Broken Freezer Ideas for Box

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LazyDog

LazyDog

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The freezer in the basement served us well made in 1992 R12 system. I looking for ideas of what to do w/ the insulated box besides putting it on the curve.

My first idea is to find a place inside the garage and make it into a tool box storage: I have stuff on pegs but the windy conditions gets that stuff all over the place.

2nd idea is to keep it under the garage canopy and store gasoline, yard chemicals, and solvents that I keep outside the garage because of my asthma.

What other uses would you consider for this empty box!!
 

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Compare the space efficiency of any plain sheet metal cabinet with the bulk of any old icebox.
Here you have gross depth inefficiency and wasted floor space; for what? a couple of shelves?
Maybe a few thoughtfully arranged shelves would net you more usable storage?

Have the refrigerant removed by machine so it can be recycled. You might even get paid for it.

If you keep this thing I suggest mounting it on castors and use the space where the compressor was as a secret compartment.

Nothing says 'class' like an old fridge outside your house.

Also remember that you'll have to rig a lock as children could gain access and suffocate.
It's called an "attractive nuisance" so we can all skip the, "We used to play in old refrigerators and we turned out OK", posts.
 
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Not worth it. As stated, the R12 is in tight supply and will soon enough be gone for good. Call an independent HVAC business and see if they would want it.
 
If you replaced it with an energy efficient replacement, check with your local utility to see if they have a rebate program.
I did that once. They hauled it away, and I made $50.
 
have one like yours in basement ..stopped working several years ago. wife uses it to store canned goods.. myself I think it makes a good "cabinet" for what she uses it for
 
Post office is a relic from the 1800's when people walked around and delivered a letter at a time. If you want to keep this relic, deliver once a week
 
Al said:
Post office is a relic from the 1800's when people walked around and delivered a letter at a time. If you want to keep this relic, deliver once a week
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Your post did not end up posted in the topic that you think it did.

Once a week is already the situation. Maybe it gets there in two days, but I expect a week unless I pay for a faster handling, which is as it should be. However there is a point if diminishing return, if you have to send more people and trucks out to deliver same volume of mail once a week, versus fewer people (pensions included) and vehicles (upkeep included) on a more daily basis.

The curious part is you want to call it a relic when in fact it is vital, then you want to degrade it further. Maybe just accept that not everyone has the same needs as you?
 
I would get rid of it. Chemicals will probably eat through the plastic lining and the insulation makes it take up a lot of space. You'll also need to air it out for an eternity to keep mold from growing in it.
 
One thing I wonder is, with a fridge that does not function (so no hot vs cold pressure differential to overcome), what kid can overcome the strength of the magnetic seal to get into it, but could get trapped and not be able to get out? Just sayin', the amount of force to open the door on a non-operational fridge is NOT that much.

I mean that the olden days of refrigerator deaths were from where they had a latching door and AFAIK, nobody has used that design in 40+ years.
 
If you want to get rid of it, put it on craigslist for free so people will come and haul it away. Don't leave it on the curb to trash the neighborhood, people may end up doing bad things to it (pee in it? shoot it?) and nobody will haul it away for free again.

If you want to use it, remove the door. An unpowered fridge will eventually stink up inside, and if kids got stuck in there they will die and you will be sued. You may not have kids but what if one day you have a guest and his or her naughty 2 year old played hide and seek in it.

You probably will be better off just use metal rack for storage, it is easier to do than thinking of all the hacks to an old fridge.
 
^ Why would it stink up inside if thoroughly cleaned of all food remnants? Remember that without cold, there also isn't continual condensation causing mildew. It's just an (almost if not entirely, frost free aren't 100% sealed) sealed box.

Regardless, there are ways to resolve that. Take off a portion of the magnetic gasket. Leave enough to keep the door shut, but with some missing it will be much less sealed.

That will also make it much harder for a child to get trapped inside because the door barely stays shut, but the other solution to that is simple. If it is kept for storage, filling it with things will prevent a child hiding inside. We could theorize that a child could unpack a fridge and hide inside, but they can already do that with any fridge including the one in your kitchen right now.

I'll repeat, that the primary danger of children suffocating in fridges is from the design popular over half a century ago where the door latched shut, and you had to push, pull, or rotate a handle to unlatch instead of just pushing on the door. Some here may not even be old enough to have ever seen this type of refrigerator.
 
PandaBear said:
If you want to get rid of it, put it on craigslist for free so people will come and haul it away. Don't leave it on the curb to trash the neighborhood, people may end up doing bad things to it (pee in it? shoot it?) and nobody will haul it away for free again.
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I think this is entirely dependent on where you live. Is shooting and peeing in driveway refrigerators really an issue there in Silicon Valley? Sounds awful.
Mike B
 
Skeet6 said:
I think this is entirely dependent on where you live. Is shooting and peeing in driveway refrigerators really an issue there in Silicon Valley? Sounds awful.
Mike B
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In PART OF SILICON VALLEY, yes. We still have mobile home park and rehabs, homeless encampments, etc.
 
Dave9 said:
I'll repeat, that the primary danger of children suffocating in fridges is from the design popular over half a century ago where the door latched shut, and you had to push, pull, or rotate a handle to unlatch instead of just pushing on the door. Some here may not even be old enough to have ever seen this type of refrigerator.
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True, but sometimes kid didn't realize they are suffocating and pass out before they realize they need to kick out of the fridge. The same way people who got CO poisoning didn't realize until they pass out.
 
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