How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out?

Re:How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? by Cthulhu_ on Monday August 10, 2020 @07:58AM (#24108306)

Sounds like a good idea in theory, in practice though, nowadays very few people have a house with a basement like that anymore, unfortunately. I don't get it myself to be honest, it's more efficient use of the ground surface area a house occupies.

I'd go with a chest freezer in the basement and a small fridge in the kitchen for frequently used / quick access stuff (milk, tonight's dinner ingredients).

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Re:How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? by pessimizer on Monday August 10, 2020 @08:32AM (#24108541)

> nowadays very few people have a house with a basement like that anymore

It depends on where you live, and the type of ground underneath you. Where I live, everyone has a basement.

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Re:How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? by ghaff on Monday August 10, 2020 @09:51AM (#24109199)

They're probably referring to an unfinished basement vs. a finished one.

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Re:How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? by mark-r on Monday August 10, 2020 @05:24PM (#24114156)

An unfinished basement is still adequate for storing a freezer. Unless by "unfinished" you mean one without walls or a floor.

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Re:How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? by ghaff on Monday August 10, 2020 @06:07PM (#24114597)

I meant the opposite. I do indeed have a (very) unfinished basement that gets a bit wet with a freezer. Many people won't want a freezer in their downstairs living room. At least that's how I took the comment.

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Re:How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? by mark-r on Monday August 10, 2020 @06:35PM (#24114891)

My basement is 80% finished, but the freezer lives in the unfinished part. But "unfinished" is relative, I still have concrete floors and walls with insulation on the walls, just no sheetrock and bare rafters on the ceiling.

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Re:How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out? by ghaff on Monday August 10, 2020 @08:12AM (#24108400)

Yeah, you don't really want to run down to the basement every time you want some ice cubes or cream for your coffee.

But that's more or less what I do. I have a (not small) fridge in the kitchen and an upright freezer in the basement. (I find chest freezers can become something of a black hole.)

When I had a 48-hour power outage recently, the freezer upstairs was pretty much defrosted--which was mostly fine because I didn't have perishable meat/fish up there. But the freezer downstairs was fine. (Made a point of keeping it buttoned up the whole time.)

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