until it hits zero degrees.

From our discussions last year, it seems to me that you were looking at a 14 cu. ft. Frigidaire freezer similar to the one I have. My Frigidaire's manual said to let it run for four hours before moving already-frozen food into it. A larger capacity model might require more time. (I would wait 24 hours before using it to freeze things.) I'm guessing that other brands' manuals will say pretty much the same, but if the manual that comes with yours says something different, I would follow that instruction.

Following up on what joeboldt said, it would be a good idea to get a freezer thermometer if you do not have one already. Inexpensive ones are available from hardware stores and even grocery stores. Use it to see what setting you need for holding zero degrees. Many uprights user a slider control or touchpad with arbitrary numeric settings. The recommended one ("4" was the default on mine) might or might not be accurate. No harm to the food in holding things at -20F but the freezer will run a lot more than you need it to. As it turned out, "4" was close enough on mine but YMMV

This post was edited by JWVideo on Thu, May 15, 14 at 12:38

Thanks, guys. Lucky me, I keep two freezer thermometers on hand to help monitor my crappy new Elux fridge, which still won't rise above 40 degrees. Grrr.

Anyhoo, the new fridge is only 7 cu. ft. so not as big as I wished for. Perils of a small garage. But that's 2 cu. ft. bigger than I have, and it's an upright. I will plug it in and stick a thermometer in ASAP.

Thanks, guys. Lucky me, I keep two freezer thermometers on hand to help monitor my crappy new Elux fridge, which still won't rise above 40 degrees. Grrr. I don't understand your comment here. Why would you want your refrigerator's temperature to be higher than 40ðF? The target range is usually 38ð to 36ðF. I lowered mine to 35ðF some months ago and have found that milk, for example, keeps good noticeably longer.

Sorry. "Rise above" was a poor word choice. I meant "get better than" but what I should have said was that it will not cool below 40.

It is sometimes advisable to let the unit 'rest' before plugging it in. It has to do with the refrigerant and lubricants being sloshed around during transport and they need to settle before startup.

I did not know that! Thanks, Weedmeister!

Let it rest and then it will be ready to go. If you are in need of a true "swap" and need a new small refrigerator, I'd go with the Avanti upright freezer. It has great reviews [below] and I've loved mine!

Here is a link that might be useful: Best Garage Freezers