John wrote:

We got a new freezer - it's a John Lewis Frost-Free job. We keep it
in
the utility. When my wife told the salesman this, he asked about the
ambient temperature of the room (which is very cool, not to say cold.)

He seemed to imply it would be better if the room that the freezer is
kept in should be warmer rather than colder. This doesn't seem to
make sense to me.

I wasn't there, and I figure it is more useful to get a consensus here
than go back and ask a random salesman in a shop (even if it is John
Lewis).

The instructions for the freezer aren't a lot of help (produced in the
same country the freezer was made: very terse as well as poor
English). However it does state preferred ambient temperature ranges
... all I have to do is find the serial number plate to find out which
grade ours is -- I am suspecting the plate is underneath the damn
thing, having failed to find it on the back.


ANYWAY: what's the story? I would have thought that the colder the
room, the better. The thing is: this freezer seems to be running its
condenser quite as much as our ancient thing, that we swopped it for.

Cheers
John

I asked a similar question here over a year ago just after I bought a
new freezer. In the manual my new Frigidaire said it needs a minimum
ambient temperature of 16degC. I was very cross - and still am - with
Currys for not telling me this before I bought it and then for refusing
to take it back without a large surcharge.

I think there are two reasons:

First some fridge/freezers use only one mechanism to work both parts. If
the machine doesn't run enough one part remains cold while the other
part gradually defrosts and the food rots. Or something like that.

Secondly cold ambient encourages condensation inside the freezer case
but outside the main storage compartment. This either rusts the machine
or builds up into a large block of ice underneath which never seems to
get melted.

With some encouragement here I mended the old freezer and now use both
freezers on the approach to Christmas then switch off the Frigidaire
until the spring when I swap over. (I'm fortunate to have the space to
keep two freezers.) This allows both freezers to get a really thorough
defrost each year.

In my old Hotpoint the block of ice in its innards took a very long time
to completely defrost and dry out. Not days but weeks in summer.

Edgar