How often to defrost a freezer and store food

If your refrigerator is not equipped with a No Frost system, ice will inevitably appear on the walls of the freezer when it is used. The rate of its formation depends on the frequency and features of using the freezer. It is individual in every family.

The cause of frost is water vapor falling inside when the door is opened, the seal is loose, or too warm foods are placed in the freezer. Water vapor gradually condenses on the walls and turns into ice.

The presence of a large amount of ice in the freezer causes an increased load on the cooling system, as It is an insulator of cold.

Why and how often do I need to defrost a freezer

The presence of even a small amount of ice on the walls of the freezer leads to an increase in energy consumption and the load on the compressor. How often do you need to defrost a freezer? In order to avoid unnecessary energy costs and premature failure of the refrigerator, experts advise defrosting the freezer when ice forms more than 5 mm, but not less than 1 once a year.

Features of the process

General algorithm for defrosting a refrigerator:

• Turn off the freezer and unplug it;
• Extract products;
• Wait until it is fully defrosted by regularly removing the outgoing ice and melt water;
• Rinse the inside with detergent;
• Dry wipe all surfaces;
• Turn on the power, and wait until the operating temperature is established;
• Post products.

Attention! The choice of the defrost mode is individual in each case. If there is time and a way to preserve the products during defrosting, preference should be given to the natural defrosting regime. The best option is with the door open at room temperature.

However, this is not always possible, since with natural defrosting, even with a small layer of icing, the process drags on for 2-3 hours. With a large layer of ice and a low temperature in the room, it can take up to 8 hours.

The main ways to speed up the defrost process are as follows:

• Place a pot of boiling water inside the freezer and close the door (do not forget about the stand for the pot);
• Direct a stream of air from the fan heater or conventional fan into the freezer;
• Use a household hair dryer.

Is it possible to save food by defrosting the camera

Before defrosting the freezer, the issue of preserving food should be addressed. Remember, the quality of many products deteriorates significantly when re-frozen.

The question is most simply resolved if you have good relations with your neighbors and they are ready to temporarily place your products. If this is not possible, then it all depends on the time of year.

In winter, just take the food out onto the cold balcony or hang it out the window. In the warm season, you have to independently invent a thermos.

It is necessary to place the frozen food in some kind of container, place the accumulators of cold or the pre-prepared large amount of ice on top. Place all this in a thermally insulated shell, the role of which can be performed by a foam box, foil insulation, an old blanket. These measures will increase the thawing time of products.

Is it worth defrosting a refrigerator with No Frost

In refrigerators with the No Frost system, the formation of ice is prevented. That is why many people think that it is not necessary to defrost such a refrigerator.

This opinion is erroneous, if you have a refrigerator with the No Frost system, carefully read the instructions. Each manufacturer has specific maintenance procedures.

As a rule, the general recommendation for all manufacturers is to turn off the device every year, leaving it with the door open for a day. This is due to the fact that in any refrigerator with the No Frost system there are places inside the duct system, where frost formation is possible and, as a result, the system malfunctions.