From Ice Chests to Ovens: An Appliance Sales Blog

With an increased focus on self-sufficiency and food independence, many homeowners are looking for options to expand their food storage. Investing in a stand-up freezer is one of the first steps toward creating a complete food storage system. However, many people don't understand what to look for when they are shopping for freezers like these. Here's a look at some features that are beneficial to consider when you're looking for a stand-up freezer for your home.

Consider The Capacity You Need

The first thing that you need to think about is how large you need the freezer to be. Stand-up freezers, like chest freezers, are rated in cubic feet. You can typically store about 25 pounds of food per cubic foot of space in your freezer, so think about what you'll use the freezer for to help you narrow down the right size. For example, if you plan to use the freezer for bulk meat purchases, such as a quarter each of a cow and a pig, you'll want to select a freezer with a larger cubic foot rating to allow for enough capacity.

Think About The Defrost Options

Another important thing to consider when you're buying a stand-up freezer is whether you want a manual or automatic defrosting unit. Manual defrosting gives you more control over the consistent temperatures of the freezer but can leave you dealing with an intensive chore if the freezer is full and you have to empty it to defrost it.

Automatic defrosting is often more convenient because the freezer eliminates frost accumulation on its own. However, it does mean that, while the defroster runs, the temperature inside your freezer will warm up a little bit. In most cases, it's only a couple of degrees, so it's not consequential in terms of any effect on food quality.

Look For Convenience Features

Once you've settled on the size and defrost style of the stand-up freezer, the final thing you need to think about is the convenience features that you want. Many of these freezers include a door lock and alarm so that you can be alerted if the door isn't closed all the way. Often, stand-up freezers also include levelers in the feet so that you can ensure that your freezer is level or tilted slightly backward to help keep that door closed.

You might also want to choose a freezer with digital temperature control and real-time temperature readings. This can help you to monitor your freezer and ensure that the food you invested in is safely stored.

These are some of the things that you should think about before you buy a stand-up freezer for your home.