Do frost free chest freezers exist or are they just wishful thinking?

If upright freezers and the freezer compartments of fridge-freezers can be frost-free these days, why can't chest freezers?

It's down to their design. They use static cooling, where cold air sinks and stays at the bottom, which keeps the temperature consistently cold but leads to frost buildup.

Incorporating a frost-free system (which involves fans and heating elements) into the horizontal design of a chest freezer could reduce their reliability and energy efficiency - not to mention make them a lot more expensive to manufacture and buy.

If you're determined to get a frost-free freezer, an upright could be the way to go.

With built-in fans that circulate cold air, frost doesn't get a chance to form - which means you don't get a chance to defrost the freezer. Their vertical design also makes them easier to organise and access food, much like a fridge.

Uprights can be less energy efficient than chest freezers, though, because the fan and defrosting system use more power. The constant air circulation can also lead to freezer burn if food isn't properly sealed (we're looking at you clingwrapped chicken drumsticks).

So, if you're hoping to find a frost free chest freezer, you're probably out of luck (unless one has been launched since we updated this blog post!). The good news, though, is that modern chest freezers aren't too much hassle to defrost, and have built in drainage for when you do need to farewell the frost every year or two.

We stock a lot of chest freezers and upright freezers at Appliances Online, and we can get them to you with free delivery by the next day in most cases - and if you have an unplanned thawing emergency on your hands, order now and we may even be able to get it to you on the same day!