What's a good upright freezer ?

LarryW · 09-14-2014, 20:10

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.

SF_BHT · 09-14-2014, 20:14

A chest freezer is better for large storage. Keeps the temp better also.

LarryW · 09-14-2014, 20:16

Quote:

Originally Posted by SF_BHT

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

MR2 · 09-14-2014, 20:39

Quote:

Originally Posted by SF_BHT

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.

LarryW · 09-14-2014, 21:06

The 13-14 cu ft capacity appears to be the best candidate for me.

Good gouge, all y'all. Thanks very much!

Paslode · 09-15-2014, 06:43

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.

LarryW · 09-15-2014, 09:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paslode

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

Lighthouse · 09-21-2014, 14:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paslode

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.