should we switch fridge freezer off every time?

I would keep it on.

It is better to keep them on - I seem to remember seeing that it is the switching on and off which causes them to fail.

Can’t see the point in having one if it’s going to be off half the time personally

Wouldn't dream of switching it off, can't really see any advantage- just more work!!

We leave ours on. One of the good things about having somewhere of our own to go to is that we know there will always be food when we get there, even if it is portioned up leftovers in the freezer.

If you come and go regularly, you might find that you use as much electricity bringing it back to freezing every time as you would use by leaving it on.

If you have a microwave you should be able to tell if there has been a power cut. If not, freeze ice cubes in a tray, and put a coin on top of one of them. If the power has been off for long enough to defrost the ice you will be able to tell from the position of the coin.

There is no way I could turn my big chest freezer off every time we went away and even the fridge freezer in the kitchen has too much stuff in it to be emptying it everytime we go away.

All the surplus crop from my fruit and veg garden goes inthe chest freezer and I would not ant to waste that.

Thanks everyone. Good tip Doodledog.

Definitely no.

If it’s just a week or so leave it on, power consumption is very low on a modern fridge, maybe only 20p a day, put a few extra coins into the meter. Who wants the drag of cleaning it every week, maybe hubby?.

We always leave ours on. When OH worked overseas I would visit him for 6 weeks at a time. If I turned the fridge and freezers off that would be a nightmare. It was nice to come home to something to eat! If there had been a power cut and the door is closed, from what I understand all should be well. I have never heard of a power cut in UK lasting more than a few hours.

We are away half of our time at our seaside cottage. We never switch off either freezer. Keep it on.

Ladyleftfieldlover

We always leave ours on. When OH worked overseas I would visit him for 6 weeks at a time. If I turned the fridge and freezers off that would be a nightmare. It was nice to come home to something to eat! If there had been a power cut and the door is closed, from what I understand all should be well. I have never heard of a power cut in UK lasting more than a few hours.

Long power cuts are rare, flooding and storms are the usual cause, years ago we had a 4 day cut and had to cook on the open fire in the lounge, it’s surprising what you can do if you have to.

Leave it switched on. The likelihood of a long lasting power cut is rare so would be less of a hastle to deal with should it happen (unlikely), than forever switching it on and off, using up the contents before you leave, waiting for it to reach temperature before putting anything in it and cleaning it out. Of course, you could suggest to DH that he takes on those roles - see how long it is before he realises what a silly idea it is!
Of course, during the period October to May, when you are not there at all, you would probably empty it and switch it off, but not during the June to September period when you are back and forth so regularly.

Please explain to your husband that as long as the fridge door isn’t opened then power consumption will be minimal.
We have a friend with a caravan and the cost of the electricity is covered by the site fees. Does that apply to you?
If he insists then relegate all the emptying, cleaning and transporting to him. That might make him see sense.

I leave mine on. Only once we came back to a problem due to a power failure following a storm. Insurance covered the freezer contents.

We were away for nearly two weeks once and neighbours informed us that there had been a 4 day power cut. Because we hadn’t been there to open our freezer it was all ok.

Thanks again. He isn't worried about the cost, and I have said we could top the meter up.
Husband has just reminded me that during a thunderstorm two years ago the trip switch was activated so the fridge didn't switch on again. And there was a terrible smell in the fridge which took a while to get rid of. I had forgotten about that. I suppose his decision is understandable. But thanks everyone. We would need to ensure everything in the freezer is well sealed....

Years ago, before self defrosting freezers, we would eat up and clear out from the fridge and freezer, before a holiday. That was only ever once a year though.
Now...I’d just leave it on, especially in your circumstances, where you’re in and out.

If you switch it off it can take up to 24 hours to be at proper food storage temperature so could be a health risk. It is vile, however, if your fridge switches off for whatever reason and gets left for anytime with food in it. As it’s 5 days max you could leave a pot of bicarb in there to absorb any smells.

You could use a cool box to transfer items to and fro without too much hassle.

Thanks Avalon fof the tip about bicarb. Yes we use 2 coolbags at the minute for toing and froing.

We unplug everything except the fridge freezer whenever we leave and put some ice cubes in a pot in the freezer. If theres been a problem then the ice cubes will have melted into the glass. Along the same lines as Doodledog mentioned with a coin. Once we get to end of November though we switch off everything and leave fridgefreezer door propped open. However I rarely leave anything in the fridge now and take it home in cool bags. This/last year a lot of owners were stopped from coming on site at very short notice because of Covid and had food going off in the fridge. Become a bit of an obsession with me now.

How can the Electricity ‘run out’ are you on a meter?

If so then he might have a point.

We keep ours on until the end of the season,then everything is turned off.

As Oopsadaisy has posted, if you're on a meter then it makes sense to turn it off. I never leave anything in our fridge but there's always something in the freezer, so I never turn it off.