Getting an extra freezer can help a family by providing additional space for large quantities of meat, vegetables, and other food. Those who prepare meals in advance may need more space for these foods. People who buy food or supplies wholesale to save money or to prepare for an emergency may wish to have the extra freezer space handy. Since refrigerators might not have large storage space spaces, and you’re already using a refrigerator and freezer for everyday food, another freezer could be required. What are the advantages of having a chest freezer or a stand up freezer? What will suit you needs best?
Energy Efficiency
Chest freezers are more energy efficient than upright freezers. Usually, a chest freezer costs about $4 a month to run when separated. Stand ups freezers cost about $14 a month to run. Both alternatives come in energy efficient models, which can improve the energy costs.
Chest freezers use an airtight securing seal at the top to keep the food inside cold. Due to this, it takes less power to run. Stand up freezers have smaller gaps in the door mechanism, which can take a lot more power to keep the food frozen.
If the power goes out, chest freezers can maintain food frozen for 2-3 more days. This is again because of the sealed outside edge of the freezer. Stand up freezers can keep contents frozen for about a day. In addition, chest freezers need to be manually thawed, while stand up models might come with an auto-defrost setting. This lets thawing happen within the freezer. Freezers outfitted with auto-defrost have a tendency to be louder than those that do not have an auto-defrost. This is due to the added air flow, since they require more energy to run, often creating a louder, electrical hum.
Normally, an chest freezer requires to be unplugged, drained, and cleaned while some stand up freezers defrost themselves.
Storage
Both of these freezer makes come in many different dimensions, which provides more or less room. However, the way you arrange the food on the inside of the freezer makes a difference.
Chest freezers have a cord basket inside them, which often means other food products can become hidden under one another. Bending and moving could be possible to find what you’re looking for. This can become tiring. It could just be annoying when you’re looking for a small bag of peas but have put a ton of stuff on top. With innovations in the freezer industry, many chest freezers now have extra storage space baskets and areas that can make this problem easier. Some designs have cabinets that can be taken out and utilized for easy access. This makes using a chest freezer a lot more manageable, although the individual still needs to bend over to access the items or move baskets.
One advantage of using a chest freezer is the ability to hold bigger items. The lack of racks makes it easier to fit in a single huge product such as a turkey. A chest freezer has up to 20% more usable space than a stand up freezer. So, if you intend on freezing big items, this sort of freezer offers you the most space.
Stand up freezers have shelving areas in them, similar to a refrigerator. This provides a simple means for things to be nicely organized throughout the freezer. In the past, stand up freezers were believed to be easier to use because of this. The many shelves enable far better organization, particularly if you choose a model that allows you to relocate the shelves to better make use of the area. Adjustable and removable door storage space containers and flexible shelving with pull out baskets can all make a stand up freezer extra useful. Nonetheless, bigger frozen things are not going to fit well in the freezer due to the shelving compartments. This minimizes the space vertically, making it difficult for large items, such as a big turkey or ham.
Installing
Because a chest freezer calls for more space, it is important to ensure you have the right amount of room when placing it and setting it up. Installers inspect to make certain there’s the right clearance to lift the top. Furthermore, there needs to be an electric plug in the area for the freezer.
Stand up freezers require less flooring area, however the door needs to have enough room to turn open in the right direction. There should be at least an inch behind the freezer, so it can’t be mounted flush against the wall behind it. There should be a plug outlet in the area.
No matter which type of freezer you choose, a professional tip is that when measuring, add an additional inch to the size of the area. This will help air flow to the freezer, helping to stop things like frozen coils.
Maintenance
Upkeep of a chest freezer is a little more involved than that of a stand up model. This is primarily since the chest freezer does not have an auto-defrost option. This means defrosting out the freezer, draining it, and clearing out the interior. In addition, bending over and reaching deeper into the freezer can be straining on the body for some.
Stand up freezers can be set on auto-defrost and cleaned. This takes less time and is simpler. It can be hard to tell when acquiring whether an stand-up freezer has an auto-defrost feature, as some do not. You will need to specifically ask your dealer or store if this is a choice you are looking for.
Another consideration is the temperature level of the doors may sometimes be warmer than the temperature inside. So, while you acquire some storage space on the doors, you might have a hard time keeping everything at the same temperature level.
Lifespan
Chest freezers generally have longer lifecycles than stand up freezers because of the way they are constructed. Chest freezers do not overheat. They are constructed for long-term usage in mind. Chest freezers are expected to last 15-20 years. Stand up freezers have a lifespan of about 10-15 years.
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