What to do with your freezer in a power cut

If your freezer is full, an extended power cut can result in expensive losses. Here’s how to save the food in your freezer.


This is how fast the temperature rises

It takes between 10 and 30 hours for the temperature in a full freezer to rise from minus 18 to minus 12 degrees. The less you have in your freezer, the faster the temperature will rise. If the power cut lasts for more than six hours, you will have to take some precautions to keep your food chilled.

Can I refreeze the food?

If the food has only partly thawed, you can refreeze it. If the food has completely thawed, you should treat it as you would fresh food. Use the food immediately, or if you wish to refreeze it, you must first cook it by frying or boiling it.

You can also insulate the freezer to help keep your food frozen during the power cut.

How to insulate a freezer:

  1. Unplug it. You must never insulate a freezer that is connected to the power supply
  2. Avoid opening the freezer door
  3. Wrap the freezer in newspapers, rugs, duvets, etc.
  4. If possible, reduce the temperature in the room in which the freezer is situated
  5. If you have advance notification of the power cut, you can set the freezer to ‘super freeze’ a day or two in advance, to get the temperature as low as possible

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