[patr]

Re: Freezer Placement

kwatt wrote:
Putting a fridge, fridge freezer or freezer in a a “closet” will produce exactly what you’ve surmised Pat.

That’s saved me a bit of work, then. 😀

I forgot to mention the other stunning piece of advice that Mr Comet gave me – “the problem doesn’t exist with chest freezers – you can put them anywhere.” Maybe I’ll go back and see if I can get that in writing……
Sad thing is that without the benefit of the advice from you guys, I’d have believed him.

[patr]

Re: Freezer Placement

Sounds like I’m stuffed. I don’t particularly want to heat the whole room, as it makes an excellent cool store as it is. I suspect that if I asked about the possibility of building an insulated closet in which to stand the freezer there’d be a whole new list of problems to do with ventilation, in-closet heating etc etc. Right?
kwatt’s point about the level of information available in-store is well made. I was blissfully unaware of the 10C issue until I went into Comet and noticed that the freezers I was looking at were described as not suitable for outhouses (useful information). I quizzed the salesman and he muttered something about 10C and “cheap thermostats” – this on a megabuck Liebherr model. I was then pointed at a cheap Beko model, which was claimed to be suitable for placement in an outhouse. (Same information on the Comet website.) When I had a look at the FAQ’s on Beko’s own website up came the information that minimum ambient temperature was 10C. So I could’ve taken Comet at their word and bought a Beko freezer in the firm belief that it would “work correctly” (Comet’s description), and in fact ended up with something with identical restrictions to every other freezer in the store, and probably a whole lot worse. (It would be far too cynical to suggest that maybe a Beko isn’t expected to last long enough for the ambient temperature issue to become a problem, so I won’t.)
Just goes to show how useful it can be to trawl round with Google and hit a site like this one. Thanks again, guys, and if anyone does come across a freezer that genuinely is suitable for my needs, I’d be very grateful to hear.

[patr]

Re: Freezer Placement

Thanks for all the information.
Given the number of people who must stick a freezer in their garage, probably unaware that it’s not recommended, this must be quite a widespread problem.
Before abandoning the idea altogether, I’m still wondering if a dehumidifier running in the same room will prevent the problem, or maybe if placing a small greenhouse type electric tubular heater near the freezer would do the trick (even raising the freezer on a platform and putting a heater underneath?) Any thoughts?
I’m also still wondering what is the purpose of heated side walls on some frezzers? I assume that this has nothing to do with the ambient temperature issue, but it’s got me intrigued… (Simple minded……)

[patr]

Re: Freezer Placement

Thanks for that information – it makes sense! I assume the manufacturers are playing safe with their stated lower limit of 10C for freezers. I reckon I’ll go ahead and buy a freezer to put in the pantry.
I’ll be keeping a dehumidifier running in the same room as the freezer, so I guess this might help with the condensation issue?

[patr]

Re: Freezer Placement

I’ve done some more research, including contacting some manufacturers, and it looks as though I’ve partly answered my question.
As far as I can establish, there is no refrigeration product, including chest freezers, designed to work at ambient temperature below 10C. This effectively rules out the placement in any unheated building!!!
At the very least, it invalidates the warranty.

However, I still have a question. In the experience of the experts, how much of a problem is this, and what is the effect on the working of a freezer if it’s in a lower ambient temperature? In other words, do I have to rule out putting a freezer where the temperature is only 5C, or is the risk small?? Help!!

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