this post was submitted on 16 Nov 2024
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I have a chest freezer that has operating temperatures down to -15C. I want to leave it on the balcony, which has a roof and it is shielded from the elements. But for shorter periods of the year we get weather colder than -15C.

Will it damage the freezer? Will the freezer just stop running temporarily? If the ambient temperature is -20 and the inside is -5-10C then atleast it won't get hotter, so the food won't spoil if it gets colder inside.

Edit: I could connect a smart plug and disconnect it if below -15, if that would help

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[–] Greg@lemmy.ca 14 points 2 hours ago (1 children)

I'm not sure about -15C but don't operate a freezer at -15K as it violate the fundamental laws of thermodynamics.

[–] BossDj@lemm.ee 2 points 40 minutes ago

And the consequences of such a violation could be dire. Maybe time travel

[–] deegeese@sopuli.xyz 17 points 3 hours ago

The one problem I can think of is it might get so cold that the compressor motor is frozen solid, can’t start and ends up damaging itself.

But the compressor shouldn’t be running if it’s that cold, except maybe due to a defrost cycle but IDK if chest freezers do that or just normal fridges.

[–] yardy_sardley@lemmy.ca 3 points 2 hours ago

operating temperatures down to -15C

I would personally triple check to make sure this means what you think it means.

Assuming it does, you should be in the clear. Cutting the power when it gets colder is probably not necessary since the freezer won't have any reason to run, but it might be a worthwhile precaution anyway. If for some reason the compressor does try to run with frozen oil, it might damage itself or try to draw too much power and blow a breaker (or start a fire if your wiring is sketchy). Better to be on the safe side.

[–] Bougie_Birdie@lemmy.blahaj.zone 8 points 3 hours ago

I was a little curious myself, so I found an article about it.

I admit that I don't know exactly how a freezer works, but my impression is that the cold temperatures not only make it more difficult for the freezer to run, but apparently regardless of if it's running they can damage the insulation.

So I suppose that even if you do disconnect the power, the damage to the insulation will cause more work for the compressor, which will increase its energy costs and cause more strain for the part.

Knowing that, if it was me, I'd probably bring the freezer in for the winter. Although I suppose if you want to keep your food on your balcony you could swap the freezer for any insulated cooler. The winter is pretty long here though, so I guess I'd just find a more permanent home for the freezer if I could

[–] tal@lemmy.today 2 points 2 hours ago

I don't know the answer, but I'd guess that lubricants might be a factor.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 1 points 3 hours ago (1 children)

Pretty sure my fridge freeze combo, with freezer on the bottom had a freezer temp defaulted to -18. So maybe it's within operating parameters?

[–] PetteriPano@lemmy.world 4 points 1 hour ago (1 children)

OP is asking about ambient temperatures below -15°C.

I recently bought a cheese freezer which had the exact same specification listed as a feature. I considered keeping mine in the garage that I keep around 7-10°C in the winter.

[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 2 points 1 hour ago

Oh shit, I completely missed that, thank you.