Annual Defrosting of the deep-freeze.

[martybee]

Wife and I just finished the choir of defrosting the deep-freezer in our basement. Not as easy task.
We generally start by removing everything and stacking it all on the washer and dryier covered by several blankets and other insulating materials to keep it from thawing while we work on the frezer.
Then we put a 1350 watt heater in the chest type frezer and close the lid. After about 30 minutes the ice melts, falls off the walls and we remove it; We dry out the freezer and replace the contents. Probably an easier way to do it, but that is how we have defrosted it for years.
We are both in our mid-eighties so it takes a toll on our strenght and agility. I was hopping someone had a better method of doing this task!

mb

 

[Arik]

Why? What does the defrosting accomplish?

Never mind just read about it. I guess I have one of those self defrosting types since I've never had any build up of ice

 

[Retired LTC USAR]

You only other choice would be to purchase a frost free freezer. I believe an upright freezer would better suit you.

 

[martybee]

Thank You.

mb

 

[Class III]

I've got an approximate 18 CF Non frost free upright freezer that dates back to the "Ice Age". Sorry I couldn't resist.

I do basically the same as you do but with a 1750 watt hair dryer since I don't have any hair left that needs 1750 watts.

Rig it up so that it hangs from the bottom of the top wire rack and turn on "HI".

Let the hair dryer run for 30 - 45 minutes with the door closed and bust out the beach towels to soak up the water in the bottom.

Buying 45 minutes of electricity to run the hair dryer is a whole lot cheaper than buying a new freezer.

Class III

 

[Alpo]

Mama used to use a portable hair dryer. One of them metal "gun-types", before blow-dryers came along. Had the plastic hood that you put over your hair.

Like this.

It would put out some heat. She'd point it at a hunk of ice for a few seconds, and it would let go.

Had the food piled in a wash-tub, with blankets on top, and us kids down on the floor with dishpans, picking up the ice hunks.

Hers was an upright.

Oh, and that dryer would do one fine job of getting the charcoal hot, in the grill. Just blowing air - no heat. Like a bellows in a blacksmith's forge.

 

[GrayGhost99]

Believe it or not when I worked in a grocery store our chest type coolers were defrosted by gently waking the ice bunks with a large face rubber mallet. Doesn't take much strength and the process is done much quicker. This is the way the manual stated to do it, explaining that it was better than introducing heat to the unit.

 

[Brian41]

I think the way you do it is the best method or the hair dryer idea. Easiest way would be to just let it thaw with door open but this takes longer and food has to protected such as what you do with blankets. I did the same with mine except put the food in laundry tubs and let it thaw on it's own.
My folks had an old Sears chest freezer that had a thaw switch that shut down cooling and started electric heaters imbedded in the side walls. It had a drain with a short hose you would put a bucket under. It defrosted very fast and surprised it isn't still being done except for the fact it would add cost to the unit.
If the soaking up water is difficult for you now and there is quite a bit of it one of those pumps used for removing water off a floor might help. They do a good job and remove most of the water with just a small amount to mop up. I used one when I had basement flooding and was impressed with it.

 

[calmex]

I am certainly no expert on deep-freezers, nor do I play one on TV. However, I've owned and operated an Ice Cream Store here in Mexico for over 22 years now and we have -- let's see, I have to count them -- 3 traditional deep-freezers and another 2 glass-topped jobbies.

The way you are doing it -- or the hair dryer method -- sounds just fine to me. It's quick, it doesn't allow your product to thaw, and it gets the job done. In my own case, we thaw each freezer once a week. However, we have other freezers to move the product into, and can just leave the lid open and let the thing thaw overnight. Also, by doing it once a week, our freezers never really ice up very much.

I would say you are doing it just fine, and a lot faster than we do it.

 

[Chuck24]

We just wait on the hurricane and the accompanying power failure.

 

[martybee]

It is an ardent choir that neither of us wish to do, but out of necessity we do it and have that feeling of relief after it is finished!

mb

 

[raisedin99]

It is an ardent choir that neither of us wish to do, but out of necessity we do it and have that feeling of relief after it is finished!

mb

mb

You are now granted a 90 minute ride on your sofa. Pleasant dreams!

terry

 

[chaparrito]

electric heaters and melting ice. What could possibly go wrong??

 

[LMWIS]

We used to do the same thing until we realized that we were taking the same stuff out year after year and putting it back in after we defrosted the freezer.

Freezer went on Kijiji, and we started buying no more than we needed for the week.

 

[fat tom]

We usually do the hair dryer thing too,but what really frosts my butt is all of the food that gets thrown out because it's "too old" or has freezer burn. The all too frequent "Oh,I didn't know that filet was in there" doesn't help one bit either.
f.t.

 

[Alpo]

We usually do the hair dryer thing too,but what really frosts my butt is all of the food that gets thrown out because it's "too old" or has freezer burn. The all too frequent "Oh,I didn't know that filet was in there" doesn't help one bit either.
f.t.

Pack it better.

My experience with a 13-year-old steak.

I have decided that zip-lock bags are the bomb | The Firearms Forum

 

[martybee]

No more Porterhouse or Prime rib going into my freezer!

mb