some really exciting Chest Freezer questions

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

I need to buy our first chest freezer asap. I have a choice of two at almost the same price:

• HUGE one with a C rating
• BIG one with a B rating

I have no doubt that I could almost fill the huge one if I had it, and the BIG one would most definitely get filled.

It's the energy rating that is bugging me - is C rating really awful? esp with a huge freezer? I can't find any A rating ones here (abroad).

Seeing as they are almost the same price, would I be silly not to buy the larger one now? Another DC on the way. And I suppose once we had the freezer we would do a lot more bulk-cooking and storage of in-season food for the winter.

Would appreciate any thoughts, experience, or knowledge of useful sites to check this sort of thing out. Thanks!

[DontNeedAnything]

A bigger freezer is more likely to be a lower rating as it will use more energy.

i suspect it will be harder to find a A rated chest freezer than an A rated underbench freezer IYSWIM.

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

very logical point! I shoudl really decide on which size will be the most useful then.

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

any other opinions out there?

[RambleOn]

They need to be filled to the brim to achieve these ratings, as freezing air spaces loses efficiency.

So the smaller one completely filled would run more efficiently than the huge one only partly filled iyswim.

[KatyMac]

But to enable efficiency you can freeze ice cream tubs full of water to fill up the gaps

[expatinscotland]

what i'd go for is frost free every time.

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

thanks everyone - really appreciate it

all makes sense

can't find frost free without travelling quite far, sadly

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

Went for the B rating one in the end even though it is a bit smaller. When I went back to the shop the bigger one just looked stupidly huge and I decided on the other one instead. The rating did sway me too! Esp with the cost of electric sneaking up lately.

[QuintessentialShadows]

I remember seing this thread a few days ago, and dedicated as I am went to speak to my sister about it, She is a regridgeration engineer. (Imagine spending 6 years to study refridgeration, but then, she did become a research scientist on the topic, anyway I am babbling)

Most of the electricity is used when you first start up your freezer. A larger freezer takes a little longer to "freeze" up, especially if it is filled with warm food that is going to be frozen for the first time. Once it is up and running, the costs of keeping a huge freezer contra a large freezer running is not so different.

More electricity is however required when you are keeping a very FULL freezer frozen than when there is a lot of air between the stuff in side. The reason for this is that warmth particles are travelling better when there is contact between the walls of the freezer and the items inside, so warmth from outside in the room is entering into the freezer by contact, when items are stacked up to the full. Air is not such a great medium for warmth, so when the freezer is not so full, it is easier for it to keep its frozen stage. So, a freezer with lots of air inside uses less electricity than a very full one.

Not sure I explained it correctly, but this is what I remember from my sister.

And boy, let me tell you, I regret that I asked. It took a while, because the question really got her going, and thanks goodness for the red wine....

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

WOW! I am so impressed! And very grateful that you went and found this out!

Refrigeration Engineer! You don't hear of that very often!

So the thing to remember is not to over-fill it, right? Does that shoot down the tubs of frozen water theory then?

THANK YOU QS & SIS!

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

in fact, here, have a virtual bottle of red wine as a thank you

[QuintessentialShadows]

Thanks!

Fancy a glass?

[WelliesAndPyjamas]

always!