I've wondered a lot of the same things.

The one thing I can add is I'd recommend getting a newer, Energy-Star rated freezer. Old ones are major energy hogs.
Our house is the breakdown site for our local buying club deliveries, and we got together and bought a new freezer that costs $12 per year to operate!

I do wonder whether having it in a cold place can help with energy use...

:

 

I don't like the idea of a freezer being outside unless it was a newer one that locked (to keep kids out, and stop theft) being in a shed would be ok but would cost more to run during the hot months. I'd prefer a smaller freezer indoors

 

I wouldn't do it unless you have very private areas outside. Most freezers have very simple keys that aren't for stopping theft, just for stopping little kids from getting in I think. What if somebody opened it and put something dirty inside as a joke (like a dead bird)? I think a sturdy balcony is OK, especially if it's shady. It might be OK in the shed, but to be honest then it's a lot more work for you to get to your food. Like you want a pound of beef and there's a thunderstorm outside. You'd have to walk outside with umbrella, unlock the shed, close umbrella, dig for the meat, pick up umbrella and lock shed while holding onto cold meat, then walk back to your house. If possible, keep it close to the kitchen. Do you have any space in the garage or basement?

 

I would think that outside in the sun would require more energy to cool it, than if it were in the shade in the shed.

 

You're most likely looking at around 4-5+ years before the baby eats enough food to warrant a larger freezer.

I'd get the small chest one in the basement. You can get upright ones, though they cost more. A small chest freezer is not that much money anymore. In the winter months when it's frozen outside you could always store things in coolers or another closing/can't dig into it type of container out in the shed.

 

We just switched a year and a half ago from an old large freezer in our garage to a new small one in our entry. Not only are we saving a lot in electricity, but I also don't let food go to waste because it's easier to get at and I know what's in there.

 

We had a second refridgerator in our garage, but it never ran well and the food in the freezer would thaw. etc. It was a pretty new appliance too.

We contacted Sears repair center about it and were told that they do not recommend using freezers or fridges in uninsulated and unheated areas. They just don't work right. The cold temperature throws off the appliances thermostat.

 

Well, this is a 1890s house, I'm sure the dirt basement doesn't meet Sears standards either, ha. Bigger really would mean better here- DH is a chef with a butcher's license, too. So, he can break down half a cow or a whole salmon in no time, if we had space in the freezer. And, I guess I was thinking of always sending him to the shed- which is solid and secure. Maybe I should put two small freezers in the basement.

 

I'll be the odd man out

We have a large deep freezer and a second refrigerator/freezer in our un-attached, un-insulated, un-heated garage. We live over an our from a grocery store, so I buy in bulk and we eat about 1.5 beef/year (a whole beef at a time). It gets cold inthe winter and hot in the summer (over a hundred several times). The only problem we have is, the ouside fridge becomes a freezer durring the winter

. If it is raining, my head just gets a little wet. My ILs had a deep freeze in the garage for the almost 20 years they lived here. We replaced it when we moved in (almost 8 years ago) The outside fridge was the inside one untill we bought a bigger one 4 years ago.

My reccomemdation is a upright deep freeze instead of a chest. I have had both and the upright is so much easier to find stuff and less lost food, and much easier to defrost and clean.

 

I'm in Atlanta, and I had mine in the garage...but I moved it inside and I can absolutely without a doubt tell that it is working way way way more efficiently. During the heat of the summer, it had to work so hard. I highly recommend you have it indoors.

 

Quote:

I'm sure the dirt basement doesn't meet Sears standards either, ha.

the dirt is an isulator though. While it won't keep it super warm in the winter, in the summer it will keep them cool enough that they won't be overworking.

 

I waited for a sale and bought one that stands up like a normal fridge and opens in the front. It's much easier to use than a chest freezer. But anyway, your question-- I keep ours in the house in the kitchen. We have extreme temps in the summer and the salesperson said that the freezers will not last as long if you keep them in the garage or outside, and they will have to work much harder in the summer.

 

Chest freezers are a pain IMO

We have a upright and it sure is easier to get at the food and keep it organized.

We are a family of 5. We have an upright, one of those small chest freezers and 2 fridges.

We use to keep our upright out in a garage that was uninsulated. We then moved and kept it out under a porch. Its now in our laundry room. It worked just fine in all of those conditions.

We live in Idaho.

 

Hmm, my dad works in refrigeration and while I don't understand it I seem to remember him saying once the outside temperature is below 50 degrees or so they become inefficient. It has something to do with cycling more often and the coolant.

But you live where it doesn't get super cold, so it's not as bad as the situation we have here in the far North. If you really want to butcher a cow you're going to need more storage space. Just keep in mind how much you actually eat. It's nice your husband can do the butchering. You can package it all in the exact portions you want, much less waste that way.

Hope your freezing adventure goes well.

Julie

 

We keep ours outside. It is a newer Sear's model. I have not noticed that it is inefficient or has too work too hard. It never gets very hot because we live in the far north, but it is sometimes colder outside than it is in the freezer

The nice thing is, I can do major reorganization in the freezer 6 months out of the year without worrying about the food defrosting...... I do not find it hard to manage the food in there. It is quite a walk from the house so once a week or so I go out with a bucket and get everything I need for the week. I transfer it into the fridge freezer until I need it. There was no other option for us as there is nowhere to put it in our house except a bedroom which is not the look I am going for