Fill the freezer
Other Items You Can Use to Fill Your Freezer
Jugs
You can place jugs with water inside your refrigerator’s freezer. If you need to place more food inside, then you can take out these jugs and use the frozen water as ice for beverages. You can also put them in pails of water for a cool bath during the summer months.
Small styro balls
Fan of online shopping? If you have come across large delivery boxes, then you might be wondering where you can use those protective styro balls. Well, you can also reuse your bags of mini styro balls, also known as shipping peanuts as ref fillers. Take them out of your balikbayan boxes after you have received the items and place them in a bag. Shipping peanuts can take up a lot of room in an empty freezer. A plus point is that these bags can be molded to better fit the nooks and crannies.
Ziplock bags
You can fill ziplock bags with water and place them in your fridge’s freezer. Just like packing peanuts, they can also fit well within the space – at least, while the contents are in liquid form. Also, aside from using them to help with energy efficiency, you’ll end up having bags of ice ready for use inside your freezer.
Newspapers
This may not be a popular choice, but a newspaper is one of the simplest options you may have on hand. What you can do is move your food items towards the outer sides of the freezer. Afterward, crumple the newspaper pages and stuff them in the spaces inside.
Reusable plastic containers
If you’ve been having a lot of food delivered and don’t know what to do with the containers, then fret not! You can fill these water, close the lid, and then place them inside the freezer. You can stack them up like building blocks to minimize the empty space. These are not only easy to take in and out, but you can also place them in the smaller gaps in a partially stocked fridge. When filling your freezer for energy efficiency, remember to defrost and dry the freezer first before stacking fridge fillers. Next, move the food items towards the front and sides so they can be more accessible. Afterward, fill the interior central cavity with the fillers or non-food items that you would like to use. Make sure that you leave enough air and space around the edges and top. This is so that the freezer’s thermostat can better sense the temperature.
Other Steps to a More Efficient Freezer
Improve your refrigerator’s energy efficiency with these tips:
Don’t put hot food straight into the freezer.
Remember to let hot food cool a bit before placing them inside your freezer. Putting hot food inside makes the freezer work harder. When you allow the items to cool down naturally, your freezer will use up less electricity.
Don’t leave the freezer and refrigerator doors open.
The rule is: peek, grab, and close. Make sure to always know where to find the items that you need so that you can quickly get them. Don’t leave the doors open as more cold air will escape, and more warm air will flow in. This will also make your appliance work harder and will lead to higher energy bills.
Always check the refrigerator temperature.
Regularly check your freezer’s temperature. If your unit doesn’t have a thermostat, you can use a thermometer. Freezers are usually set at -18ºC. If the temperature is too cold, then you are wasting electricity. If it’s too warm, then your food may spoil faster. Also bear in mind that your freezer may need to work harder during the summer months.
Check for frost build-up
Always check for frost build-up. Make sure that you regularly defrost if your freezer requires manual defrosting. The more frost your freezer has, the more electricity it consumes. If the ice inside is already more than 1cm thick, then you need to defrost the freezer. You can also opt for a no frost type of freezer such as Condura Negosyo Pro No-Frost Inverter. This refrigerator has an Air Vacation Mode that automatically turns the freezer on and off—preventing frost build up.
