Possible to keep a chest freezer in uninsulated garage in MN

Can you put a chest freezer in an uninsulated upper Midwest garage?

  • Yes

    Votes: 4 80.0%
  • No

    Votes: 1 20.0%

  • Total voters
    5

Hoytvectrix

5 year old buck +
I'm in the Twin Cities. In anticipation for this hunting season, I purchased a chest freezer. I'm not sure if it will go into the house or the garage. I've read that most freezers should not be kept in an uninsulated garage. But about half the people I know in the Midwest keep theirs in their garages.

The winters here obviously get below zero for prolonged periods. That I think is my biggest worry.
 
I’ve got one in my unheated, uninsulated garage in Wisconsin and have had no issues with it in the 10 or so years it’s been there. Chest freezer.
 
If it is colder then 20 degrees around the temp sensor, the compressor will not kick on to cool the inside.
 
If it is colder then 20 degrees around the temp sensor, the compressor will not kick on to cool the inside.

This hasn’t been my experience but then again if it’s below freezing what’s the difference


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I've always had a beer fridge and freezer in the shop. Never a problem but our winters in KS aren't anything compared to yours.
 
This hasn’t been my experience but then again if it’s below freezing what’s the difference


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This is pretty much it. But it does depend on model, and quality. Your better models are insulated better, and actually the cold temps keep the compressor from running, and the inside is insulated very well, and the food will thaw. Your cheaper models aren’t insulated very good, so the cold temps cools the inside contents.
Most chest freezers the compressor will kick on and off until they hit about 0 degrees, but they won’t run for more then 10-30 seconds, , but that can be enough if you aren’t in it very much.
 
I wouldn’t worry about it my biggest issue is you chose a chest freezer I have long since given up on chest freezers for uprights with the chest freezers we seem to use the top 1/3 and everything else gets freezer burned and tossed out about every 5-10 years when it get cleaned out. Cleaned out my mothers once when we where kids and found my aunts wedding cake in the bottom they had been married for 20 years at that point.
 
Insulate the garage first?
 
I think some are advertised as "garage ready" although I haven't actually researched what that means.
 
This is pretty much it. But it does depend on model, and quality. Your better models are insulated better, and actually the cold temps keep the compressor from running, and the inside is insulated very well, and the food will thaw. Your cheaper models aren’t insulated very good, so the cold temps cools the inside contents.
Most chest freezers the compressor will kick on and off until they hit about 0 degrees, but they won’t run for more then 10-30 seconds, , but that can be enough if you aren’t in it very much.
I'm curious, if it's below freezing both inside and outside the freezer, where does the heat come from that causes it to thaw inside?
 
I'm curious, if it's below freezing both inside and outside the freezer, where does the heat come from that causes it to thaw inside?
Installing non frozen food??

I am not saying it wont keep your food frozen, what I am saying is, temp sensors are not designed to allow the compressor to kick on if it is below 20 degrees. If you have a better model that is well insulated, it wont freeze that fresh 20# tube of hamburger you just put in there, until the temp sensor gets above 20 degrees. A poorly insulated freezer will freeze from the outside, but that poorly insulated freezer will run a lot in the hot months.
 
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