# freezer questions



## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

I have a small chest freezer, 5 cubic feet? and although it's served me well over the past 5 years, it's just not big enough when there's a GSD in the house. My mom has a huge upright--she doesn't really need it--but I can't talk her out of it, so it looks like I need to shop for one.

I'm set on an upright and I plan on cruising Craig's List over the weekend (can't access it from here at school) but I'm not sure of a couple of things: is frost-free really important with an upright? My chest freezer is manual defrost, which I've never done (well, I've occasionally chipped some ice out of it, but I've never officially de-frosted it). Do manual uprights need more "care"? 

Also, what do you think the minimum size should be? Right now I've got 20 pounds of chicken backs waiting for me at the butcher plus another 30 pounds of assorted tripe and organ meat coming next week, and I'll have to store some of it at my parents' until I can get a bigger freezer. I've got 2 ten pound terrier mixes plus India, and I feed half raw half kibble, more or less.

~Kristin


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

First of all make sure you look at free stuff on Craigslist, although usually when you search for "freezer" it all comes up anyway.

I got a great upright for free. its a size of a regular fridge (dont remember cu ft, about 6 feet tall and maybe 3 wide) and it fit 120lbs of meat with room to spare. I think that if we really tried we could be pushing 200lbs in there.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

I have a stand up, auto defrost, approx 12 cu. ft. 

I was able to order:
55 lbs beef heart, 4 whole chickens, 2 lbs tripe, 20 lbs ground turkey, 10 lbs ground beef, and 30 lbs turkey necks and still had about 1/3 of the freezer available for our food. lol
So we had appox. 120 lbs of food and could have fit more. 

Love my upright, and never had a manual defrost, but I like not having to do anything with it besides wipe it down between orders.


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

smyke said:


> First of all make sure you look at free stuff on Craigslist, although usually when you search for "freezer" it all comes up anyway.
> 
> I got a great upright for free. its a size of a regular fridge (dont remember cu ft, about 6 feet tall and maybe 3 wide) and it fit 120lbs of meat with room to spare. I think that if we really tried we could be pushing 200lbs in there.


Mike, I just got a mental image of you stuffing 200 lbs of raw meat in your freezer. Then going back later and when you open the door everything is fine, but as soon as you take that first bag of ground turkey out of their, you get buried by everything. :rofl:

Headlines read: Man killed from stampede of raw meat.


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## smyke (Sep 24, 2009)

LOL, very possible. and I might have exagerated a bit. :crazy:

I should have put the disclaimer in: "Professional freezer stuffer (not really). Do not try that at home."


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

Do you think your mom would be willing to trade freezers?


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

I've never been able to talk her into trading before, but I did call her yesterday to ask where she had purchased hers and sort of led her into asking me about trading freezers.  She's going to talk to my dad.

~Kristin


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## ladyluck (Jan 28, 2004)

I would definitely get a bigger size freezer than you think you will need. we bought an 8 cubic chest freezer and it just wasnt big enough so bought a second 14 cubic foot freezer and I am wishing I would have bought a bigger freezer. Its always nice to have spare room in your freezers so you can always make out on those specials. we end up with the dogs food spilling over into our freezer. we try to buy in bulk so its cheaper. if i had it all over to do I would have never bought the 8 foot and would have bought a much bigger freezer or at least 2 bigger freezers. havent ever used a upright not sure you can get as much in as chest?


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## mspiker03 (Dec 7, 2006)

I agree with the above! We originally had a 5cu ft chest freezer (which was way too small to buy in bulk). We then got a 14 (or so) cu ft upright off craigslist (kept the other one as well), which definitely helps. But, we still have times when the dog food spills over to our freezer.


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## JerzeyGSD (Jun 26, 2008)

balakai said:


> I've never been able to talk her into trading before, but I did call her yesterday to ask where she had purchased hers and sort of led her into asking me about trading freezers.  She's going to talk to my dad.
> 
> ~Kristin


Nice! Good luck!


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## Lauri & The Gang (Jun 28, 2001)

Uprights are easy to find stuff but hold less.

Chest holds more but you have to organize effectively or you'll be digging for things.


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## balakai (Feb 9, 2005)

Great news--my mom agreed to swap freezers with me!!!!!!!!!!!

I just have to figure out how to transport it--I might have to rent a Uhaul pickup.

~Kristin


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## VaBeachFamily (Apr 12, 2005)

I personally have one of the wider ( nor perfectly square) chest freezers, and it's packed to the brim. We picked up an upright the other day ( it isn't frost free, but oh well). We are trying at the moment to figure out how we are going to get it to fit in the garage LOL... but the upright is around 16 cubic feet... I have all of the dogs stuff right now in the top of a normal freezer, hmmmm but think I will be using part of one of the others as I am picking up a LOAD of meat today!


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