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How to Make Freezer Blocking Work
for You
by Donald Grummett
Freezer blocking is a method that can save you money with your household
freezer.
With the fall weather upon us this is the time when people are starting
to put away the excess bounty of their garden. Vegetables that have not
already been consumed need to be stored for use throughout the winter
months.
Once you have bottled and/or packaged your vegetables they will have to
be stored in a cold environment that is below their freezing point and
at a low humidity level. A cold environment slows down the natural
deterioration of vegetable matter that occurs. Most vegetables that are
placed into a cold environment will go into a type of dormant state.
Obviously a cold storage room is the most economical method. It uses the
winter temperatures to keep foods cold. Unfortunately its downside is
that the temperature cannot be regulated. If the outside temperature
changes so does the temperature inside the cold storage room. Also few
modern homes have a cold storage room. It is considered unnecessary in
today’s fast paced society.
For those without the basement cold storage room an alternative is the
household freezer. Many people use a small chest freezer for this
purpose. Chest freezers seem to be the answer for many gardeners. An
upright freezer will also work but they are not as efficient (or as
cold) as the chest variety. Also the small chest freezer is generally
less expensive than an upright of the same size.
But if you invest in a freezer is it not economical to operate if only
partially full. Freezer blocking is a possible answer for this problem.
Basically freezer blocking is filling up the unused space inside the
freezer. The theory is … the less air inside the freezer the less
electricity will be required to freeze the food. Anything that lowers
the internal volume of the freezer will cause the compressor to spend
less time keeping the interior cold. It would be equivalent to having a
smaller freezer.
To do this cardboard boxes called “blockers” are placed inside the
freezer. These boxes are filled with insulation. Any form of insulation
will work, but basic household wall insulation (fibreglass) is most
commonly used. It is both inexpensive and easily obtained. An
alternative are the insulating peanuts used for shipping and packaging.
Others suggest filling the boxes with old newspapers. This would work
but the insulation value would be far less than the fibreglass method.
Also the newspaper would pick up moisture and become extremely heavy to
lift.
Whatever is used the boxes should be completely filled, and then sealed
and taped shut. You do not want insulation mixing openly with food
products. Also boxes of varied sizes work best because they allow you to
fill up the open spaces better.
If the freezer is only half full then place the boxes either at the
bottom of the freezer or all to one side. This way you have easier
access to the food during the winter. Placing the boxes on top will be
frustrating because you will have to remove them every time you want to
get to the food.
Another way of doing this would be to place blankets or sleeping bags
inside the open areas of the freezer. The insulation method is usually
preferred though because it is much easier to move around boxes than an
old sleeping bag.
An alternative method is to add containers of water to the
freezer…partially full containers – remember water expands about 10%
when frozen.
This is not true freezer blocking. Rather it is a method called heat
sinking. Containers of water added to the freezer will themselves freeze
into blocks of ice. Every time the freezer shuts off the cold stored
inside the ice blocks will help keep the food frozen. The ice should
slow down the natural heat transfer between the freezer walls and the
food. The colder the freezer interior the less the cold control will
turn on the compressor.
Although heat sinking is good in theory I am not convinced this method
really saves money.
In all of the above methods the overall affect (in theory) is to make
the freezer operate less. So the less it operates the less electricity
it will consume. How much can be saved by these methods has not been
properly tested. The best estimate is that it could save you 5% to 15%
per year.
But then, that’s a pretty good saving for an hour of your time, and some
cardboard boxes full of insulation.
About the author
Copyright 2005 by Donald
Grummett. All right reserved. Donald Grummett is an appliance service
manager in Ottawa, Canada. In the trade over 30 years as a technician,
business owner, and technical trainer. Learn more invaluable information
about your household appliances by visiting
http://www.mgservices.ca
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Donald_Grummett
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