A Beginner’s Guide to Ensuring your Freezer Stays Cold

Freezers are a convenient way to store food for future use, but keeping the temperature cold can sometimes be tricky. The good news is that there are several simple checks you can regularly perform to ensure your freezer is chilling correctly. Not sure on how to maintain cool temps? We’ve compiled a short list for beginners below to help guide you.

The most natural and obvious way to keep your freezer at below freezing temperatures is to ensure you shut the door at all times; as long as you aren’t hunting for your next ingredient. Be sure you hear a sealing noise when you shut the door, which is evidence that the seal is working and keeping the cold air inside. Keeping your freezer door closed also prevents it from having to overwork and prevents expensive energy bills.

A freezer filled to over-capacity takes much longer to cool and can be a food safety hazard. When adding items to your freezer, be sure to allow space between items in which the cold air can circulate. Be aware of how much space you have to spare before you decide to stock up at the grocery store. Filling your freezer to the brim can also cause it to work overtime and result in costly increases on your next energy bill, too.

It’s best to clear out and defrost your freezer once a year to keep it in tip-top shape. Cleaning out your freezer helps ensure food safety, allowing you to see what foods may be past their prime and also take inventory of what foods you have in stock. Defrosting your freezer is easiest done by unplugging your appliance and leaving the door open after clean out has finished. To accelerate the process, you can use a hair dryer to intensify the warm air, but be sure to keep the hair dryer away from any melting ice.

While freezers produce a chilly environment, the energy required produces heat that gets projected to the immediate area surrounding the freezer. If your freezer is in an enclosed space, such as a closet or small room, the heat produced from the back of the freezer will increase the temperature much faster in a confined space than an open one. Smaller areas with higher temperatures cause the freezer to have to work harder and therefore, decrease the ability to keep your freezer cool.

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