Which is better? frost free upright or manual defrost upright? ?

Question

I have a chest freezer - stuff gets lost, bent over, dark...although I hear they are more "energy smart" - anyway - which is better? frost free or manual upright and why?

Answer 1

frost free of courese..why..because you don't have to take your food out once every 6 months or so and manually defrost your freezer..to manually defrost one you leave the door open..and all food must be put in coolers with ice and kept frozen or in another freezer..with a frost free it  stays ice free and no need to do so..

Answer 2

Frost Free

Freezers need to be defrosted when water vapor comes into the unit by opening the door.  The frost free refrigrator has a soluiton where it periodicaly heats the comparement to just above 0 degrees C (32 degrees F) and a fan blows off the water which is then abosrbed and removed.  The food is then cooled back down before it has any time to thaw.  Since all food is packaged somehow the packaging will delay the defrost so the few minutes needed to heat the comarpment won't affect the food.

A manual defrost refrigrator would consume less electrictiy; IF you were diligent about removing the contents and regularlly defrosting it.  Otherwise it would consume more enery as the ice blanket builds up and it has to work harder to cool the system down.  Most modern refrigrators are frost free and a manual defrost would have to be specially ordered.

So ecology wise it is a wash the savings in power from the manual defrost is lost in the extra work and extra power required to manually defrost it.  The fact that you are putting in a new freezer is more ecologically sound since the newer models use less electricty; go for an Energy Star qualifed appliance.

According to Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Refrigerato...

"A frost-free unit uses a blower fan to keep moisture out of the unit. It also has a heating coil beneath the evaporator that periodically heats the freezer compartment and melts any ice buildup. Some units also have heaters in the side of the door to keep the unit from "weeping." Manual defrost units are available in used-appliance shops or by special order.

Refrigerators used to consume more energy than any other home appliance, but in the last twenty years great strides have been made to make refrigerators more energy efficient. In the early 90s a competition was held among the major manufacturers to encourage energy efficiency. Current models that are Energy Star qualified use 50 percent less energy than models made before 1993. The most energy-efficient unit made in the US is designed to run on 12 or 110 volts, and consumes about half a kilowatt-hour per day. But even ordinary units are quite efficient; some smaller units use little more than one kilowatt-hour per day. Larger units, especially those with large freezers and icemakers, may use as much as 4 kWh per day."

Also look at where the freezer is positioned, if it is in a deep basement or a seldom used corner of the house or behind some sort of door there will be less energy created  around it; people coming and going, air moving and so on.  Creating energy is usually inefficent and heat is the most common waste made in the process.  So just keeping it away from hot areas (like the stove) and out of traffic will also have a factor in saving you money and being more green.

According to Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_Star

"As of early 2008, average refrigerators need 20% savings over the minimum standard."  To qualify for the Energy Star rating."

The inital cost of a freezer that is frost free and Energy Star rated will be higher, but the return in revenue over the life of the freezer will be worth the investment.

According to Wikipedia:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost-free

"The mechanism on a refrigerator involves letting the cooling element heat up for a short period, melting any ice that has formed upon it and having it drain through a collecting duct at the back of the unit.

Inside the freezer, dry air is circulated around the cabinet using fans (this is why such kind of appliances are also called "dynamic", whereas non-frost free ones are called "static"). Instead of the traditional cooling elements assembled within all the freezer liner, those of a frost-free system are compact and separated from the main cabinet space, allowing them to be heated for short periods to dispose of any ice forming....

Advantages of frost free

- No need to manually defrost the ice buildup

- Food packaging is easier to see because it's clear of frost

- Most frozen foods don't stick together

- Smells are limited, especially in total frost free appliances, since the air is constantly circulating

Disadvantages of frost free

- The system is more expensive to run due to higher power consumption

- A safety device is required to be connected with the heating element, due to the high instant-power values that can be reached

- The temperature of the freezer contents rises during the defrosting cycles

- On hot humid days condensation will sometimes form around the refrigerator doors "

The technology for Frost Free Refrigrators is well established, reliable and the above mentioned problems are minor.  The older the appliance is, especially if it pre-dates 1993, the more energy it consumes.  This would be true for even last year's model since new inovations and new cooler chip designes are constantly coming out.