Home-Wizard.com Guide to Freezer Maintenance including free automatic reminders

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Interactive Home Maintenance Guide

To maintain the efficiency, safety, and useful life of your freezer, it is important that your home maintenance program include the proper maintenance for your freezer.

A freezer operates much like a refrigerator, except that it is designed to produce much colder temperatures. As such, a freezer consumes a significant amount of electricity and should be properly maintained to achieve its best possible energy efficiency and to ensure proper food safety. See also: Refrigerator.

Shown below are the recommended routine maintenance tasks for your freezer.

Learn to enjoy managing your home with our free Newsletter or our free Automatic Maintenance Reminders. We can also show you the Recommended Maintenance Schedules for your entire home.


		Maintenance Task: Perform annual maintenance

		How do you perform annual maintenance on a freezer?
		Annual freezer maintenance includes the following tasks: Defrosting the freezer: Turn the freezer off. Remove food, and store in an insulated ice chest, refrigerator, or boxes insulated with newspapers or blankets. Use a fan to help melt the frost. Use a wooden or plastic scraper, never a sharp object. Wash the inside of the unit with a warm water solution of mild detergent or baking soda. Wipe until very dry. Turn freezer back on and put food back in. Vacuum dust off the condenser coils. Ensure that the magnetic door seal on the unit closes tightly.

		Why is it important to perform annual maintenance on a freezer?
		Defrosting and cleaning the condenser coils improves the energy efficiency of the freezer which helps save energy costs.

		When should you perform annual maintenance on a freezer?
		Perform annually (February).

		How does Home-Wizard rate the costs and benefits for this task?
		The cost of this task is moderate from an investment of time standpoint. It is estimated that this task should take several hours to complete. You will need a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery cleaning attachment.

		The benefits of this task are energy savings.

		Overall Home-Wizard benefit-versus-cost rating (one 'hat' = low and four 'hats' = high):

QUESTIONS & ANSWERS from "Ask-the-Wizard":

QUESTION from "gogorita1":

My husband is constantly after me to keep the vents in our freezer section of the refridgerator free of items. He tells me that if the vents are blocked with frozen items it makes the freezer work harder. The vents pertrude out so they can't be totally blocked. We argue over this all the time. Can you let me know if there is any validity to his concern??? Thanks!

ANSWER:

gogorita1:

Well, I'm sorry to have to take sides between you and your husband. And please don't shoot the messenger. But yes, blocking the vents (even partially) in a freezer reduces air circulation in the compartment, which therefore reduces the cooling efficiency of your unit. As a result, either your freezer compartment will run a little warmer, or if it has a thermostat that controls it to a set temperature, then it will cause your compressor to have to work harder which consumes more energy and reduces the life of the compressor.

Probably not what you wanted to hear, but hopefully this is helpful.

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