So Your Chest Freezer Called It Quits. Here's What to Do First

By Mark Soto

December 19, 2025

Your chest freezer likely holds your family’s stockpile of bulk proteins, vegetables, prepared meals and more. So, when your chest freezer stops working, your first thought — even before how much it’s going to cost to replace — is what to do with all of that food.

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Fortunately, the way chest freezers are designed makes them slightly more effective at preventing food from spoiling compared to regular freezers. But what should you do with the freezer after, and is it worth repairing?

How Long Will Food Keep in a Broken Chest Freezer?

One advantage chest freezers have over a regular freezer is that, even when they stop working, they can keep your food safe for longer. On average, you can expect a chest freezer to stay cool and keep your food from spoiling for up to two days. How full it is also matters, since if it’s only half full, then it may only be able to maintain the food in good condition for up to 24 hours.

Chest freezers lose their cold temperatures at a much slower rate than a fridge freezer due to their design. Cold air often remains at the bottom, so when you open the fridge from the top, the cold air is more likely to remain than leave. The opposite happens with a regular freezer. When you open the door, the cold air easily leaves while warm air enters.

Which Freezer Foods You Should Keep or Toss?

The current temperature of your freezer will often dictate what food you’ll need to throw away or can keep. According to the food safety guidelines by FoodSafety.gov, certain foods that have been exposed to temperatures of 40 degrees Fahrenheit or above for more than two hours need to be thrown away. This includes any frozen meat, fish, salads, gravy, pizza, soft cheese, milk, eggs, cut fruits, pasta and cut or cooked vegetables. On the other hand, you can still keep food items like hard cheese, butter, uncut fruits, canned fruits, peanut butter, bread, uncut vegetables, and herbs.

If your meats, vegetables and other items safely remained below that temperature or within the timeframe, you may still want to consider whether to keep them or not. They may be safe to eat, but their quality might suffer. You can often safely refreeze any items that still feel cold, but it’s often best to stay on the safe side and discard them if you’re unsure.

How Do You Dispose of a Broken Chest Freezer

Chest freezers can be a burden to get rid of due to their heavy weight and difficulty in transporting. If your chest freezer is completely broken and you don’t want to bother with repairing it, you have a few options.

The easiest way might be to call a junk removal company that will send a truck and employees to remove it from your home and take it to a junkyard. However, this can cost you anywhere from $100 to $300.

If you’re willing to do the work yourself and have a large enough vehicle to haul it, you can drop it off at a scrap metal yard or see if your local municipality has a drop-off center that accepts freezers.

If you’re shopping for a new chest freezer, ask the store where you’re buying it whether they can pick up your old fridge when the new one is delivered. Some places, like Home Depot, might offer this service, so it’s worth asking.

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Do Broken Chest Freezers Leak Water?

Water leaks are one of the common issues that can happen when your chest freezer breaks, and there are a couple of reasons why it can leak. The most obvious one is that if the freezer doesn’t work, the frost inside will simply start to melt if the temperature becomes too warm. All that water will start to pour out through the drain hole. As you troubleshoot, look at the drain hole and see if it’s clogged up. If it's clogged, the water will start to back up and seep out. If your chest freezer isn’t properly leveled, it can also allow leftover water to seep out. Remove the clog from the drain hole, or level the freezer to prevent water leaks.

Is It Worth Repairing an Old Chest Freezer?

Before you decide to throw it out, it might be worth looking into whether it’s repairable or not. The main thing you’ll want to find out is what’s wrong with it. If it’s a small issue, like it’s not freezing as well due to dirty condenser coils, then simply cleaning them might make it more efficient and fix your problem. Sometimes the issue is that the freezer door won’t fully close, and when it remains slightly open, the freezer won’t reach the temperatures it needs. In this case, the door gasket might be at fault, and replacing it is relatively easy and inexpensive.

An issue related to a broken compressor or a Freon leak often means it's not worth it. This type of repair can run you into the several hundreds of dollars, and it’s often more cost-effective to simply buy a new appliance.

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