View Full Version : What's a good upright freezer ?
Your tolerance, please...
I need a new upright freezer. I'm thinking one with about a 12-14 cu ft capacity.
I think (that's the operative word) I'd like to find room for a quarter beef.
Right now the butt-kit on top of my frig is packed with commissary meat and frozen veggies from local farmer friends and open market stands.
Your help would go a long way in helping me think thru this and find a good place to buy it (Lowes, Sears, Best Buy, Craigs List, etc).
Thanks, y'all.
A chest freezer is better for large storage. Keeps the temp better also.
A chest freezer is better for large storage. Keeps the temp better also.
OK! Thanks!
What size ya think, for a quarter beef plus a topside freezer full of stuff?
The Reaper
09-14-2014, 20:32
The chest is more efficient than the upright, as noted.
When you open an upright door, the cold air flows down and out. With a chest, it stays inside, to some degree.
Unfortunately, it is hard to find a self-defrosting chest, for some reason.
The largest models do not use that much more energy than the small ones.
I bought an 18 or 21 cu. ft. model and have been very happy with it, except for the frost.
I suspect that with minimal opening and closing, a full chest would stay cold with four hours or more per day of power.
You fill up the empty space with 2 liter bottles of water. They will help keep it cold and can be taken out and either drunk, or used in smaller coolers to keep their contents cold.
TR
A chest freezer is better for large storage. Keeps the temp better also.
Agreed. a 13 cu ft chest freezer will hold 448 lbs., and a 14.8 will hold 518 lbs.
I think we have a Sears 13 and it's been running problem free since 2/89. We have a 1/4 buffalo and a top freezers worth in it and it is full.
The 13-14 cu ft capacity appears to be the best candidate for me.
Good gouge, all y'all. Thanks very much!
Larry,
Another thing to keep in mind when purchasing an appliance is the service life is generally far less than it used to be.
Example, I have a Whirlpool side by side that is still going strong after 15 years. On the other side of the coin I have been many, many households that are replacing 5-7 year old high dollar fancy refrigerator/freezers...or my small cabinet freezer that fail at about 2 years.....or the 6 washing machines I have replaced over the past 14 years.
Larry,
Another thing to keep in mind when purchasing an appliance is the service life is generally far less than it used to be.
Example, I have a Whirlpool side by side that is still going strong after 15 years. On the other side of the coin I have been many, many households that are replacing 5-7 year old high dollar fancy refrigerator/freezers...or my small cabinet freezer that fail at about 2 years.....or the 6 washing machines I have replaced over the past 14 years.
Yep. I share the same experience, sir. Have a Kenmore dryer I bought when my daughter was born. It's still doing the job. Daughter just turned 31 yrs old. The new ones depend on you buying the maintenance plan, which I don't like from an investment stand point. But, given the lousy endurance/reliability it might make sense.
The design of the chest type makes a lot of sense, but I'm not too keen on defrosting the thing. The frost-free use more energy, and probably have more single-points-of-failure. Pluses and minuses with each format. The chest type is rated at ~ 357 kWh/yr while the upright is rated at ~ 621 kWh/yr. Not sure how valid those comparison numbers are but it they are rather compelling for the chest type (and just plan on defrosting the thing once a year). Have to pray on it some before I make up my mind.
Really appreciate everyone's thoughts and opinions.
The Reaper
09-15-2014, 09:46
The personnel at the local Sears told us (when pushing a warranty) that the new major appliances like the washer and dryer we were buying would only last 5-7 years, tops. They told us that our previous combo, which lasted 12 years, were the last units we would have to last that long.
They said that the circuit boards were particularly sensitive to power surges and lightning, and would cost more to replace than the appliance was worth. The old ones were mechanical clockwork driven.
I am sure they could be hardened/protected, but realistically, that would negate their plan of early obsolescence.
Unfortunately, the prices are not lower as a result of that.
If you have an old unit and you are happy with it, keep it.
I noticed that the metal body of the freezer is much thinner than the older units and dents much more easily.
I am defrosting it a couple of times per year, mostly when the frost near the top gets to be enough that the baskets won't move.
TR
How do you defrost, sir? Move the stuff, switch it off, let everything melt, bail it out, wipe it down, and then restart it?
The Reaper
09-15-2014, 11:33
How do you defrost, sir? Move the stuff, switch it off, let everything melt, bail it out, wipe it down, and then restart it?
I don't know how others do it, but I try to pick a cool day. Our freezer is in our garage, we turn it off and we empty the freezer contents into coolers. I then use a blow dryer to melt the ice. We pull the ice out in chunks and wipe out the inside of the freezer with a towel until it is clean and dry.
Takes an hour or so, max.
If members of my family didn't think opening and looking into the freezer was like watching TV, I probably wouldn't have to defrost it but once per year.
TR
The personnel at the local Sears told us (when pushing a warranty) that the new major appliances like the washer and dryer we were buying would only last 5-7 years, tops. They told us that our previous combo, which lasted 12 years, were the last units we would have to last that long.
They said that the circuit boards were particularly sensitive to power surges and lightning, and would cost more to replace than the appliance was worth. The old ones were mechanical clockwork driven.
I am sure they could be hardened/protected, but realistically, that would negate their plan of early obsolescence.
TR.
Our electric company offers whole-house surge protection..installed at the meter. It's $6.99 a month + a one time $44.95 installation fee
http://www.duke-energy.com/surge-protection/[/url]
How do you defrost, sir?
I tell the wife.
If members of my family didn't think opening and looking into the freezer was like watching TV, I probably wouldn't have to defrost it but once per year.
TR
Agreed, which is why the wife gets to do the defrosting...
The Reaper
09-15-2014, 12:14
.
Our electric company offers whole-house surge protection..installed at the meter. It's $6.99 a month + a one time $44.95 installation fee
http://www.duke-energy.com/surge-protection/[/url]
We are also on Duke/Progress power, and I regularly watch out line voltage sag to 110 volts and as high as 125 volts. They say that is normal, but I suspect that it is hard on electronics.
We also have the Duke whole house protection, plus two large, professional in-wall 240v. panel surge protectors, and individual surge protection power strips, and we still lose things to lightning strikes.
Last time, it ran in on the underground cable TV line, and burned up a number of expensive devices it jumped to.
Duke is apparently very reluctant to actually pay out on any claims. They want you to buy their VERY expensive surge protectors to go with the meter based protection to be warranteed. I figure that at least it will burn their meter based protection before my protection devices get hit.
None of this will guarantee protection from CME, EMP, or lightning. OTOH, it might help, and can't hurt.
TR
If members of my family didn't think opening and looking into the freezer was like watching TV, I probably wouldn't have to defrost it but once per year.
I had a great Kenmore upright freezer in the basement but found my teenagers had propped the door open to enjoy the cool breeze one hot summer week while playing video games, and that was the end of that freezer. Now, he's all grown up and doesn't remember a thing!
He doesn't know it yet but he's moving the carcass out of the basement. And, I broke his plate.
I agree with TR and others on the chest freezer, but after our old kenmore chest gave up the ghost (didn't realize for about a week when it started to smell, but that is another story) I went with an upright with electronic alarm and electronic thermo reading (which I've tested with +/- 1 degree accuracy). It holds the meat from a whole cow and other herbivores that are tasty with ease. Plus I have more room now. If you have plenty of room, the cost of a chest freezer probably makes it a better buy. I'm happy with my choice, and I don't have to defrost (at least not yet) but I also limit the use of the freezer as an entertainment device.
Lighthouse
09-21-2014, 14:25
Larry,
Another thing to keep in mind when purchasing an appliance is the service life is generally far less than it used to be.
Example, I have a Whirlpool side by side that is still going strong after 15 years. On the other side of the coin I have been many, many households that are replacing 5-7 year old high dollar fancy refrigerator/freezers...or my small cabinet freezer that fail at about 2 years.....or the 6 washing machines I have replaced over the past 14 years.
a good friend of mine just graduated from NJIT. Companies pay engineers good money to ensure things fail after a certain time period. Usually at point just slightly past the warranty.