Chest freezers are the boxy type of freezer most people have in their garage or utility room. They open from the top and usually have a greater capacity than an upright freezer. However, are chest freezers frost free? Well, because of the way they are constructed most chest freezers are manual defrost.

What does frost-free mean on a chest freezer?

Many contemporary freezers have a built in mechanism that automatically removes the frost from the evaporator through an on/off cycle. This is known as auto defrosting or frost free.

Basically, this temperature control mechanism interrupts the cooling process. It still keeps running but it will stop blowing cold air into the freezer until the evaporator has defrosted. Chest freezers do not have this option. That means they need to be defrosted manually.

This isn’t as inconvenient as it at first seems, especially, as many upright frost-free freezers also benefit from a yearly manual defrost. This is because even if the defrost timer kicks back to zero there may be lot of humidity in the air which prevents it from eliminating all the icy build up. Essentially, frost may still be present even after the auto defrost has gone through its cycle so it will need to be manually defrosted at some point.

 In addition, the auto defrost cycle can mean that the contents are also at risk from freezer burn. However, that doesn’t stop frost free freezers from being popular.


 Are any chest freezers frost free?

Because the technology associated with frost free refrigeration is incompatible with he low temperatures of a chest freezer the answer to:  are there frost free chest freezers? Is a “no”.

Self-defrosting freezers are equipped with a drip tray which is usually at the bottom trim plate of an upright freezer. When the water is deposited in this tray it evaporates and therefore it requires the minimal of time and effort to keep it running efficiently.

If you want a frost-free freezer you need to invest in an upright freezer. There are a few downsides to the upright. Usually, they don’t have the capacity of a chest freezer and they are also more expensive.  They can be noisier than the chest freezer and because they turn on and off periodically they will use more energy the a manual defrost chest freezer. So the manual chest freezer is by far the best for using less energy. (The energy rating of a freezer will tell you just how energy efficient it is).

When it comes to deciding whether to invest in a frost-free freezer or a manual defrost freeze you should weigh up what is most important to you before you make your decision. Is it the convenience of not having to unload your freezer for a six monthly defrost? Or is it capacity? Or energy efficiency? If you would like to explore your options we are here to help. You can get in touch with Home Feeling here.