[MyPrepperLife]

I have a Haier 7.1 cu. ft. chest freezer. It's in my kitchen right now, but I've been planning to put it in the basement of the off-grid cabin I'll build this summer. The basement area where I'd been planning to put the freezer will be quite cold in the wintertime, because that part of the basement is on the downhill side of my sloped building site (so the basement walls in that area are mostly above grade) and also because that part of the basement will have an overhead door (so I can store my ATV in the basement), and cold air will enter the basement around the edges of the door. This cabin will be in a place where winters are very cold, BTW.

I wanted to put the freezer in a cold area in the the basement because, I reasoned, it would use less electricity in a cold part of the cabin than it would if it were in a warm part of the cabin.

Anyway, today I was googling around and came across a comment from a person who also has a 7.1 cu. ft. Haier freezer. The comment said that the freezer is in a garage, the garage is cold, and the freezer won't get below 50 degrees F inside. The person said a customer-service rep at Haier explained that the freezer is designed to be kept in an area that's about 70 degrees F and will not work properly at temps much below that. So I called Haier myself, and sure enough, the customer-service rep confirmed that this is the case.

As far as I am concerned, that's a really brain-dead way to design a freezer - but apparently that is the situation, so I just wanted to alert anybody here who's planning to keep a freezer in an area that's cold. I''m not assuming all household freezers are designed this way; all I'm saying is that if you are planning something similar to what I was planning, you should probably check into this issue.

 

[goose3]

That's how they work.

I have a refrigerator/freezer in my garage. The freezer is cooled when the refrigerator calls for the compressor to work--the problem in the winter is that when the garage cools down to the 30s, the refrigerator doesn't call for the compressor very often. Thus the freezer tends to warm up to the ambient temperature in the garage. Occasionally I keep ice cream in there, and it gets pretty soft in the winter.

When the garage is warm in the summer, this problem goes away.

 

[bunny]

I have a United Freezer in the basement. This is the tyoe of commercial freezer you get when buying a home food plan. I bought mine used on Craigslist folr $100. It is not self defrost which is actually better than a self defrost keeping food better frozen. Have to defrost it 2X a year. I just put my food on a banquet table near by, unplug and use a hair dryer to help defrost. I love it. Food gets frozen harder than any freezer I have had and keeps longer. I highly recommend it.

 

[wreckdiver]

I've got 2- 14cf Frigidaire chest freezers in my garage. Temp out there set at 40 degrees, freezers at 0. All is working well.

 

[hebegbz]

I have a Haier 7.1 cu. ft. chest freezer. It's in my kitchen right now, but I've been planning to put it in the basement of the off-grid cabin I'll build this summer. The basement area where I'd been planning to put the freezer will be quite cold in the wintertime, because that part of the basement is on the downhill side of my sloped building site (so the basement walls in that area are mostly above grade) and also because that part of the basement will have an overhead door (so I can store my ATV in the basement), and cold air will enter the basement around the edges of the door. This cabin will be in a place where winters are very cold, BTW.

I wanted to put the freezer in a cold area in the the basement because, I reasoned, it would use less electricity in a cold part of the cabin than it would if it were in a warm part of the cabin.

Anyway, today I was googling around and came across a comment from a person who also has a 7.1 cu. ft. Haier freezer. The comment said that the freezer is in a garage, the garage is cold, and the freezer won't get below 50 degrees F inside. The person said a customer-service rep at Haier explained that the freezer is designed to be kept in an area that's about 70 degrees F and will not work properly at temps much below that. So I called Haier myself, and sure enough, the customer-service rep confirmed that this is the case.

As far as I am concerned, that's a really brain-dead way to design a freezer - but apparently that is the situation, so I just wanted to alert anybody here who's planning to keep a freezer in an area that's cold. I''m not assuming all household freezers are designed this way; all I'm saying is that if you are planning something similar to what I was planning, you should probably check into this issue.

You should still try it and let us know how it works, or not.
It might still work fine.

 

[shado]

Frigidaire

I have been doing research, and the only freezer I have seen so far that says it can be in an area that gets colder than 50F is a frigidaire. And NOT the frost free ones. The frost free ones are frost free because they heat up and self defrost. This cannot work if the freezer is in a cold area.

 

[sarco2000]

I have an old (nonworking freezer) that I keep outside on the north side of my dwelling (to keep it out of the sun). In the winter that is where I keep all the bulky frozen items.

I don't see the sense in using electricity to keep things frozen when it is 10 degrees outside.

 

[MyPrepperLife]

I'm glad to know that some folks here are indeed using household freezers successfully in areas that are cold. At least I know it's possible with certain brands of freezers. And, based on a couple of posts here, a freezer needs to be not the frost-free kind.

Thanks to everybody who contributed.

 

[Hammer 1]

I had no idea that a refrigerator/freezer would not work in cold outside temps. It was down in the 20s last month around here,and we keep a frige in the barn for eggs. We get about 6 doz a day. I went to put eggs away and the freezer stank like my fishing bait!! My bait for hoop nets had started thawing out. By the time I got home from work to clean it out it was 60 degrees. Gotta love the weather down south. Every thing was frozen again.
I had know idea waht was wrong. Thanks

 

[Sprig]

---the problem in the winter is that when the garage cools down to the 30s, the refrigerator doesn't call for the compressor very often...
When the garage is warm in the summer, this problem goes away.

This is the reason why people believe that hot ice cubes freeze faster then cold ice cubes.

From a chemistry standpoint, more thermal energy needs to be introduced, so the rate of freezing from a scientific standpoint is correct. HOWEVER, if the freezer sensor is near the ice cube tray, the cubes will raise the temperature of the localized sensor, and the compressor will come on forcing more then normal thermal transfer into the interior system. ... The average person will have faster ice cubes, and (unknowingly) a higher usage electric bill.

If I had a freezer, in a cold place, I'd get the parts/service/IPB manual, to locate WHERE the temperature sensor was. Then, I'd just use an adhesive to stick foam insulation on the OUTSIDE of the box where the sensor was in the wall.

That way, the in-wall sensor would not be able to as easily "sense" the exterior temperature no where nearly as well as the interior temperature.

In EACH and EVERY case, ensure that the refrigeration coils are allowed good airflow.

(Most can quit reading here).

NOTE: I've known about this issue for quite some time. I am suspect, that there are guidelines about Energy Star ratings that influence manufactures to err on the side of energy usage over the risk of food spoilage (not something on the Energy Star label).

 

[JasonWagner1993]

Oh the irony. It's funny how that works, but come to think of it, it does sort of make sense.

 

[Josh97526]

The refrigerant works because of temperature difference. The freon in the coils is ran through a radiator and a condenser. When it condenses, it gets cold and a fan is blown over the coils. So basically, the greater the temp. Difference between the inside and outside of the unit, the better it works.
When the temp outside is equal to or lesser than the air inside the freezer it pretty much stops working, and in some cases with bad designs, it becomes a heater! You ever notice when you buy a drink at a convenience store in the winter time, it doesnt feel very cold? Most of the time their unit is outside.