I know it is a bit unorthodox to lean into a deep freeze when the temps hover around 100 degrees outside, but yes, I confess, “I did it.”
Truth is our cavernous HUGE deep freezer suddenly began spewing water over everything in it. I haven’t defrosted it in a month or two, 3 or 4 months, maybe a year, so I blamed myself.
Well, I know I defrosted it since 1990.
We bought the freezer in 1990!
Imagine?
And it has been going non-stop ever since. No repairs, rare defrostings, overloading, underloading, whatever.
Anyway, I was overheated due to rising temps in this part of Virginia, so decided to hang over the edge of the old girl, chipping away at mountains of accumulated ice and picking at giant slabs with gloved hands and long prongs.
Cool!
And to add to the joy of being slightly chilled in a heat wave I had memories of balancing on the monkey bars when I was a kid. Leaning leaning leaning over the edge of our freezer was a similar feeling.
I felt young again! Carefree. And yes – Cool!
It took about four hours to defrost, de-ice, and displace all the foods that needed to be discarded or moved to our smaller refrigerator freezer.
And at the end of four hours I could barely move!
No longer cool.
In need of Ibuprofen.
Exhausted.
I turned the X&6%#@&* thing back on again, but Bill came along and turned it off. “The freezer’s shot,” said he. And this morning he went to Lowe’s and ordered a new one.
Me, I’m still wondering why I defrosted and cleaned a 26 year old faltering freezer.
It must have been to keep cool.
The Kakslauttanen Arctic Resort in Finland offers a variety of accommodations, including snow igloos. Guests who book a snow igloo during their stay get to sleep inside a shelter of ice. The temperature is kept at a consistent level regardless of the temperature outside and the guests are provided with down sleeping bags to keep them warm when they turn in for the night. If you’re noticing a trend, it is one of many ice hotels based in the Nordic countries, a sign of ingenuity from countries that celebrate the cold.
Hum, some questions can never be answered. At least you can wait another 26 years before going through all that again.
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It’s always good to have a project but oh, the dismay when you find out it was unnecessary
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No Arctic resort for me, no way!! I’ll take the heat any day :). By the way, I would have had a few choice words for Bill if he told me the freezer was shot after all that work LOL.
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LOL – it makes perfect sense to me that you decided to defrost the old freezer. 🙂
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Oh, I sympathize with you. You would think that as much as I like the cold, I’d enjoy defrosting our chest freezer. Not so much. Sorry yours gave up the ghost, but wow, 26 years is pretty good for an appliance. Now about that photo of the arctic resort in Finland, I’m thinking it sounds like my kind of place. 😉
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Oh no! Sorry to hear old faithful blew a gasket, Dor.
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Ha, ha! It is definitely a good way to keep cool!
_____
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I would have been really annoyed! All that work and sore muscles but at least it was cool.
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Ha! Definitely a COOL idea, Dor. 😉
What a shame that you did all that hard work and then had to trash the thing. It felt good for a while at least. Now you have a new one!
I defrost my deep freeze twice a year once the temps. go below freezing (late fall, again in early spring) when I can put everything out on the deck to stay frozen while I’m defrosting. It only takes a couple hours for the ice build up to loosen and then can be easily pried off with a spatula and dished into the sink. No ice picks or hard work. I recommend it! 🙂
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I have a feeling the new freezer will outlive me. 🙂
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Hahah! Thanks Judith. Well, at least it is a clean freezer on its way to the dump.
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I forgot the few choice words for Bill because I’m delighted we are replacing the 26 year old freezer and the new one will probably outlive us. 🙂
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Hanging out in a freezer will make you feel that – cool and young :). I think freezers are generally hardy items – my brother’s has been around since the late 1990s and still running strong.
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There is always hope for the old things to miraculously revive. 🙂
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I do get cold feet at night so a Finland ice hotel is not my idea of a place to rest. Still, that hotel does look germ free and brrrrrr…. clean! 🙂
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🙂 I thought so Julie! It works for the desired chill but the aches and pains are the dues.
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I am still annoyed Kate… the new freezer doesn’t arrive until next week, so we have all kinds of unreachable meals – some in the little frig-freezer in the basement and some in the little frig-freezer in the kitchen. Since I don’t know where anything is, had to shop this morning for fresh foods for the next few meals. Sigh.
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Yes, I had been following your routines too Eliza. I simply let the time get away and just kept putting things off. I might have missed two seasons but doubt that such benign neglect was the reason the deep freeze gave up. 26 years is a long time for a motor to keep on performing.
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Yes, indeed!
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I’m not going to tell you when the last time I defrosted my freezer; let’s just say I should probably send my hubby to Lowe’s instead of breaking my back. I thank you for this post and saving me the trouble.
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I know JUST how you feel. That’s where the expression “If it isn’t broken don’t fix it” comes from!!
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Hahaha! I will try to remember my own advice 26 years from now when the new freezer “is shot.”
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🙂 Or if it is broken, don’t try to fix it. Just head to Lowe’s.
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My, you’re ambitious!
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Ambitious and not too bright! 🙂
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I don’t believe that for a minute!
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A fan blowing over a tray of the ice might have saved you the effort and given the same cooling effect. 🙂
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I will definitely remember that for next time! 🙂
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