Would you buy this freezer?

[thekraken]

I'v been hunting craigslist for a chest freezer for a fermentation chamber.

I found this Kenmore 14 cuft for $120, it has "light" rust stains. For the size and price what do y'all think? Would you snag it and clean it up, or wait for something else to come along?

 

[brew_ny]

I'v been hunting craigslist for a chest freezer for a fermentation chamber.

I found this Kenmore 14 cuft for $120, it has "light" rust stains. For the size and price what do y'all think? Would you snag it and clean it up, or wait for something else to come along?

I would buy it in a minute as long as it makes cold

little sand paper and paint the rust will be gone

all the best

S_M

 

[firerat]

That's nothing a little elbow grease won't cure.

I say go for it.

 

[Rockn_M]

Yup. Rust can easily be cleaned up. I picked up a small freezer a few years ago and it had rust on the bottom. I removed the rust and a little appliance spray paint and it looks brand new.

 

[max384]

It's hard to tell from just this picture, but if this is the only thing wrong with it, I would offer $80 and negotiate to about $100.

It's hard to tell if the other discoloration is just the rust stains, or if it comes from a smoker's house. Unless you're an inside smoker, I'd steer clear of a freezer from a smoker's house. I got a great deal (free!) on a refrigerator I converted into a kegerator from a smoker's house... and I spent a week cleaning it, deodorizing it, and recleaning it. I got it to a point where it no longer stunk up my room, but even now, about a year later, it still has a faint smell when I open up the fridge. Definitely not worth it.

 

[passedpawn]

I bought a rusty 16 cuft chest freezer and got about 6 months out of it. $60. It was probably oldish, also, but I can't tell you how old. I'd suggest paying closer attention to the age. That rust can be fixed.

I've owned several chest freezers. I really like the metal interiors. The white painted interiors can become a rusty mess.

For my keezer, I bought a new one. It would tick me off if I put a bunch of work into a used freezer and then have the thing die.

Good luck.

 

[thekraken]

Thanks for the tips. How old is too old? How long do these freezers usually last?

I assume that using one with a temp controller in the low 60's would extend it's life.

 

[passedpawn]

Thanks for the tips. How old is too old? How long do these freezers usually last?

I assume that using one with a temp controller in the low 60's would extend it's life.

Mine died in 6 months, and I was keeping it at ale temps.

Dunno. I'd say intuitively that if it's over 10 yrs old, don't do anything to it that you won't want to toss later. If you are just buying a freezer as a fermentation fridge, any age is OK since you can just toss/replace it easily later.

Over 10 years old, and with rust, I'd definitely get it under $100 or look elsewhere. BTW, if you keep that freezer in a garage or any other humid area, that rust might grow very quickly. This was my experience.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

my big -30 degree deep freezer has been running for 40 years and looks much worse than that , almost no paint at all and runs like champ

 

[passedpawn]

my big -30 degree deep freezer has been running for 40 years and looks much worse than that , almost no paint at all and runs like champ

Jinxed! (you know it's going to croak, now that you said that )

 

[thekraken]

What would be your method/products of choice to remove the rust?

 

[Orthobrewsky]

I bought a rusty 14 cu ft chest freezer through Craig's List last spring for $70. It was cooling great. So I scrubbed and painted it until it looked great too. It gradually lost its cooling power, becoming useless at 4 weeks.

I had moved it on a trailer and, though I drove only a couple of miles at low speed, it still caught a few bounces. My theory is that old, rusty freezers may have some rust or other weaknesses in the exposed lines. Moving it may then create a small crack. I'd take a look around back at the exposed lines and see how they look.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I would just sand it and use a rust prevention paint close to your color

 

[passedpawn]

I would just sand it and use a rust prevention paint close to your color

I bought a new one and before I plugged it in I sanded the whole thing with an orbital, applied a rustoleum primer, and then black chalkboard paint. I keep it outside near a pool, here in Florida, and 2 years later not a spot of rust.

 

[thekraken]

Thanks for the help. Turns out I have a different problem to solve before I take care of the rust. Any one have any recommendations on how to get rid of decaying meat stench?

The freezer was plugged in and frozen and the garage door open when I arrived at the sellers house, I didn't pick up on any smells at all. I took it home, unloaded it into my garage, and left it unplugged with the lid open to thaw. The next day after I get home from work the garage smells like there is a dead squirrel somewhere.

So far I've scrubbed it out and flushed it out with a bleach solution twice, this morning the smell is definitely improved but still slightly there. Any one else dealt with this issue before? I've read to try things like coffee grounds, vanilla, or charcoal.

 

[max384]

Thanks for the help. Turns out I have a different problem to solve before I take care of the rust. Any one have any recommendations on how to get rid of decaying meat stench?

The freezer was plugged in and frozen and the garage door open when I arrived at the sellers house, I didn't pick up on any smells at all. I took it home, unloaded it into my garage, and left it unplugged with the lid open to thaw. The next day after I get home from work the garage smells like there is a dead squirrel somewhere.

So far I've scrubbed it out and flushed it out with a bleach solution twice, this morning the smell is definitely improved but still slightly there. Any one else dealt with this issue before? I've read to try things like coffee grounds, vanilla, or charcoal.

When I bought my smokers house fridge, I had to clean it out top to bottom several times to get rid if the stench... and it's not actually fully gone. I used oxy clean, which seemed to work well. The biggest thing was getting into all if the little crevices, which held the stench. I first focused on all of the large surfaces, but the smell remained because of the detail work of the crevices.

I also left a few boxes of baking soda open in the fridge to absorb some of the smell.

 

[dude3516]

When I got my cheapo craigslist refrigerator I did bleach, air dry, bleach, air dry and then rubbed it down with some cut lemons from my backyard. Pretty much took care of the odor.

Also for rust I did sand paper, petroleum jelly, rustoleum primer, and finally chalkboard paint.

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

yes charcoal , add 2 or 3 bags of charcoal in the freezer turn it on shut the lid and wait about 3 to 4 days, worked for me I bought one when the power went out of a house for 12 days they forgot about it and sold it because of the stink, My remedy worked, got it for $50 lol

 

[Stealthcruiser]

^^^^^^^^.........What he said......Spread the charcoal, ( non match light type), out in a few shallow pans, and put a small fan in with it, and close the lid.

 

[thekraken]

I've always got lump on hand, would that do?

 

[ChrisfromAbby]

I like to scrub with home-made PBW - 3 parts Oxyclean to 1 part TSP

 

[Stealthcruiser]

I've always got lump on hand, would that do?

Should work.

Let your nose be the judge, on the quantity you might need............Better to err on the side of "a lot", to be sure to get the desired results.