Upright Freezers: Questions and Recommendations

[simihorn]

So, we have to buy a freezer to keep up with the amount of food consumption in my house. I know I want an upright b/c we don't want the hassle of having to dig through a chest to get to the bottom.

So, my question is about frost-free vs having to defrost. I think I know the answer, but wanted to get input. It costs between $80 and $100 more to get comparable size in a forst-free vs a manual defrost freezer in the 20 cu foot range.
How often do you have to defrost a freezer like that?
How long does it take to go through the process?
Is it ok to put the food in ice chests during the process?

My feeling is that it isn't worth the hassle to save $100, but I don't know. A once every couple of years defrost is one thing. An every couple of months is different.

In case it matters, I live in Houston, so there is high humidity and it will be in the not climate-controlled garage. I assume it will be opened at least twice a day to get stuff.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

thanks

 

[NickDanger]

They also cost more to run.

How often do you have to defrost a freezer like that? I have to do it 2-3 times a year
How long does it take to go through the process? 30 minutes
Is it ok to put the food in ice chests during the process? Yes

My feeling is that it isn't worth the hassle to save $100, but I don't know. A once every couple of years defrost is one thing. An every couple of months is different.

In case it matters, I live in Houston, so there is high humidity and it will be in the not climate-controlled garage. I assume it will be opened at least twice a day to get stuff.
It matters and that will mean you have to do it more than once a year.

All of that is based on my experience with mine which sits in a stand alone garage in SA.

 

[simihorn]

Thanks Nick ... I guess I'll have to figure the energy rating into the overall cost as well.

 

[NickDanger]

I went the cheapest way since they seem to crap out on me after a very few years. Twice I've thrown away a few hundred pounds of game animals. Not pretty. I think having them in the garage really makes them work a lot harder. Not that we can do anything about that, but I think it makes it cost more, frost up more, and shorten the life. I have a scientific argument for some of that, but not all.

 

[MrPhlegm]

Frost free will not keep food as long as a non frost free freezer.

Frost free freezers heat up periodicly to thaw out the frost and this will freezer burn the contents.

and as far as having to dig stuff out of a chest freezed as opposed to getting it out of an upright, I have had both, have an upright now because the wife wanted one for the supposed reason that uprights are easier to get stuff out of.

It ain't true, I had less trouble getting stuff out of the chest one than I have getting stuff out of the one we have now. Compared to getting stuff out of the chest freezer getting it out of the upright is a royal pain in the ***.

With the chest, you put the stuff you are going to keep the longest on the bottom. and the stuff you use everyday in the baskets and on top. Not nearly the problem to dig stuff out because it won't fall out on the floor when you reach in to get stuff that is behind it.

I will never willingly buy another upright freezer unless the only thing that will fit in the space I have for it is an upright.

Frost isn't neary as bad with a chest as it only forms on the walls whereas with an upright it forms on every shelf. BAD and a pain in the *** to defrost.

The other big problem with an upright is the fact that EVERY time you open the door all of the cold air falls out onto the floor and the freezer has to work harder to cool it, not to mention that that cold dry air is replaced with warm wet air which causes more ice to form and not just on the shelves, on the stuff in the freezer too. This also contributes to freezer burn.

This has been my experience in Florida in a humid garage with having the upright freezer opened twice or more a day.

With a chest the cold dry air stays put when you open the lid, thus cutting down on frost formation.

I have had a chest in humid conditions and the frost formation is not near what I have with the upright.

Uprights suck ***. You will have to defrost that mother constantly, Chests don't need to be defrosted as often.

Defrosting an upright is a pain in the *** as the ice and water will just fall out on the floor, with a chest you will have a drain that you can attach a hose to to run it outside.

Uprights BAD!! Frost Free BAD!!

Chests GOOD!!!

 

[NickDanger]

I had never heard those comments about the difference between upright and chest. While you haven't sold me on the ease of getting stuff out, the rest makes sense. As much as anything else I went with the upright because of the smaller footprint and the fact that you can also stack stuff on top of it. Just this evening I unstacked 6 scouting boxes and 4 tents from the top of the freezer.

 

[simihorn]

Mr Phlegm:

You raise some very interesting points. I have seen the cold air drop out of a freezer before, and that makes the most sense. I guess I'll look at them when I get to the store now.

Also, I would assume your energy bill went up w/ the upright? It seems like the chests would jjust be more efficient

Thanks

 

[NickDanger]

BTW, the upright I have in my garage has been defrosted once in the last year. Mainly because the girl left the door cracked when retrieving pizza or Marie Callender pot pies. It looks like it will need it again before christmas.

 

[simihorn]

Hey Nick:

Any problems with freezer burn on yours? I know you'll always have some, but is it excessive or worse/better than the freezer on the fridge?

thanks again for the help

 

[NickDanger]

I have a frostfree Subzero stand alone freezer and a POS regular (non-frostfree) from Sears in the garage. I use my seal a meal with everything and have no problems with freezer burn in either. I give all credit to the seal a meal.

 

[MrPhlegm]

I can't compare the two on electricity usage because the chest was in Texas and the ***** got it in the divorce and the upright is in Florida and I can't compare the two because of the difference in electricity cost and because of the fact that the upright is 25years newer than the chest.

My electricity cost did go up when I got the upright but that is only because I added a new appliance to the load. Now when we replaced the AC with a high efficiency Trane, there we saw a huge cost savings of hundreds of dollars.

Speaking of stacking stuff on the freezer, one nice thing about the chest that we had was, in the houses we had it in there was a space by the washer and dryer where it fit. In both of the Milburn houses the washer and dryer were in the garage in the custom we had built by her dad we made sure that there was room in the laundry room for the freezer.

Having the freezer by the washer and dryer was great because you could take stuff out of the dryer and fold it on top of the freezer and then put it away, not that that ever happened very often, I don't think the ***** ever folded anything in her life and I could give a **** if my stuff was folded, but the capability was there.

as far as having trouble digging things out, most of what we put at the bottom was stuff that we wern't going to get out very often like venison, and hams and turkeys and briskets and boston butt roasts (to mix with venison to make sausage) i.e. stuff we would buy on sale (hams at easter, turkey at thanksgiving, briskets when they were 98 cents a pound and deer sausage. That way when we got a wild hare and wanted a turkey to feed a lot of people we could dig out a 59 cent a pound one from the freezer instead of having to pay $2.59 for the damned thing. So most of the bottom of the freezer was filled with that stuff and getting the other out was not a problem.

About the only upright freezer I would consider would be one of the Sub Zero types to go with a Sub Zero Fridge. like one of those 48 inch jobs to go beside the 48 inch fridge.

I would have to win the lottery to afford one of those (actually to afford the kitchen remodel that would be required.

) but I think that I am going to get one of the little 5cu ft $150.00 chest freezers as soon as I get moved to my new apt here in Miami.