Defrosting the fridge freezer

[Hernaic Tom]

Hi all,

I'm a newbie, my name is Tom and I have been meaning to sign up to the forum for a long time as I use the self-sufficientish website regularly. I've just defrosted my fridge freezer, and I have a question about it. My thoughts turned almost immediately to this forum, where I thought somebody may be able to help me!

So anyway...

I have defrosted the fridge-freezer (The freezer compartment was surrounded by three inches of ice!), turned it back on again, and now, after a while playing with the controls (Have just discovered that a higher number means a lower temperature!) it is working almost normally.

However, I am now using more electricity than ever before! The balance on the electricity key meter is going down a lot faster than before we defrosted it! I haven't got an energy meter, but I'm pretty sure the fridge freezer must have something to do with it, as this is the only thing that has changed recently.

Can anybody tell me why this would be the case, and what I can do about it? We switched the fridge freezer on again 6 days ago.

Thanks in advance!!

Tom

[crowsashes]

hi

if you've switched off your freezer to defrost it - then cleared out all the ice the temperature would have risen...meaning more energy use to cool it again.

also if the ice was 3 inch thick it would not only have reduced the 'air space' in the freezer, but also acted as an insulator . now thats gone its got to work harder.

if your freezers empty - fill it with cool packs, plastic milk bottles filled with water etc. to run efficently a freezer needs to be full and if i remember correctly a fridge works better if its not...

some one else here will surely correct me if im wrong :)

[Hernaic Tom]

Hi, thanks for your thoughts! I had thought about the insulating properties of the now absent ice, but for some reason it didn't occur to me about the extra energy needed to reduce the temperature again!!!

Also, I have read that tip about filling the freezer before, but had forgotten about it!!!

Thanks!!! I'll give it a go!!!

[MuddyWitch]

The other option that we use to fill up the air space, is to pack the freezer with bread. Obviously if the bread is fresh, it's best to add a loaf at a time as the freezer will work harder each time something unfrozen is placed in it.

Running your freezer with a thick layer of ice might seem like a good idea but the ice is between the cooling fluids (in the freezer walls) and the items to be or kept frozen so the motor actually works harder in this instance.

So, although your freezer will need to chill down after a defrost, regular defrost will make it run more efficiently in the long run.

*goes to check her own freezer

MW

[Millymollymandy]

I thought the question was going to be - where do I put all my frozen things whilst I defrost it? - which is always my problem. I can't defrost the chest freezer but its getting very iced up. It's March, my freezers should be fairly empty by now but they are still full.

[battybird]

I thought the question was going to be - where do I put all my frozen things whilst I defrost it? - which is always my problem. I can't defrost the chest freezer but its getting very iced up. It's March, my freezers should be fairly empty by now but they are still full.

I solved this problem by emptying the fridge stuff out, turning the fridge temp to coldest setting, packing all freezer stuff in fridge (amazing how much will fit in ...as long as the door is opened carefully, or it all falls out. The fridge stuff will usually be fine for a few hours, and if its likely to take longer you can always pack it in a crate or box. I hate defrosting freezers, but it is always easier and quicker than I expect!

[Millymollymandy]

There's far too much in a chest freezer to fit in a fridge no matter how large or even my collection of 3 eskies.

I can just about manage to fit everything from the upright freezer crammed into the chest freezer to defrost that but no way I can do it the other way round.

Also even though the defrosting doesn't take too long its the freezing down to the right temp again afterwards, and I can only add a few things at a time or the warning sign comes back on to say it is getting too warm inside and I have to wait for it to get down to minus 20C again.

I guess I should just get an ice scaper out (if we possess such a thing) for the chest freezer. Can't understand why it is freezing up in the first place as there are no freezing elements and it's just bands of ice forming horizontally around the inside - this kind of freezer isn't supposed to need defrosting!

[battybird]

Well if you will have a big freezers! The seal is not gone or twisted I suppose? I have seen some spray stuff that is supposed to stop ice forming but probably expensive and not something you want near food! I have to admit to having resorted to a large scraper (or knife...I know...bad thing!) and even the hair dryer years ago.

[Millymollymandy]

Guess I should just get round to scraping the ice (I do have an old blunt knife which will do the trick) - it isn't rock hard ice thankfully as I keep scaping bits off when I get out the baskets I have down the bottom. I don't think there's anything wrong with it as it was brand new when I got it and it's had bands of ice around the inside for years now - doesn't get worse though.

I keep meaning to try to eat most of the contents but it's kind of hard when there is a special on for say free range chooks which only happens a couple of times a year!

[mrs green]

To make it quicker to defrost you could try using a steam cleaner? Mine has suction at the same time it steams and it saves a lot of the mess and time. http://www.amazon.co.uk/Vaporetto-Lecoa ... B000Z24ZCC

[mrs green]

Ah I use it as in my green cleaning business and its a fab tool cutting down the time that clients would normally pay me to defrost the freezer manually. Wish I could lug my freezer outside though that sounds like a much easier and greener solution

[patR]

While I was out(as it was something I would never have contemplated doing..) my OH defrosted my large chest freezer, with a heat gun and a scraper.... it took less than an hour...
When I came home I couldnt believe it... fantastic... Its my most hated job..
Mind you... if he had told me how he planned to do it... I think I would have had kittens...
But its fine...