Should I replace my 40yr old freezer?

[JudyH]

I am redoing the mud room where the freezer lives, unheated room, gets down to below freezing in the winter. This is an old upright Frigidaire, about 12 cubic feet, not frost free. The outside has rust spots, the inside is cracked about the plastic edges. It still freezes great, not a service call ever.

So I was looking at new freezers, they don't have much in an energy star rated upright freezer thats around 13 cubic feet. I know new isn't built like old. I guess I'm going more for new appearance, maybe more energy efficient?

Opinions?

 

[Redrosesix]

I am redoing the mud room where the freezer lives, unheated room, gets down to below freezing in the winter. This is an old upright Frigidaire, about 12 cubic feet, not frost free. The outside has rust spots, the inside is cracked about the plastic edges. It still freezes great, not a service call ever.

So I was looking at new freezers, they don't have much in an energy star rated upright freezer thats around 13 cubic feet. I know new isn't built like old. I guess I'm going more for new appearance, maybe more energy efficient?

Opinions?

The reason there are few energy star uprights is that they loose more cold air (hot air rises, cold air sinks -- so the chest freezer keeps more of its cold air when the door is open).

I have read a lot of things from our company, stating that replacing an old fridge or freezer pays for itself in just a couple of years by reducing energy use. But that wouldn't be the reason I would replace it -- I would replace it now because I know what happens when the freezer finally goes -- it happened to two people I know. They figured out something had gone wrong when they started smelling it

 

[DaveNV]

Other than you've never had a service call, how well do you like it? Does it keep your food at the right temp? Is it convenient to get food into and out of it? Is it hard to defrost it when needed? If it wasn't ugly, would you keep it? Are the shelves and bins the right size, or do you want something different?

Unless you just can't get around the aesthetics, I'd say keep what you know works for you. There will always be new freezers to buy later on. I've had a 12 c.f. Frigidaire chest freezer for about six years, and I think it's great.

Dave

 

[JudyH]

Yes, I like the layout very much. Its a bear to defrost, its needed to be done now for several years, the ice probably holds it together LOL.

 

[pjrose]

I would replace it now because I know what happens when the freezer finally goes -- it happened to two people I know. They figured out something had gone wrong when they started smelling it

I think there an alarm thingie you could put in it that will sound if/when the temp gets too high.

I guess that wouldn't have helped when our fridge/freezer died about 10 years ago when we were happily on the beach in Cancun.

 

[Kal]

I've got a very old 21 cf upright freezer and I worry every time I look at it. I have to manually defrost the unit but that design is significantly better than the frost free. Reason is the frost free design cycles the temperature to eliminate frost build-up. That cycling has a negative impact on the frozen goods.

I've got an equally old refrigerator right next to the freezer. It mostly holds beverages, mixers and larger bulk Costco goods. When we were on a trip the refrigerator got angry and lowered the temp below freezing. Needless to say we had beer and mixers pouring out the bottom due to container breakage.

We made up for being gone and since then we still have that some old unit but we don't tell it when we're leaving on a trip.

Both of these things are huge energy hogs.

 

[pcgirl54]

Shop for a newer one on craigslist,someone will be moving or remodeling or buy at a scratch dent type reseller. Newer model and not as expensive as new. If it's on the side when it's against a wall you won't notice. I would think it would be more energy efficient and frost free.

Just bought a gas dryer for $150 4 yrs old. Same new model at Sears was on sale for $470. Works just fine. Our old Sears dryer lasted 21 years.

 

[wackymother]

When we bought our house, it came with an old refrigerator in the basement. We used it for a year or two and then decided to get a new one. Our energy bills DID go down quite a bit--I can't remember exactly, but in the neighborhood of $20 or $30 a month. A lot! I was amazed. And of course the new refrigerator is much nicer than the old one.

So yes, I would replace the old freezer. Even if you can't get an Energy Star freezer with the same configuration, the new one will still use less energy than the old one does. Plus, let's face it, the writing is on the wall for a rusty 40-year-old freezer. True, they don't build 'em like they used to, but forty years from now, when your new freezer is giving up the ghost, will you care?

 

[pgnewarkboy]

If the freezer is actually 40 years old, or 30, or 20 years old, it is definitely time to replace it. You are surely wasting energy resulting in higher energy costs for you and your family.

 

[thinze3]

I recently took my 12yo side-by-side, put it in the garage, and sent my 25yo fridge/freezer out to pasture. We purchased a new bottom freezer for the kitchen.

It appears that the savings I'll get from electricty costs will pay for the new fridge/freezer in just a few short years. The old one never stopped running.

 

[Kal]

Does anyone have a link to estimating the energy consumption of old refrigerators and freezers? They are so old there is nothing available on model search.

 

[JoAnn]

We bought a chest freezer in about '57 or '58, moved it to WI, then back to IL, then to OH and left it when we sold our house in OH in '02. For all I know it is STILL working. Now we have a 13 ft. upright AND a smaller one and we still need more space because of DH's hunting and his garden.

 

[PigsDad]

We bought a chest freezer in about '57 or '58 ...

Sounds familiar -- my parents were married in '57 and bought a Frigidaire chest freezer shortly after the wedding. Back in the 70's, they bought a second chest freezer as a backup for the aging freezer and for some additional storage. That "new" freezer died at least 15 years ago, and they are still using the original one today! It sits out in an unheated porch (in northern MN) -- you can't do that w/ the new ones, as the compressors will not handle it. I'm sure it's an energy hog, but it doesn't run much in the wintertime.

Kurt

 

[dwsupt]

Go Green

Recycle that energy waster. I got rid of a chest freezer in my garage that we bought 20 yrs ago with our wedding cash. I have seen a 20-30 dollar reduction in my electric bills! I figure if and when, we decide that we need one, the savings will have paid for it several times over.

 

[sfwilshire]

We had an older freezer that worked great, until the day we found everything thawed and ruined. I cried at the wasted meat and other items. It was a BIG freezer, so the total cost of the food was up there.

Besides the lost food, it was a terrible mess to clean up. I'd say buy a new one. New ones can fail too, but sooner or later the old one will give up the ghost.

Sheila