5 Best Garage Upright Freezers in 2022 (2023)

FAQs

Are upright freezers OK in the garage? ›

And if your garage is insulated and climate-controlled, it's fine to put a freezer there. You just want to make sure the space is dry. Keep the freezer away from windows and out of direct sunlight, because that makes it work harder to maintain the right interior temperature.

If you have sufficient room, the ideal options are typically large capacity upright freezers or chest freezers.

You should get a garage ready freezer if you want an extra place to store frozen food without worrying about fluctuating temperatures. The common industry range for garage ready freezers is 0-110°F, meaning that it can handle the varying temperatures typically found in a garage without malfunctioning.

For large chest freezers that you can put in garages, look no further than Frigidaire freezers. These freezers work well down past 32 degrees F and temperatures up to 110 degrees F. So for most people, these freezers are great options for the garage.

Chest freezers are expected to last between 15 and 20 years while upright freezers have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.

The Cons. Less Flexible Storage Space. Since upright freezers have up to 15 percent less storage space than chest models, storing larger items can be difficult. It may be hard to stash things like large cuts of beef or venison, whole turkeys and other odd-shaped items.

An ENERGY STAR certified chest freezer uses about 215 kWh of electricity and costs about $30 per year to run, while an ENERGY STAR certified upright freezer uses about 395 kWh of electricity and costs about $50 per year to run.

If your garage temperature dips below freezing, the thermostat inside the garage refrigerator's freezer may think it's cold enough and shut off. To work around this issue, you need to heat the air around the thermostat. One way is to install a heating coil around the thermostat.

Is a frost-free freezer better? ›

The cooling system of a frost-free freezer is usually more energy efficient than that of an auto-defrost freezer. If you're looking for kitchen appliances that will help save you money on your energy bills, go with the frost-free models.

The compressor is much closer on a bottom freezer unit, so it can be harder to keep heat out. As reported by the U.S. Department of Energy, top freezers use about 10 to 25 percent less energy than bottom freezers, which helps reduce your energy bill, electricity consumption, and carbon footprint.

GE and Frigidaire tend to make the best products. The glaring absense of best refrigerator brands is surprising in this category.

Most garages have sawdust, grime, dust and more which can collect the garage refrigerator's coil. Boxes and clutter can pile up on and around the fridge, limiting airflow and restricting its performance.

Frigidaire 20.0 cu. ft Upright Freezer with Garage Ready, Power Outage Assurance, and EvenTemp, ENERGY STAR in White FFUE2022AW - The Home Depot.

Should You Unplug a Garage Fridge for the Winter? If you don't have any food in the fridge, unplugging it during icy weather will save you the trouble of heating the thermostat. However, if you still want to use your fridge for food storage, it's best to leave it plugged in.

Garage ready freezers are built to handle both extreme heat and cold. Some freezers are built with specialized compressors, thick insulation and a triple sealed gasket to help maintain internal temperatures.

To help determine the best freezer size for your family, you could allow for 2.5 cubic feet of freezer space for each household member. For a family of four, a freezer with around 10 to 16 cubic feet of capacity could be ideal, depending on your storage needs.

Upright freezer sizes & dimensions

Compact = 3 to 5 cubic feet (20–24″ W x 31–37″ H x 20–25″ D) Small = 5 to 9 cubic feet (21–25″ W x 55–60″ H x 22–26″ D) Medium = 10 to 16 cubic feet (23–31″ W x 60–73″ H x 27–30″ D) Large = 17+ cubic feet (27–34″ W x 64–76″ H x 29–30″ D)

On average, the life expectancy of a refrigerator-freezer or chest freezer is 16 years. Freezers typically last anywhere from 12 to 20 years.

Is it worth repairing an upright freezer? ›

With proper maintenance and care, freezers can be expected to last anywhere from 12 to 20 years. Paying the cost for a freezer repair will usually be less expensive than springing for a new one, which could easily cost more than $700 for an upright freezer or more than $600 for a chest freezer once installed.

You should aim to defrost your freezer at least once a year or more frequently if your freezer is prone to ice build-up. You should also defrost your freezer if the ice build-up is more than ¼ inch thick. Check your owner's manual for specific instructions on how to defrost your freezer.

First introduced 20 years ago, energy labels awarded a product with an A for high efficiency, or an F for low efficiency and encouraged manufacturers to drive innovation by using more energy efficient technologies.

Compared to their upright counterparts, chest freezers are more energy-efficient, have a longer life expectancy, are less expensive to purchase and maintain, have more usable storage space, and keep food fresher for longer in the event of a power outage.

Upright Pros - Easy to organize, easy access to different products/meat cuts, and uses less floor space. Upright Cons - Less useable freezer space compared to a chest, cold air escapes more quickly, and risk of door being left open.

If the doors stay closed, food will stay safe for up to: 4 hours in a refrigerator. 48 hours in a full freezer; 24 hours in a half-full freezer.

When your freezer is full, there is less room for warmer air to take up, and the items that are in there help to cool down any air that does sneak in. So keeping it full means less energy used. 1.

Many homeowners enjoy the convenience of a separate freezer, either an upright or chest model. Today's freezers have a lifespan of up to 20 years, but they average about 11 years, according to the NAHB.

Chest Freezer

Because of the built-in sidewall insulation, chest freezers hold their cold temperatures very well and therefore use the least amount of energy to run.

Refrigerators work by starting to cool whenever the room temperature rises above a set point – typically around 36 degrees – and stays running until the temperature returns to normal. This means that if the temperature in your garage drops and stays below this set temp, your refrigerator stops working.

Can you put a freezer in an uninsulated garage? ›

If the garage space is uninsulated or too cold, the freezing temperatures will trick the freezer into thinking it has reached the desired level of refrigeration and it may fail to turn on, which could result in damage to the unit and food spoilage.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommends that you keep your refrigerator temperature at or below 40°F and your freezer temperature at or below 0°F. However, the ideal refrigerator temperature is actually lower. Aim to stay between 35° and 38°F (or 1.7 to 3.3°C).

A full freezer retains cold better than an empty one. When you open the door, the mass of frozen food will help keep in the cold, and the unit won't have to work as hard to cool empty space. But don't jam pack the freezer either; you need air to circulate.

frost-free refrigerators, a direct cool refrigerator retains food freshness better than a frost-free one when a shorter period is taken into account. However, due to the fan speed and the uniformity of air distribution, frost-free refrigerators perform better in terms of food freshness for a longer time.

Because a top freezer uses less energy, the operating costs are also lower. “The average annual cost to operate [a top freezer] is between $37 and $94,” says Johannson. “Bottom freezers cost slightly more to operate, with average annual energy consumption between $64 and $104.”

Top freezers have more room than bottom freezers in comparably-sized refrigerators. They are also the most energy efficient. The Department of Energy says top freezers use up to 25 percent less energy than side-by-side or bottom freezers, so they save money.

The most common culprit is a faulty seal, which can stop the compressor from being able to run. So, if your fridge is running but not cooling, then there is a good chance you have an issue with your compressor. If this is the issue, you will need to call in a licensed technician to repair it.

LG and GE manufacture refrigerators that tend to have the greatest capacity, on average, while Frigidaire is a better first choice if your kitchen is more compact.

A garage ready chest freezer is built to handle extreme external temperatures while maintaining an optimized internal temperature. These freezers will usually include “garage ready” in the product name or will list it as a specification.

What is a garage rated freezer? ›

A garage ready freezer is a unit that are built to operate in extreme temperatures both hot and cold without lesser performance.

2018 and newer upright and chest freezers are garage ready and are proven to perform at room temperatures ranging between 0 degrees F. and 110 degrees F. Freezers Certified for Garage Use.

Garage Ready

Place this unit in your garage without worry. This unit is designed to perform in temperatures ranging from 0°F to 110°F.

An ENERGY STAR certified chest freezer uses about 215 kWh of electricity and costs about $30 per year to run, while an ENERGY STAR certified upright freezer uses about 395 kWh of electricity and costs about $50 per year to run.

Initially A rated appliances will be very rare - generally B will be the highest rating.

So while you may save electricity initially by having less work for the freezer to do in the lower ambient temperature, over time you'll reduce the freezer's ability to keep that heat out. Come summer you'll find the freezer uses more energy than before, because the insulation is shot.

Chest freezers are expected to last between 15 and 20 years while upright freezers have a lifespan of 10 to 15 years.

As a rule of thumb, if you have bought a new fridge freezer in the last ten years then, unless it is completely broken, don't bother replacing it with a new model since the efficiency gains won't be worth it. If your fridge-freezer is more than 10 years old, then you should consider replacing it with a new model.

A refrigerator that is "Garage Ready" essentially has a small heater that tricks the thermostat in the fridge into running your compressor so that your freezer keeps your freezer items frozen. Hope this helps!