How To Defrost a Chest Freezer Quickly?

It’s important to defrost your freezer to make sure that your food is still within the prescribed freshness date.

One crucial task can take a lot of our time due to the number of steps involved. Is there a way to thaw the freezer in less time?

Below is an account of what we discovered after we took on the topic.

It is possible to cut down on the time spent defrosting your chest freezer by planning ahead of time. 

If you follow the steps below, you will be able to get the least amount of food out of your freezer.

  • The contents of the freezer should be removed, including baskets and other compartments.
  • Turn off and unplug the freezer.
  • Attach the drain hose adapter to the drain hose and remove the drain plug.
  • Remove the frost build-up.
  • The freezer compartment can be dried by draining the water and melted ice.
  • Remove the drain plug from the drain hose.
  • After re-plugging, turn the freezer on by returning the baskets or plastic compartments.

Continue reading as we explain the prescribed steps for a more detailed written guide.

Defrosting A Chest Freezer

Depending on the size of your freezer and the amount of ice build-up, it can take less than half a day for your freezer to thaw. The 7-step defrosting procedure as expounded below.

The Contents of the Freezer Should Be Removed, Including Baskets and Other Compartments

It’s a good idea to plan so that you don’t get stressed about the amount of food you have to take out of the freezer before it thaws.

If you have enough space, you can either put the food in your fridge freezer or prepare the coolers filled with ice. It is a good idea to take the food out in the same order.

If you want to return them without disrupting your previous organization, you have to. If you want plastic baskets to come to room temperature, you need to take them out early.

Turn off and Unplug the Freezer

Refer to your freezer manual for steps to follow. After all the contents have been removed, look for the switch to turn off the appliance.

Chest Freezer

Attach the Drain Hose Adapter to the Drain Hose and Remove the Drain Plug

Make sure to follow this step before the ice is completely melted so that you don’t have to worry about making any water mess.

If you want to drain the water from the freezer, you can either put the end of the drain hose into a pail or basin.

If there is a nearby drain, you can simply place the end there to drain the water without having to throw the water in the pail or large basin.

Remove the Frost Buildup

The scraper shown in the video is plastic and can be used to remove the frost. It’s possible to damage the internal panels with a knife or ice pick.

The door should be kept open so that the ice will melt quicker. The video shows a hack that can be used to speed up the removal of frost build-up.

The most common way to use it is to put a bowl of hot water in a container within the freezer compartment.

The hot water will help melt the ice faster and make it easier to use your plastic spatula.

It’s possible to easily remove the ice build-up by leaving the freezer unplugged overnight and then removing the ice the following morning.

You can use a fan that is placed in the opening of the freezer to make the ice softer. It is not recommended to use a hairdryer to melt ice as this can be an electrical hazard.

The Freezer Compartment Can Be Dried by Draining the Water and Melted Ice

To completely dry the freezer compartment, you need to clean the inner compartment and remove all the ice build-up.

As these would have approximated the room temperature, you can wash the plastic bins and dry them at this time.

They need to be acclimatized to the fact that washing them immediately after they are out of the freezer can cause cracking.

Once the ice has melted, it’s a good idea to wash all the sides with soapy water.

If you would like to remove odors, you can add baking soda. It is a good idea to rinse with water before drying.

It’s a good idea to make sure the freezer walls are dry. If you place them wet, the water will freeze immediately and cause a block of ice build-up.

Remove the Drain Plug from the Drain Hose

Attach the freezer drain plug to the drain hole. You don’t want to leave an opening to your freezer system for several reasons, so make sure you don’t forget this step.

Insects, dust, or other objects can find their way inside the freezer. Warm air will find its way into ice. More energy will be needed to maintain the internal temperature.

After Re-plugging, Turn the Freezer on by Returning the Baskets or Plastic Compartments

After the freezer is cleaned up, put the baskets back in and turn on the appliance. You can return the food items in the way that you organize them.

It’s possible to identify the contents with color-coding. Adding a date can help you keep track of inventory.

How Long Will It Take to Defrost a Chest Freezer?

Depending on the amount of ice that has built up in your chest freezer, it will take about a few hours to thaw it.

Depending on how thick the build-up is, it can be dealt with within 2 hours and up to 24 hours.

You must regularly thaw your chest freezer so that you don’t have to do it again.

The longer the intervals, the thicker the ice builds up and possibly the longer the defrosting time.

Chest Freezer

Is It Possible to Defrost a Freezer Without Turning It off?

It’s recommended that you turn off the freezer when you thaw. It is possible to prolong the defrosting process if you keep it on.

How Often Is It Needed to Defrost a Chest Freezer?

If you’ve noticed that the ice build-up is 14 inches thick, you should at least have your chest freezer defrosted at least once a year.

What to Do with Food When Defrosting the Freezer?

You must plan so that you don’t stress yourself with the temporarily displaced food.

It would be worthwhile to have a time limit. If you have enough time to reduce your inventory, you might as well do the following.

  • When leaving for a longer period outside the freezer, it’s a good idea to cook those that can spoil or affect their quality quickly.
  • If you don’t plan to cook the food you give it away.
  • In case there were overstaying stocks, they should be thrown out.

The people that will be left will either be relocated to your refrigerator freezer or cold storage compartment temporarily.

If you want to store the food while you thaw, you could set up your coolers. You could ask your neighbor to lend you some freezer space for the essential items.

Conclusion

It isn’t necessary to defrost your freezer painfully.

It is a way to maintain your appliance by increasing its working efficiency, ensuring food quality by mandatory inventory check during defrosting, and overall, saving energy.

Set aside time for it so that you have enough time to make temporary storage for the food that will be displaced by using either your refrigerator freezer or other potential storage space.

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