# Old chest freezer for storing preps?



## blhmabbott (Feb 4, 2003)

My chest freezer (16 cu ft, I think) finally conked out on me a few weeks ago. I've defrosted it and cleaned it out. I was wondering if I could store some of my preps in it, i.e. flour, sugar, rice etc. It's right outside my back door on our covered back porch (tin roof). I don't have any room in the house for storing bulky items like these, but am storing cases of canned food under the beds. I just hate to pitch the thing if I can find some kind of use for it. Ya'lls opinions please?
Heather


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

They make great storage containers, but I wouldnt do it outdoors for perishible foods.
I use one in my barn for storing feed


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## Speckledpup (Dec 3, 2004)

We have one in an out building that we store paint in to keep it from freezing.

If it was me I'd use it for storing the perishibles, just make sure that you have the plug in to keep the mice out. (how do I know that one)


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## blhmabbott (Feb 4, 2003)

Sorry.....I should have mentioned that it doesn't freeze anymore, but it does "kind of" work like a fridge. Not quite as cold though. I was talking about leaving it unplugged for storage of the dry bulk items, but not perishables. Would this still work?


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## Ninn (Oct 28, 2006)

I sure hope so. Mine is pretty much at the same stage and I don't want to give it up if it can be used to store flour and sugar in. It's not freezing, but at least in there milk is cold enough to drink. My fridge isn't even doing that. I swear, every time I think I am finally gonna be able to focus on school, something else happens.


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## laughaha (Mar 4, 2008)

My grandpa uses one to store potatoes all winter, he uses a stick to prop the top up a little for ventilation. This setup is in an unheated shed all winter. Works well.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

Well, if this isn't good timing, I don't know what is...

Just yesterday, I was reading Mike and Nancy Bublel's book, "Root Cellaring". There in chapter 12, "Trenches, Keeping-Closets, and Other Vegetable and Fruit Hideaways", was a suggestion about burying a refrigerator to make a kind of root cellar. The same principles could apply to your freezer.

You can keep apples, potatoes, beets, carrots turnips, etc. in it.

Some notes that I gleaned from the book:

-- Remove the lock so that no child can be accidentally locked in the box.

-- Remove the motor, shelves, etc.

-- Dig a hole one foot each way larger than the refrigerator/ freezer, and toss in some rocks for drainage. The top of surface of the buried item should be at or slightly below soil level.

-- Fill in the space between the refrigerator/freezer and the ground with soil.

-- When you've packed your vegetables away, pile bales of hay or bags of leaves on the lid to keep the contents from freezing. Cover that with scrap boards or metal roofing, etc. to prevent water from seeping into the joint between the lid and the body and freezing them together.

-- You might find that you need to run a small vent pipe into the refrigerator/freezer to admit fresh air.

(hmmm...for sure, you would need a bit of fresh air in it, or else the contents would probably take on the flavor of the sour air. phew.)


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## blhmabbott (Feb 4, 2003)

Wow! Thanks for all the great suggestions! Glad to know the old thing can be used for something. I bought it used about 8 or 9 years ago, so I think I got my money's worth 
I sure wouldn't have thought about burying it...that's a great idea! But why take the motor out if I'm gonna bury it? I'm not following the logic behind that (not surprising...I'm not mechanically inclined.)
Thanks again!


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## Bearfootfarm (Jul 13, 2006)

> I sure wouldn't have thought about* burying it*...that's a great idea!


That idea wont work everywhere. Make sure your water table isnt too high, and your drainage is good, or it will simply fill with water


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## texican (Oct 4, 2003)

Unless you do a lot of modifying, it would only be good for keeping critters away from your food... Any flour, or other grain type product, would be subject to mold... been there, done that. Wasted over 400lbs of feed once.... and only ONCE!!!

Make a good worm bin, though!


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

Like the Bubels, I wouldn't attempt to keep anything other than apples and root vegetables such as potatoes, beets, carrots, turnips, etc. in it.


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## CajunSunshine (Apr 24, 2007)

blhmabbott said:


> But why take the motor out if I'm gonna bury it? I'm not following the logic behind that (not surprising...I'm not mechanically inclined.)
> Thanks again!


I wasn't sure about the reasons the book authors included that bit, but I passed the suggestion along anyway  

I am curious, are the metal scrap yards taking small motors like this? What about compressors, and the other innards of freezers and refrigerators?


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## farmer kate (Jan 21, 2007)

But if I remove the shelves in the old freezer I have, won't I be burping out freon gas into the environment? There's wires / tubes running through the shelves.

kate


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## blhmabbott (Feb 4, 2003)

CajunSunshine said:


> I wasn't sure about the reasons the book authors included that bit, but I passed the suggestion along anyway
> 
> I am curious, are the metal scrap yards taking small motors like this? What about compressors, and the other innards of freezers and refrigerators?


Thank you for passing the info along  One of those tidbits of info to file away in the back of head. 

I would also be worried about freon leaking out if I took the motor out, as farmerkate mentioned. I know our recycling place here accepts old lawnmowers and other small engines, as well as old fridges and freezers. That's where I was going to take my freezer before I had the bright idea of asking you fine folks about using it as a storage container. I think the unanimous vote here is to use it as a root cellar kind of storage device as opposed to just storing dry goods in it. 

Now all I have to do is find that 12 yo boy of mine and get him busy with that shovel! He's probably in a tree somewhere  By the time he's done, maybe I'll be able to figure out if I should take the motor out or leave it in lol. Thanks again for all the very helpful advice!


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