Chest Freezer

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Hristo Botev
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Chest Freezer

Post by Hristo Botev »

Anyone have a reason to think a Frigidaire chest freezer (14.8 cu.ft.) is worth spending $100 more on than a Kenmore of the same size?

theanimal
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by theanimal »

No. I have freezers from both brands. No noticeable difference .

jacob
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by jacob »

IIRC(*) In the US there will typically be a sticker showing the annual cost of running it. Calculate how long it would take to capture the $100 difference?

(*) I buy my freezers used on craigslist, but I recall seeing such a sticker at NYSE:HD.

Incidentally, we use two 7cuft chest freezers in a RAID1ish configuration. In case one of them croaks, we're not completely SOL.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by Hristo Botev »

jacob wrote:
Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:40 am
Smart regarding 2 7cuft instead of 1 big freezer; hadn't thought of that. We've got a half cow coming and so were buying based on the size we needed, but makes more sense for sure to get two 7s/8s than one 14/15.

theanimal
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by theanimal »

If you run 2 freezers, you will generally use more electricity. I’ve played around with this since we are off grid. We have a 5, 7 and 12 cu ft freezer. Running just the 12 (even though it’s older) uses much less electricity than running both of the smaller freezers, even though one was bought new and the other off Craigslist from someone who had it a short time. Most of the power freezers need is on start up to run the compressor. After that there is minimal difference in power usage. For example, I think our big freezer uses 1500w on startup then something like 200 w during normal run. Whereas the smaller freezers have startup around 1000w but one runs at ~200 w and the other at 300(!). So much less to run just one. YMMV.

Also, freezers are like fridges. The more you load them the more stable their temp. Loading 2 freezers halfway will mean a lot more startup and run time.

Add: you can always find the power specs even if you look for used models without the yellow sticker. Look for a sticker towards the bottom on the back.

jacob
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by jacob »

theanimal wrote:
Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:58 am
If you run 2 freezers, you will generally use more electricity. I’ve played around with this since we are off grid.
Yes, it's more expensive to run two small ones than one big one. But I think of it as an insurance premium. We're on grid and our actual electric usage costs are already smaller than the mandatory fees and taxes, so it's worth paying.

AxelHeyst
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by AxelHeyst »

theanimal wrote:
Tue Nov 22, 2022 10:58 am
Also, freezers are like fridges. The more you load them the more stable their temp. Loading 2 freezers halfway will mean a lot more startup and run time.
You can ballast the freezer (or a fridge) with bottles or bags of water (salvaged 1+ gallon jugs, obviously don't buy water/jugs for this) to get the full-load efficiency. As you have more meat to add to the fridge, take out the thermal ballast. As you use meat, add thermal ballast.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by Hristo Botev »

We ended up going with an 8.7 cf chest freezer, and I also picked up a used garage Fridge off of Craigslist. All of my “investments” these days seem to be of this variety.

Thanks all for the recommendations

Gilberto de Piento
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by Gilberto de Piento »

I have been thinking about getting a chest freezer in the 7 cu ft or so size. I would be ok with larger but don't have that much to store and larger is likely impossible to get in the place where it needs to live. I don't know if Craigslist makes sense because then I can't get it delivered. Also some of the units life span has been used up. Don't see anything there anyway.

Hristo Botev
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Re: Chest Freezer

Post by Hristo Botev »

Gilberto de Piento wrote:
Wed Nov 23, 2022 12:06 pm
I have been thinking about getting a chest freezer in the 7 cu ft or so size. I would be ok with larger but don't have that much to store and larger is likely impossible to get in the place where it needs to live. I don't know if Craigslist makes sense because then I can't get it delivered. Also some of the units life span has been used up. Don't see anything there anyway.
My anecdotal experience is that CL freezers are hard to come by, as they typically don’t get replaced until they break; whereas decent CL fridges are pretty easy to find as working fridges are often replaced for purely aesthetic reasons

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