One of the finest methods to “be prepared” for any kind of emergency is to have extra food saved in your freezer. Freezers require power, and if you lose power your food will eventually thaw out.
Thankfully, Matthias Wandel, an engineer and expert woodworker from Canada, has actually done the effort for us.
After purchasing a brand-new, 14-cubic foot stand-up freezer, Wandel was curious for how long food would stay frozen in the appliance after losing power He rigged up a TP-LINK HS110 clever plug to track how much power the freezer consumes while plugged in to preserve its regular temperature level, and Raspberry Pi mini PCs geared up with temperature sensors to track the internal coldness of the freezer when it was unplugged.
Wandel ran numerous explores varied quantities of food in the freezer for each. He also ran separate tests to see just how much cold was lost by opening the freezer door when it was empty, versus when it was full (you can download all the data from Wandels website).
How to keep your freezer cold as long as possible after losing power.
Wandels information suggests the average full-length, stand-up freezer has in between 18-36 hours after losing power up until the freezer is no longer cold. That leaves many individuals with around one day before whatever in your freezer is thawed.
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[Wood Gears]
The specific time will vary for everybody, clearly, but there are methods to maximize your freezers storage and place to make certain your food stays frozen as long as possible:
( Note: These figures are for full-length upright freezers. Wandel notes that chest freezers remain colder longer and more efficiently, even after opening them since the cold air cant “fall out.”).
I believe ruminating on worst-case scenarios is frequently ineffective, but I likewise was a Boy Scout and the slogan “Be Prepared” is an enduring part of my psyche. One of the finest methods to “be prepared” for any kind of emergency is to have extra food saved in your freezer. Freezers need power, and if you lose power your food will ultimately thaw out. Thats why its worth knowing how long you can anticipate your freezer to stay cold in the event you lose power for long periods of time.
Do not unlock, and if you do, make it quick. Every 5 seconds the door is open cuts about 7-14 minutes from the total thaw time, depending upon just how much food is saved.
The amount of food in the freezer effects the length of time all of it stays frozen. A densely-packed freezer stays cold nearly twice as long as one with less food and more open space, according to Wandels data.
The kind of food also affects thaw time; small items without much water thaw quicker, while larger products or food with lots of water thaw slower and help keep the internal temperature. Focus on big products with high water material like frozen meat, fruits, vegetables, and even bags or blocks of ice if theres lots of extra space.
Space temperature level will affect the thaw time rather a bit, so keep your freezer in a cold space, if possible. A warm room could accelerate thaw times by about 25%.
