How To Choose A Freezer For Home
|
Article by: Donald Grummett The average household , A Gardener's Diary freezer is a silent slave. It operates year in and year out, requiring nothing other than a constant supply of electricity. , "Forget Everything You've Ever Read About Water Heating..." Eventually, though it may need to be replaced. The following are a few considerations that will allow you to make an informed decision about its purchase. Most consumers have only a few concerns (other than price) when purchasing a freezer: 1 … What size do I require? 2 … How much electricity , Add A Room To Your Home With A Patio Awning will it consume? 3 … What (if any) options do I need? Size -------------------------------------- Size of course depends upon your needs. Generally though, most people purchase too large a freezer. They base their judgement upon perceived usages rather than real usage. Their reasoning is: We "might" need a larger one in case there "may be" a special at the grocery store on something. The reality though is that most freezers end up being operated only half full. Also, remember that all frozen foods , A Guide to Industrial Vacuum Cleaners should be consumed within six weeks. Foods , Learn About Herb Gardening - Get The Natural Facts! stored longer than that can become dehydrated no matter how well wrapped. As the moisture , Learn About Herb Gardening - Get The Natural Facts! leaves the food , Easy to grow roses both taste and nutritional value will be lowered. So anything stored longer than six weeks will probably end up being thrown out. As an example, how much ice cream have you thrown away because ice crystals started to form inside , The Benefits of Landscaping the package? That ice forming inside , Easy to grow roses the package is dehydration at work. Therefore, when trying to decide how big a freezer to purchase we suggest using what we call , The Benefits of Landscaping the "six week rule". To use this rule you first approximate how much "frozen" food , Growing Impatiens In Your Garden your family consumes in a six-week period. Then envision how much space those items would require if stacked on your kitchen , Filmmaker Visits Classroom counter. That will give you an idea of the physical size of freezer you require. Lastly, don't forget that the chest style freezer will require twice the floor , Stihl Chainsaws - Still Going Strong space of an upright. This may be an important factor if you live in an apartment. , Enjoy Rose Gardening Electricity consumed -------------- Although freezers are efficient consumers of electricity , Organic Gardening In The Backyard - Fun, Healthy, and Easier Than You May Think they will definitely increase your electrical bill. An upright freezer consumes more electricity. , High-End Manhattan Renovation Guide This is because every time it is opened the cold air , Top Five Reasons To Fail At Growing Gourds spills out onto the floor. , Add A Room To Your Home With A Patio Awning Consequently, it runs more frequently. Also today's uprights are often frost free, which by their nature , Filmmaker Visits Classroom consume much more electricity. , Add A Room To Your Home With A Patio Awning So we have to pay for the advantage of not having to defrost it. Chest freezers are more efficient consumers of electricity , Different Types of Bird Feeders because the cold air , Gardening tips, techniques and plant information lies inside , Growing White Pine Trees In The Yardley Pa. Area even though the lid is lifted to access the contents. But, chest types are manual and will need to be shut down and defrosted once a year. Are there ways to lower the electrical consumption of our freezers? Perhaps. To lower electrical consumption some people only use their freezer seasonally. During summer , Essential Cleaning Tips for the Kitchen and fall, , The Viburnum Blackhaw when freshly grow food , A Great Landscping Plant fo Use In Bedminster Township Pennsylvania is available, they clean out the freezer and turn it off. It is started back up again for winter , Essential Cleaning Tips for the Kitchen and spring , Enjoy Rose Gardening usage. This practise is common with gardeners who primarily want to store their fall , Preventing disease in your garden vegetables. Seniors also do this because getting out in the winter , So You've Decided to Finish Your Basement! is more difficult. Therefore they use a freezer to reduce the number of trips to the grocery store. Some websites are now suggesting a practice called freezer blocking to lower consumption. This entails filling any unused space in the freezer with blankets or boxes of insulation. The theory is that only the food , Garden Leaf Blowers - More Power to Your Elbow area would be cooled because air , Essential Cleaning Tips for the Kitchen circulation is being blocked off from unused sections. The smaller the space being cooled, the less the freezer should operate. Others suggest filling unused space with containers of water. , Double Glazing They would become frozen and act as a thermal media that in theory would lower the run time of the freezer. The jury is still out on these ideas. To me seems like an over reaction by people who bought too large a freezer in the first place. , The Viburnum Blackhaw Options required -------------------- Since most freezers are relegated to the basement , Buying A Home: Some Essential Tips they are not an appliance that needs to look pretty. Neither do most consumers feel a necessity for them to have many options. Most are simply regarded as large storage boxes where frozen foods , Top Five Reasons To Fail At Growing Gourds are kept for later usage. Recently though manufacturers , Perennials in the Flower Garden they have been offering a few more options. Things such as frost free, built in alarms, , Easy to grow roses digital temperature , Buying A Home: Some Essential Tips displays, push button controls, and quick freeze are now on the market. All options on a freezer can serve a purpose but must be offset with the possibility of increased complexity. The more complex a device the more possibility of it breaking down. Plus, along with complexity usually comes increased cost. One of the more unusual things you will see comes from Haier America. It is a chest style freezer with a pull out drawer at the bottom. The upper half is a basic chest freezer for long term storage. The lower half allows quick access via a drawer that slides out. The idea is that the drawer section is for items that need to be frozen : but will be used within a few days. Summing Up ------------------------- Food preferences have changed significantly in the last decade. We are eating less beef and more poultry and vegetables. , A Guide to Industrial Vacuum Cleaners Consequently, consumers now store less than 50 pounds of beef at any time. Twenty years ago freezers sold would average fifteen to twenty cubic feet. Today the most popular size for a freezer is seven to twelve cubic feet. Again a reflection upon the fact that more people are consuming fresh foods , Searching for the most up-to-date opinion relating to vinyl rather than frozen. · Household , The Orchid Plant: Important Aspects freezers come in either a chest style or an upright style. · If you are looking for convenience, then the upright freezer is for you. Obviously, its design , Gardening tips, techniques and plant information allows you to get to the food , Easy Tips On How To Care For Your Plants easily. Simply reaching into an upright requires less flexibility than leaning into a chest freezer. · Chest freezers tend to be more efficient to operate and consume less electricity. , Organic Gardening In The Backyard - Fun, Healthy, and Easier Than You May Think · Chest freezers are usually manual and will need to be defrosted once per year. Many upright freezers though are self-defrosting. Check the Energuide sticker on a new freezer for a sense of which is better for your particular needs. · If you expect to use the freezer for long-term storage a chest is better because they operate at a lower temperature , Blue Flowers Add Style and Color to any Garden than an upright. The following chart shows a basic comparison of the two types. So it is time to finally make that choice of what to buy. Hopefully, some of the ideas above will help you make an informed decision. Remember to take a close look at the Energuide before purchasing. It offers a lot of information , Different Types of Bird Feeders to help with an informed decision. But more on the Energuide in future issues. --------Chest-------------------Upright---------- ..lower purchase price.......higher purchase price ..manual defrost.............self defrost available ..long term storage..........medium term storage ..poorer food , After the most up-to-date help relating to custom paint. access.........easier food , Peace of Mind for Home Inspections access ..less electricity. , Free Satellite TV - Myth? Real? or It's Just a Joke? ..........more electricity ..limited options............options such as quick freeze About the Author: Copyright 2005 by Donald Grummett. All right reserved. In the trade over 30 years as a technician, business owner, and technical trainer. For more information , A Guide to Industrial Vacuum Cleaners about appliances including FAQ, Stain guide, and Recycling visit http://www.mgservices.ca Source: www.isnare.com |
  
|
mygarden.net.au Gardening | Landscaping | Climate Change | Home Improvement | How To DIY | Home Garden | Interior Design | Home Security | Home Finance | Forum | DIY | Add Your Link |