Freezer-Stand Alone Buying Guide


Freezer-Stand Alone

Getting Started

Types

Upright freezers are usually more popular due to their compact design. They take up less horizontal space and fit through doorways. They are also easier to use due to a large number of shelves, drawers, and other organizational features. However, they usually have less space than chest freezers. 

Chest freezers usually cost less than their upright counterparts. They can fit more products. However, the food on the bottom can be reached only when the top products are removed which makes the operation more difficult. Chest freezers usually have manual defrost that takes a lot of time. These freezers offer a better performance during power outages.

Size

Compact freezer has about 5 cubic feet capacity.  Usually, 1,5 cubic feet is enough for one family member. Accordingly a compact freezer is good for a small family of two or three.

Small freezer has a 6 – 9 cubic feet capacity. 1 cubic foot of freezer space can be used to accommodate about 35 pounds food. A small freezer is good for a family of 4 -6 members.

Medium freezer has a 12– 18 cubic feet capacity. Such freezer is great for families who like to stock up during sales or cook in bulk.

Large freezer has a 18 – 25 cubic feet capacity.  Large freezers are usually used for industrial needs. They can also be used for storing half cows or a lot of fresh fruits and berries in the summer. Large appliances are great for fishers and farmers.

Defrosting

Manual defrosting usually takes up 24 hours and can be a rather messy job. Freezers with manual defrosting are usually cheaper than the no frost appliances. Manual defrosting requires 40% less energy than automatic defrosting. Models with manual defrosting are better for keeping the internal temperature at stable level.No frost models keep the frost from building up by defrosting the appliance daily. The temperature inside the freezer goes up by only about 1 -2 degrees during the defrosting process.  No frost freezers prevent the food from getting freezer burns. The absence of ice crystals inside frost-free freezers allows the food to retain its taste and nutrition qualities.

Energy Consumption

Features

Climate Class

N (normal) class – fit  to work at  room temperature between +16 and +32 degrees Celsius (60° – 90° F)

SN (subnormal) class – fit to work at room temperature between +10 and +32 degrees Celsius (50° – 90° F)

ST (subtropical) class – fit to work at room temperature between +18 and +38 degrees Celsius ( 65°–100° F)

T class  (tropical)– fit to work at room temperature between +18 and +43 degrees Celsius ( 65° – 110° F)

Cost Considerations