Are chest freezers suitable for garages?

The function of the chest freezer plays a crucial role in the success of food enterprises, and even is the essential household appliances of many families, but because the volume is generally larger, the chest home freezer in the home is not very convenient. So can we put the chest type freezer in the garage? Does this affect its function and life?

• Can I put the chest freezer in the garage?

• Why buy a chest freezer designed for a garage?

• The correct way to use the chest freezer in the garage

Can I put the chest freezer in the garage?

It is common to store a chest freezer in a garage. The chest freezer helps you store meat, vegetables and other perishables for a long time until they are ready. But keeping this type of chest freezer or freezer built into the chest freezer inside the garage may require further consideration. As winter approaches, there may be concerns about whether freezers will work in unheated garages. Keep in mind that not all freezers are designed to be stored in garages, outbuildings, debris or where the temperature may drop too low.

One of the downsides of keeping a chest home freezer in a garage throughout the winter is that cold air outside the freezer can cause frost to build up outside the insulation layer inside the freezer housing, reducing the insulation value. So while you can initially save power by reducing the chest freezer's work at lower ambient temperatures, over time you will reduce the chest type freezer's ability to retain heat. It's summer, and you'll find that the chest freezer USES more energy than it used to because the insulation is broken. Since few people measure how much power their freezers consume, and because people have (in some cases) been using them in their garages for years without incident, there is a conventional wisdom that it makes sense to keep them there. However, unless you use equipment such as the Kill A Watt meter to measure the energy consumption of indoor and outdoor freezers and determine that operating the freezer at lower temperatures is more efficient but not less efficient, energy savings cannot be guaranteed, and you may damage the chest freezer in the process.

A chest freezer that is disconnected in the winter and left in the garage should be better able to withstand the cold - as long as you leave it at room temperature for at least 12 hours before turning it on. But you can't use an unplugged chest freezer to reliably freeze food! If you can determine the minimum ambient temperature for your chest home freezer, you can keep it in the garage by enclosing it in a small space in the garage and heating the space. Sometimes, just a heat source like a light bulb can solve the problem. Keep in mind that the freezer itself is emitting heat to keep the contents of the container cool. Collecting heat in small Spaces (e.g., plywood boxes) will keep the ambient temperature warm enough for the freezer to operate at a safe temperature.

The optimum operating temperature range for chest type freezers and fridges is optimal. This temperature range, sometimes referred to as the climate grade scale, essentially sets the maximum and minimum temperatures for the chest freezer design. Any ambient temperature below this range may result in a reduction in efficiency and an increased risk of damage to the freezer components. So if you plan to buy a freezer and keep it in the garage, you must choose a model designed to work best even in places where the temperature may fall below freezing.

Why buy a chest freezer designed for a garage?

Box coolers used in garages tend to be particularly strong, robust, and able to withstand conditions in a typical garage. They also often combine special functions and techniques to allow devices to operate at very cold temperatures without breaking down. These box coolers are for storage and will remain in the garage for years without problems

At a point (or rather, down to a point), the freezer will operate more efficiently in a cooler area because less ambient heat is transferred to the inside of the freezer, so the compressor has less work to do. However, box coolers must be designed and manufactured within a certain temperature range, and the refrigerant used in any given freezer has a specific optimal temperature range. Any temperature below the appropriate temperature increases the risk of damage to the compressor, especially if ice accumulates on the compressor. Because the oil used to lubricate moving parts may thicken or slow down, the compressor may also become sluggish, which reduces efficiency. Damage may not be immediately apparent as a fault, and may result in a decrease in operating efficiency -- wear on moving parts leads to increased friction, which means the compressor needs more work to get the same amount of cooling.

The refrigerant used in the latest chest freezers is a new ozone-friendly refrigerant with a higher boiling point. So in a very cold garage, it might not get hot enough to evaporate, which is the cooling part of the cycle, so it might not keep the food cold enough. One problem with keeping a chest freezer in a garage is that as long as the temperature is kept below freezing outside, you might think your food is being kept safely cold, but if the chest freezer isn't working properly, it might keep food one degree or two degrees below freezing, which isn't cold enough. Foods kept at -1c or 30F will not last longer than foods kept at the appropriate temperature of -17c or 2F. Some older (especially very old) box coolers seem to work well in cold ambient temperatures, at least as far as they can run continuously for many years. Obviously, because of the way new freezers are built, it is unlikely that newer freezers will be placed in the garage, allowing for continuous trouble-free operation. And because newer chest type freezers are more efficient than freezers built a decade ago, it's almost certain that using new freezers indoors USES less energy than an old one in the garage.

The correct way to use the chest freezer in the garage

As you may know, 32 degrees Fahrenheit is generally considered the freezing point. It's true that water freezes below 32 degrees, but at that temperature, all foods (including many) don't freeze. In fact, ice cream does not freeze at this temperature, and some meats may not be able to prevent bacteria from growing in the chest freezer at this temperature. The recommended temperature for food storage is zero degrees Fahrenheit. It's important to know this before discussing how the freezer works in the garage.

When the ambient temperature in the garage drops with the cold weather outside, it seems reasonable to think that this helps the freezer. But that's not the case. In fact, the external temperature will greatly affect the working state of the chest freezer. To cool itself to a proper level, the compressor must be turned on. However, if the external temperature cools the device well below 50 degrees, the compressor will only start occasionally. It may never happen. This means that eventually the freezer will be only as cold as the outside. Unless you live in a garage where the temperature is below zero, certain foods will melt.

Cold air outside causes frost to build up on the outside of the chest home freezer and on the outside of the heat shield inside the chest freezer housing. This freezing and thawing may cause damage to the insulation in the freezer that is not apparent when it occurs. But in the following summer, this became apparent because the chest freezer had more trouble keeping the temperature up and spent more money on electricity because it had to run the compressor more frequently than usual.

If you live in a mild winter climate, putting a chest type freezer in the garage may help your freezer. For example, if you live on the coast of Hawaii, having freezers in your garage is not a bad thing. Since nighttime lows rarely reach highs of 60 or 50, even in winter, cooler ambient air actually makes the device more efficient. However, if you live in the Midwest, where winters can be very cold, the compressor will not work properly and cooling efficiency may be affected.

If you want to put a chest freezer in the garage, then you'd better consider whether your climate is suitable or buy a chest home freezer designed for the garage. If you want to buy high-quality chest freezer with reasonable price, Meibaijia Electrical Technology Company can provide you with the best products.