should we switch fridge freezer off every time?

What’s the point of a fridge freezer if you turn it off?

A few years ago, we asked the advice of our fridge repair man because we used to go to Australia for 2 months each year and had heard it was better to switch off the fridge. He said that he always switches off his fridge and especially if you are going to be away for an extended period of time. The main reason is the risk of fire which shocked me. We have a chest freezer which we leave running. I don't actually know whether a chest freezer carries lower risk than a fridge!

Seriously - do you have many power cuts...? In the times of year when you are away...? Defrosting, cleaning and starting up all use more power than just leaving it alone. Perhaps he'll change his mind if you are too busy to do it and he has to?

ALANaV I agree, if you're going to worry then switch it off.

He sounds like a right mardy bum.?
(had to look up mardy)
Yes, a very often exasperating but lovable mardy bum!

He sounds like a right mardy bum.? Just a fridge freezer should'nt use that much electric.Top up the meter with about £20, should be enough, even when they run out there's emergency credit on them too. I certainly wouldn't want to go to all that bother having just travelled back home! Is there anything you can do about the 'trip switch' in case that happened again?- most modern fridges/freezers come back on automatically anyway don't they? In any case try the bicarb trick as suggested- and you can get a couple of fresheners from lakeland.com or amazon-even if worst happened, at least you're only cleaning it all out once, not everytime you return! Silly man?

Wouldn't dream of turning it off but I would not keep too much in it (in case of the power cut problem). But cleaning it out every time must be a real pain. If your husband wants to turn it off, get him to clean it out each time!

This is a good question and something that always worries me since I bought a new F/F which you cannot isolate the fridge on (my previous model enabled you to isolate the freezer and leave the fridge working as I need to keep my supplies of Insulin cool) when I lived in France my neighbour asked me to turn it off (she was looking after my house, and having read about fires caused by those appliances felt better if it was completely off,,,,,so I did and she stored my insulin in her garage fridge !) better to be safe than sorry ...I contacted Hoover (my new F/F/ supplier who told me there is a 'holiday mode' that can be enabled ...I have yet to look online at the manual as the print in the one that came with it is too small for me to read ! If I think it is ok I will leave it on, but if not, I will have to find someone to store my insulin in theirs ...............still worries me though, especially after Grenfell and now that I live in a block of retirement flats (no cladding) but it was ok for this weekend when I went away for three days, but have got lots of holidays booked (all cancelled from 2019 or 2020) so I need to look hard at the options ! I would I think prefer to switch it off and then have a good shop to re fill it when I get back ................

Only if the fridge or freezer is completely empty should it be switched off.
If you use the fridge for storage for your jams etc, even after a couple of weeks they can turn mouldy if the jar has been opened.

Pop some square ice cubes in a tupperware dish and put them in the freezer. Check them when you arrive. If there's been a power cut they'll have melted and frozen into one block.

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.

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

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

If so then he might have a point.

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.

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

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.

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.

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....

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?.