I knew it'd come in useful one day

Beware of chest freezers in garages. They have a very useful flat space. A friend was dismantling a car engine and had all the parts neatly laid out on the freezer. Went indoors for a coffee. Wife came back from Supermarket, swept eveything off the top so she could put the frozen food away. They are still married.

I'm safe there. My wife is disabled and although she could get to the garage with a bit of a struggle, she won't and will send me!

Too much stuff - and whenever I throw anything away, after years of it sitting there, I find a use for it a week later!

Story of my life :-(

fenestrating

I presume you have checked that the refrigerant in it is suitable for operation in a cold environment like a garage. Many fridges and freezers these days are designed to operate over a limited domestic temperature range and stop functioning when ambient temperature is below about 5C.

It is an expensive mistake. Older freezers are much more tolerant.

I'd inspect it fairly carefully then before relying on it long term!

You threw it away and are now finding a use for it? Ouch. ;)

you are not alone ;-)

What is worse is having heaps of stuff, because it will come in useful one day, then when you need it you can't find it. When eventually you come across it, it's because you were looking for something else & the need has now gone.

I'd have said that was difficult without removing the sheath. But, yes, beware of perished insulation.

As long as its not been damaged by the temperature changes and none of the plastic in the socket has degraded, then you are probably OK, but you don't really want a freezer to lose power due to part of the mechanical bits in the socket falling to bits without warning. Brian

Yes I have the same problem. I had to ditch a lot of stuff when I needed to get rid of a shed which was falling over and an asbestos garage that was of no use to me, And of course the old bits of cable and certain bits of wood and metal I chucked would have done very nicely for a few diy jobs and fixing of things in the last couple of years, however where does it end? I now have a for now room in my house which is getting full or defunct vcrs and hi fis, cables that fit nothing, unknown types of wall warts and psus and set top boxes where the remote is buggered etc etc. Brian

Maybe this is an idea for a database of stuff people have, that one could interrogate and then buy it for a low price? Brian

In message <squno1$3c2$ snipped-for-privacy@dont-email.me, "Brian Gaff (Sofa)" snipped-for-privacy@blueyonder.co.uk> writes

Does the d-i-y Wiki have enough space?

It's rated for -15°C. It's even got a great big sticker on the front, that I haven't got around to removing, that says so, so no problem there.

I checked carefully before buying. They do make it difficult though. Even though a number of freezers were listed as suitable for outbuildings, I had to go to the manufacturers' websites for each one and read the manuals to check the low temperature figures. The sellers' websites just quoted the standard blurb in the specifications about 10°C ambient (presumably the figure specified in EU/UK standards for domestic freezers), even though the freezers themselves were suitable for far lower.

A visual inspection showed no nicks or cracks in the sheath or in the short length of core insulation that I looked at and it remains easily flexible, so I am happy that the plastic has not significantly degraded over the years.

It will be in use until the summer (when I extend the garage and re-wire it) and is being used in a fixed location and not flexed about - from an existing socket mounted mid joist, along the joist and secured to the end of the joist, where the freezer can plug in. It is basically temporary, fixed wiring.

It's generally not invaded the house here, so not too bad - although I must put the two camping tables, that are hidden behind the settee, in the garage. I have just not got round to that.

That's Mr. Smiley to you.