We currently have a new Samsung 216 liters (7.63 cu. ft.) inverter refrigerator. Since we are moving out to the farm 30 kilometers (~18 miles) away from town, I am seriously looking at buying a chest type freezer, 300 liters (10.59 cu. ft.) capacity and possibly, another refrigerator. I am thinking along the lines of a 580 - 620 liters (20.48 - 21.9 cubic ft.) capacity refrigerator. This would be to limit shopping trips to the city. Family of 2, full-time, living on site. Good idea, or over thinking my self-sufficiency.
I don't see an issue with it as long as you have power to keep them cold. ETA: You've got to do better (worse) than that to be a stupid question!
I doubt you can be wrong with more storage than you need if you can support the power. Have you figured out what your use rate of the various stuff you'll freeze? That would be the first step, or so thinks me.
More like under thinking it. We have 7 freezers, 6 currently running and one held in reserve in case of 1 of 6 fails. We use mostly smaller, energy star rated chest models 7-9cuft.....condensing down as we go, and shutting off as emptied. Somebody was here once and said "Wow....you have a LOT of freezers".....I replied "Well, as it turns out, we all have about the same amount of space.....YOURS is at the store, the distribution center, the manufacturer, and so on.....Since we produce about everything in those, MINE is right in front of you. The difference is I control mine, and you don't." Thing we've found about producing most of your food.....it takes a LOT of space to store, along with consuming several hours of every single day. Part of "Freezer Row"
Not really. I'm figuring the size of a single dressed out cow could fit inside a 300 liters freezer easily enough. I didn't really think of the size of the larger refrigerator, though. Maybe it would be better to go with several smaller refrigerators as well. I consume a large amount of liquids throughout the day, which was why I was considering at least one larger refrigerator. It's easy for me to consume 6 liters of water and some fresh squeezed orange juice over 24 hours, plus a glass or three of iced tea, if not more. But, I want to make sure we have enough for "the Boss", and others who may be here at the time, as well. You reminded me of our "freezer room" when I was a boy - youngest of 9 in my family. I was often sent out, barefoot, to get something from one of the units. Never was smart enough to remember to wear shoes. Zappp! Every dang time. Oh, we aren't Catholic. We had two refrigerators and two freezers out there, as well as a huge side by side inside the house where I grew up.
With just two of you, your taste buds are apt to get bored. Another freezer for the pig (and yet a third for the bacon)? But seriously, methinks that some time figuring out use rates would be well spent.
Yeah, Bacon. Bacon. I probably need a 500 liters freezer for bacon, by itself. I'm gonna have to sort it. I figured a large frig could work for all the pork. They are butchered considerably smaller than beef. Well, it will definitely be a testing time for us to go through. Gonna be fun doing so. Gainin' all that weight...
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Being out of the USA, you can buy decent refrigerators and freezers, my only comment, based on a very expensive lesson, is never have just 1 freezer, have alternative power, and a TEMPERATURE ALARM. The worst thing that I have had happen in the last few years is having to put down my old dog friend, a close second is going down to the basement and finding out that the freezer died a few days ago and everything in it is ruined. We do a little canning, some drying, some root cellar, but nothing is as easy or tastes as good as fresh food that is picked at the right time and frozen. While we have the grid, I am going to use it as much as I can.
Be careful......many of the newer ones have the condenser coils built into the side and/or back walls just under the sheet metal. Putting insulation of top of them won't let the heat out.
One 35 cubic foot chest freezer with hold one steer, 1 pig and around 20-30 chickens. I run 26 freezers total 6 uprights, 18 chest and two 10x14 walk ins. Although I try to use the walk ins as little as possible due to their high power consumption. I use one 35 cu foot chest, one 24cu foot upright and one 12 cu foot chest for my personal storage. Typically 1200 pounds of beef in the 35CU with however many chickens I can fit in. the12 and 24 usually have all pork with sausages and bacon in the upright and cuts and roast in the chest. I can tell you this you will never have enough freezer space! Even with 2600+ cubic feet of freezer space available I very often find myself considering buying a few more freezers. Very often have to pay the packing plants very reasonable storage fee for a couple thousand pounds of pork
