Home and Garden - Brit Buyer

Three people in our family have added an extra freezer to the household and put it in the garage. I'm a bulk buyer so needed one for meat, my sister uses hers for freezer meals and my parents have one because they go mad for 2 for 1 offers and buy too much frozen food! You might also find yourself needing extra room in the freezer, whether that’s due to an expanding family or simply buying in bulk. However, this brings about the issue of where to put it. You can't just put any old domestic freezer in the garage. It has to have a certain rating and "Climate Class". More information on this, and common questions, are answered at the end of this article. With so many models in the market, it can be hard to know where to start. If you’re looking for the best freezers, their specific features and whether they’re garage suitable - here's the best of them that we found. All these should be suitable for garages during average British temperatures. Best Chest Freezer For The Garage Cookology CCF142BK Black Chest Freezer (View Amazon's Price) Dimensions - H52.3 x W73 x D85cm Check Latest Price I often struggled to fit all my food into my built-in kitchen fridge because it's very small, so this black chest freezer by Cookology is a great solution and the one I have in my garage. It has a freezing capacity of 6.5kg/142 litres and has an efficient A+ energy rating. It’s suitable for both garage and outbuildings that range between 10°C and 43°C. If your garage is detached it might get colder than that - and you may need one with a lower temperature tolerance and there are some of those later in this article. Our garage is connected to the house, so we don't have this problem. The freezer door opens upwards and the freezer itself is compact, but stores a large amount of food. It’s also extremely quiet, giving off only 40dB of sound. This was important to me as I didn't want to hear the compressor in the house in the middle of the night! It’s safe for long term storage as it has a 4-star freezer rating and it comes with a 1-year guarantee. Pros: A small, compact freezer for the garage with a large storage capacity - 52.3cm x 73cm x 85cmDoor opens upwards saving even extra space1 year guaranteeSleek designQuiet Cons: No internal lightOnly 1 removable basket insideLowest operating temperature is 10c Best Fridge Freezer for the Garage Beko BCFD150 Fridge Freezer (View Amazon's Price) Dimensions - 54.5 x 54 x 177.5 cm Check Latest Price If you prefer to keep all meats and vegetables separate, you can struggle with limited space, so if you need that extra bit of room, investing in an outdoor fridge freezer combo may be beneficial to you. This fridge freezer by Beko is the one my sister has, since she has to buy food for five, and one fridge freezer isn't enough, so he has this one in the garage. It has an antibacterial door to prevent bacteria entering and is frost-free so you’ll never have to manually defrost the freezer compartment. It can be stored anywhere you like as the freezer will continue to work even with room temperature reaching -15°C. so if you have a detached garage or live in colder parts of the UK then this is a good option. It has a fridge capacity of 163 litres, a freezer capacity of 91 litres and an A+ energy rating, meaning you can store a large amount of food with it still remaining energy efficient. The appliance comes with 4 freezer drawers and a handy ice tray, as well as a salad drawer too allowing you to keep things separate. You also have the confidence of the 1 year manufacturer’s guarantee. Beko are one of the best makes out there, regardless. Pros: Will work even in the bitter coldSlim design so is great if you have limited spaceDecent Internal lightFrost freeOverall capacity of 254 litresA+ energy rating and 1 year manufacturer’s guarantee Cons: The doors can be stiffSingle thermostat for both the fridge and the freezer so can’t control the temperatures independentlyFridge and freezer compartments aren’t equal in size Best Small Freezer For The Garage Russell Hobbs RHCF99B Black Chest Freezer (View Amazon's Price) Dimensions - H85 x W56.5 x D52.3cm Check Latest Price This freezer by Russell Hobbs is suitable for both indoor and outdoor storage and it's smaller design means great for a private hideaway such as a ‘man cave’ or ‘she shed’ - you can store your favourite frozen snacks that you want to keep to yourself! This is the one my parents have due to their obsession with Iceland's special offers. They keep it in a large wendy-house type shed. A handy feature is the adjustable feet, so you don’t have to worry if you have uneven floors you can be assured that it will stay sturdy. It has a 99-litre capacity and comes with a wire basket for those items you use more frequently. It has an A+ energy rating, an adjustable thermostat and quiet noise level of 42dB so even if it's near the house you shouldn't hear it. Pros: Smaller size so it’s great if you need extra freezer storage, but don’t have much room to put it - 85cm x 56.5cm x 52.3cmComes with adjustable feet and wire basketEnergy efficient with an A+ energy rating and 4 star freezer ratingComes with a 1 year guarantee, if you register this product this is extended to 5 yearsEasy to move as it only weighs 27kg when empty Cons: The bottom of the freezer isn’t flat as it has step in it, taking away storage spaceCannot be placed on carpetNo internal lightHave to manually defrost Best Upright Tall Freezer for the Garage Hotpoint UH6F1CW Tall White Freezer (View Amazon's Price) Dimensions - H170 x W59.5 x D64.5cm Check Latest Price If you’re really cramped for space, opting for a tall freezer rather than a chest freezer might be a better option for you. This freezer by Hotpoint comes with 2 ice trays, has 4 freezer drawers and 2 flaps so you don’t have to dig around searching for that one tub of ice cream, everything can be stored neatly. It will work at any room temperature between 10°C and 43C, so storing it in a garage or outbuilding is an option too as long as the temperature remains within this range. It has a 222 litre capacity and an impressive A+ energy rating, along with frost-free technology and an electronic temperature display with adjustable temperature control. One of my favourite features on this upright freezer is that the door is reversible so you can choose which way it opens to suit your space. Pros: ● Reversible door● 222 litre capacity with an impressive A+ energy rating● Frost free technology● Electronic temperature display with adjustable temperature controls● Alarm will sound if the freezer door has been left open for more than 2 minutes● 10 year parts guarantee and 1 year manufacturer’s guarantee Cons: ● Freezer flaps are breakable if care is not taken when opening● No interior light Is It Okay To Put A Freezer In My Garage? Certain kitchen designs don’t leave much space for an extra freezer indoors, so hiding it away in the garage may seem like a great solution, but it’s important to be aware that not all freezers are suitable to store outside. Freezers have a specific temperature range that they will work between, so ensuring that your room temperature remains in this zone is paramount for the freezer to work correctly. If the temperature rises above, or falls below this range then your freezer may break down. Although all freezers mentioned in this article are suitable for garage storage, there are still a few things that you need to consider, like: Is your garage heated or naturally warmer due to it being attached to the house?If your garage is separate, is there electricity running to it? Will it drop below optimum temperatures during the winter months? Most freezers, unless stated otherwise, do not work below 10°C or above 32°C, so knowing how cold your garage gets is important. If your garage or outbuilding meets all these requirements, then storing your freezer there should be no problem at all! Can I Put A Freezer In An Unheated Garage? As mentioned previously, there is an optimum temperature range for your freezer to work. If you’re thinking about storing your freezer in an unheated garage, falling below this range is easy to do, especially during the winter months when the external temperature drops below freezing (as it does in a lot of the UK). This can lead to the freezer getting ‘confused’ as according to the machine, the temperature level has already reached freezing. This could then lead to your food thawing out, or the compressor shutting off. If this happens, then it’s unlikely that you will be covered by the manufacturer’s warranty as the appliance has been stored incorrectly. Each freezer has its own temperature range, so researching before purchasing is a must. Luckily, manufacturers are listening to the demand in the market for freezers suitable for outdoor storage, so brands such as Russell Hobbs, Logik and Ice King state that some of their models are suitable. Some of Beko’s freezers, such as the CFG1582W Fridge Freezer mentioned earlier are suitable for rooms that fall to a temperature of -15°C. You should always ensure that the freezer is not stored in direct sunlight, the area is dry and it has plenty of room for air to circulate around. Overall, I've listed different ones depending on what you need for space, temperature range and capacity. Everyone is different, so read the manufacturer's spec if you're in any doubt.