QUESTION FROM annoegage

Everyone keeps telling me that plugging in and unplugging a freezer is VERY bad for it. We are talking about plugging one in for a 48 hr. period, once a month.

ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD

Dear annoegage:

The answer is, "it depends". If your freezer is a fairly new Energy Star rated freezer, then I would suggest letting it run all of the time. And then to minimize energy consumption, ensure that the door seals are all clean and close tightly all the way around. Also, keep the coils clean, and allow adequate air circulation around the unit. And try to locate your freezer in a cool location, for example, down in a basement. And of course, don't open the door to the freezer until you are ready to use it.

However, if your freezer is an older, less energy-efficient model, or the unit has to be located someplace warm (like a garage), and if you really just need the freezer for only two days per month (that is, it would be running less than 7% of the time), then yes, I would suggest that you turn off the freezer when it is not in use, to conserve energy. However, as I imagine you have already considered, you will need to keep the freezer very clean when it is not in use, so that it does not begin to smell.

And as always with a freezer, from a safety standpoint in either case, you will want to be sure that there is no possibility that kids could ever climb inside, lock themselves in and suffocate.

Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com