectly for your household. However, if you are a couple with fewer guests to entertain, a small r compact freezer will be sufficient for your purposes.
Big households with more kitchen demands mostly prefer the large size as it can let you store food against a boastful size of about 17 – 21 cubic feet that can hold more than 250Kgs of food items.
Deep Freezer v/s Chest Freezer
Deep freezer and chest freezer are the terms that can be used interchangeably throughout the world of freezers. A deep freezer is a freezer that lets you store a large amount of food with high cooling and freezing capacity.
The difference is brought in according to these deep freezers’ stacking and organizational options. Some deep freezers are deep in the literal sense, like the chest freezers. These chest freezers provide you with a deep square or a rectangle with only one or two divisions, wherein you can dump all your beef and chicken to be frozen for long durations.
On the other hand, upright freezers or freezers with drawers give you more organizational charge in terms of storing food on the shelves and quickly accessing them later on. An upright deep freezer also eliminates the nuisance of bending down and fumbling for your frozen food, as everything is stacked right in front of you on the shelves.
Small Chest Freezer Sizes
There are a variety of chest freezers in the market, and amongst those, the small chest freezer is pretty popular with small families. These small freezers occupy way less space and still provide ample space for storing frozen food. There are small chest freezers with a capacity of around five cubic feet up to 9 cubic feet with a height of about 32 – 34 inches. These chest freezers look elegant, occupying a small corner in the kitchen or the dining room and performing their functions efficiently.
Can Chest Freezers Go Outside
The chest freezers can be easily adjusted outside of the house because of the freezer’s rugged build; it can easily endure harsh conditions. The only condition that needs to be fulfilled is that it should be under a covered area to be safe from rain.
Too tight and jam-packed conditions aren’t even favorable as the freezer requires good ventilation. Outdoor-covered areas with good ventilation can work efficiently for the freezers and won’t hamper their efficiency.
Can you put a Freezer Outside in a Shed?
The same principle is at work here as well: if the shed can provide proper ventilation for the chest freezer, you can put it outside in a shed. Sheds are mostly covered that provide the freezer shelter from the direct sun exposure and in winters from the extreme cold weather.
Can you keep a freezer outside in the summer?
The freezers have a robust body that can endure an outside environment easily, but direct exposure to sunlight should be taken care of. Direct exposure to sunlight will weaken the freezer’s working, utilize more electrical energy, and decimate the efficiency.
The freezers, if put outside in summer, must be covered and protected from direct sunlight and should not suffocate in a jam-packed place. There must be adequate ventilation; however, the energy utilization will be higher in summer outdoor work and raise the electric bills considerably.
Chest freezer not working after moving.
The chest freezers might not work for some time after they have been moved from one place to another. The electrical outlet should be appropriately checked for the availability of electricity in the freezer. If it doesn’t work even after, it might be the oil in the compressor.
This might be due to the oil in the condenser that travels into the cooling tubes that needs time to settle back in place in the condenser for its proper working. The freezer needs a time of around 24 – 48 hours to settle back the oil in the condenser and start working again.
Even if, after the settlement time, the problem persists with the freezer, you should call in an expert mechanic to check the working of the condenser and the compressor.
Chest Freezer Compressor Hot
The compressor is one of the essential components in the freezer that contains the refrigerant involved in the cooling process. During the process of cooling the freezer, it’s normal for the compressor to get hot, but too many scalding points toward some malfunctioning.
The compressor might get heated up because of the lack of refrigerant responsible for the transfer of coolness. It should be replaced with a new and adequate refrigerant supply for the proper functioning of the freezer.
Another reason behind the compressor getting hot might be the lower temperature setting of the freezer, which also puts pressure on the compressor and heats it up.
There are times when too much exposure to dust causes clogging in the compressor, hampers its working, and causes it to become hot and dysfunctional. It can be assisted with properly planned cleaning schedules for the freezer condenser.
Chest Freezer Compressor Running but Not Cooling
There can be myriad reasons involved leading to the problem of a freezer not cooling appropriately. A chest freezer has some crucial components all working together in unison for the overall performance of the freezer. If these components go amiss, the freezer’s cooling is affected.
The compressor is running, but there isn’t any cooling due to careless freezer door handling; it should be tightly closed so that no air should escape the freezer. Another reason might be the dirty condenser coils that lead to poor cooling of the freezer despite the fact the compressor is working fine.
Yet another reason at work can be the disturbing working of the evaporator fan, which is also essential in generating cooling in the freezer. The fan blades should be checked, and they should also be cleaned both for muck and ice as they can hamper its performance and lead to a freezer that will not cool appropriately.
Brand new Chest Freezer not freezing
In the case a brand new freezer is not freezing, the first thing is that you have to give it some settling in time after it is transferred to your place. Like after bringing the freezer, let it stand for 4-5 hours, so all the liquids/gases settle in at their places, and then you plug it in later.
After plugging in, the freezer should not be loaded immediately with food items, let it run for at least 8 hours, and when it starts cooling correctly, you can move ahead with your food stacking.
If these two factors don’t make any difference and your freezer is still not cooling, check for the compressor and evaporator fan and their functioning. You should call in an expert mechanic if you find everything is in order still the machine is not functioning correctly.
I stabbed a hole in my freezer.
This unfortunate incident has happened to many users, where they accidentally stab a hole in the freezer. Now, if the hole or gap is at such a place where it will let the coolant or the refrigerant out of the body of the freezer, you will immediately hear a hissing sound that’s a clue that the gas is leaking out.
In case the gas has leaked out, it isn’t much you can do as the only solution will be to get the cooling pipes fixed, and the gas refilled immediately, which has a drastically high cost. It’s better to get a new unit than spend the money on fixing it.
FAQ
Do chest freezers use a lot of electricity?
Compared to upright freezers, the chest freezers use much less electricity and are affordable. The chest freezers use the energy of different and varying intensities depending on their sizes. The compact and small freezers use relatively less power, while the larger ones use an extensive amount of energy. The five cubic feet freezer uses 6Amp and 700Watts of energy for startups, while when running normally later, it uses 1Amp and around 100Watts. That makes around $2.6 per month, which is not a high cost. The large chest freezers use 300-400 Watts on regular running, costing you about $5 per month and $67.
Do chest freezers have auto defrost?
Most chest freezers must be manually defrosted because of their architectural construction and freezing process for maintaining performance.
Do chest freezers leak?
This is common with the freezers when the drainage pipe is stuck with some muck or small particles from frozen food and ice. This problem can be solved by removing the clogged debris from the drainage pipe by flushing water at high speed through the drainage pipe and fixing back the valve again. In case there is a crack in the line that has to be fixed by special freezer engineers.
Does the chest freezer require a water line?
Chest freezers do not require a water line for their working; primarily, the required water is already contained in the freezer, and there is no seed of any continuous supply for it.
Why is the chest freezer not freezing?
A freezer is an ultimate necessity of today’s urban life, and if it stops freezing, it needs immediate consideration. The freezer should be checked for several reasons and rule them out. First, it should be checked for proper closure as any air escaping will lead to raising the temperature inside the freezer. Secondly, the evaporator fan should have ample space to let the air escape from the freezer. Thirdly the coil should be checked for dirt, and proper cleaning is advised. Also, the evaporator fan and condenser should be checked for their appropriate working.
Does a chest freezer need to be level?
Some special liquids inside the chest freezers are at work for the machine’s proper functioning; if it is not at the level, this liquid flow will be disturbed, which will, in turn, affect the working of the freezer. So it is always advisable that the freezers stay at a level for efficient output.
The freezers are recommended to have their dedicated circuit and a special output known as the dedicated outlet. This outlet ensures a proper supply of current to the freezer in case of overload and avoids abrupt tripping due to overload. It also helps to create an overload because the freezer on other electrical devices in the house evades the threat of short-circuiting.
Do I need a chest freezer?
The chest freezer is the need of today’s busy metropolitan life. It lets you preserve a lot of food for a longer duration, saving you a lot of time and money as well. The selection of the size of a freezer will depend on the demands of your family and kitchen.
Is it advised to place the chest freezer in the pantry?
Chest freezers usually demand space, so it is advised that they should be kept in the pantry if the space in the kitchen is short. While keeping a chest freezer in the pantry, it is recommended that the ventilation should be appropriate, and temperature should also be maintained for the proper functioning of the freezer.
Hiding chest freezer in the kitchen?
Some people prefer to hide the chest freezers in their kitchen. There are many creative ways in which a freezer can hide in the kitchen; it can be turned into a table with a wooden cabinet around the freezer. It can even be upholstered with Velcro tape to match the surrounding of the kitchen or the dining area. It all depends on your creativity and aesthetics.
Can you put a freezer outside in a shed?
Freezers are built with solid bodies and have strong cooling capabilities depending on which these machines can be placed outside in a shed, but in a covered area, but not an entirely closed one, as ventilation is one of the basic demands of the freezers. It should also be kept safe from rain affecting its exposed fan and machinery.
Can chest freezers be kept in the garage?
People usually place chest freezers in their garages to save space in the kitchen, and it is a usual practice. While keeping a freezer in the garage, providing ample space at the back of the freezer is recommended for proper ventilation and working of the chest freezer. However, too high a temperature in the garage can affect its working.
