chest freezer mis-hap

[dgo1212]

On Sunday I had to go looking for something in the shed, after failing to find what I was looking for I went to turn the light off and noticed something pretty horrifying, some nobber had switched the socket off next to the light switch. The socket powered my chest freezer that I stock up throughout the year to get us through my annual 3 month voluntary redundancy (boss likes to save money and I enjoy the time off over xmas), there was probably about £300 of meat in there if not more aswell as bags of veg, fruit, bread rolls etc, but about 80% of what was in there was meat, hoping it had maybe been switched off that day I lifted the top, cue me diving out of shed door and throwing my guts up, the stench was unbelievable, I should imagine not much different to that of a decomposing body. I switched the freezer back on in the hope of it not smelling to bad when I came to deal with it and today set about sorting it, couldn't get the freezer out without emptying so having the council or whoever take the whole thing away in one was out the question, a bottle of neutrodol, 10 bin liners, 1 bottle of bleach and a bottle of disinfectant later and it was empty, not going to claim for it as it was probably my fault for making it easy to turn of by accident, managed to get the freezer outside and with some help laid it down and cleaned the inside of it with the jetwash, another bottle of bleach and a sweeping brush, I've left it with the lid up and a puddle of bleach in it as it still smells a bit but hoping this will eventually go, I'm not intending to ever put human food in there again however my dogs eat raw meat and I could save a lot of time and money if I could bulk buy and freeze it, what are peoples experiences with these things, will it be ok to use or is the freezer going to stink forever, is it likely to be holding nasty diseases that could hurt my dog? If so I'll scrap it it just seems like such a waste

[CaNsA]

https://i.imgur.com/qvZyz.jpg

[Speed]

Shitter

I'd personally throw it away and buy another if i was you. Not worth the risk

[SlimRick]

Similar happened to me when I went away for 5 weeks, and the power went off to our freezer on day 2 of the holiday.
Couple of joints of pork and loads of other meaty bits - smelt absolutely rank by the time we got back!
Lots of washing, bleach, and leave an opened box of bicarbonate of soda in there and it'll be right in a few days time.

[Pie-Roe]

It'll be fine to use.

In a fair few kitchens I've worked in, a small bit of tape (or we use blue finger plasters) over the switches which have fridges/freezers connected to stops mishaps.

I'd be more worried about putting bleach in it. Boiling water and a strong disinfectant is what you need. You've probably not cleaned the seals which aren't held at -18 or whatever and can tend to build up with crud and stink.

If you go around all the lid seals with a hot soapy sponge (pull them out as much as you can without breaking them) it'll get rid of that part.The rest if it still smells, get the biggest pan/pot you have and fill the kettle, boiling water with something like flash floor cleaner concentrate, put it in, scrup all around with a brush. make sure it's dry then turn back on. If it still smells you haven't done it right.

I've seen kitchen porters bring back freezers that have sat for months with food and no power after taking over new buildings.
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[Joncrete Cungle]

Would turning it on and letting it freeze for a period of time not kill the vast majority of any bacteria that might be lurking in the freezer?

[angryjonny]

[LordShaftesbu...]

Many bacteria can survive freezing. They can't survive bleach though.

[doggone]

Unlikely things that might help are strong solutions of Bicarbonate of soda, salt, or vinegar (not all in the same bucket)
I suppose the plastics can absorb some of the fatty components from the rotting stuff.

[Speed]

A bowl of white vinegar left inside it will clear it of any odours. Have used that method a couple of times

[Tarmacsurfer]

[dgo1212]

Cheers for advice will try some of the methods suggested when I get home, will dish out some karma aswell can't do it on phone

[Snodvan]

Been through this nightmare with our small chest freezer

Did all the washing, bleach etc but the smell lingered. Our cure was to get some (half a bucket) BBQ charcoal (proper stuff not the briquettes type) "cook" it in the domestic oven for an hour on lowish (12ooC) to drive off water and any absorbed organics, let it cool then put it in the freezer for a week at room temp. May not need that long but that was what we did. Repeat (same charcoal re-heated) with the freezer switched on.

Shifted the smell from ours

Snod
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04 (UK Reg) BMW F650cs, but really 02 first Reg in Holland

[ZebraDriver]

3 week holiday,two years ago our "house checker" decided to switch off the power to the shed (where our second freezer is located).

Freezer contained all my fishing bait so the smell, and the flies/maggots when I found it were quite something. Its an upright freezer so the liquid found its way out and onto the bit of carpet that I had in there.....

Two years later and it has been washed out/bleached numerous times but some of the smell still lingers but luckily it doesn't harm any food we put in there but the packaging can niff a bit.

ZD

[smegballs]

Silly billy, you don't leave your "meat" in the freezer over winter. You run it through the wood-chipper frozen and dump it at sea soon as poss.

[Kradmelder]

Do you have Jeyes fulid there? It is used to clean everything from vomit, to blood and rotting corpses from the inside of Cassipirs and Ratels. It is a carbolic acid concentrate industrial cleaner and must be diluted. Just use it in a ventilated area. The smell is quite strong. But once dry you smell nothing and it kills everything.

It is one of the shit jobs you get for things like drunk and disorderly, firearms carelessness, bunking a patrol, or simply being new.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[janner_10]

If you have this -

https://www.fusionservices.co.uk/productimages/98101848910322.jpg

Changed for an unswitched one, like this:

https://www.bdc.co.uk/image/cache/data/Switches/1g-unswitched-socket-outlet-97-800x500.jpg

About £2 in B&Q and 2 minutes to change.
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Yamaha FZS600 (Now gone to heaven) > CBR600F4i (SOLD) > '99 YZF-R1

[syl]

Hardwire it to an unswitched fused outlet.

https://www.discount-electrical.co.uk/shopimages/products/normal/domestic_wiring/Legrand/LEG_730032.jpg
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Current bike: Kawasaki Z750S

[janner_10]

Even better
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Yamaha FZS600 (Now gone to heaven) > CBR600F4i (SOLD) > '99 YZF-R1

[Kradmelder]

Or rig it through a 12 V to 220V transformer and battery, with a low power alarm in case of power failure or someone cutting the power. My alarm systems and radio in the house are wired like that.

If the power at my house trips, I get a notice on my cell phone. After like a day when batteries get low, it automatically triggers the alarm, which brings the armed response. No power failure is that long. S

But the main question is who switched off the power and why? The power to my freezers are hidden behind appliances.
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2011 KTM 990 Dakar
2009 BMW 1200 GS

[covent.gardens]

£300 worth. Three hundred thousand pennies. Nearly a third of a million pennies.

I think I'd have at least tried it cooked to see what it tasted like

It would take a lot for me to throw away £300

[MattJ]

[covent.gardens]

So it is
Still a lot though. 30k worth of money

[UnknownStuntm...]

[dgo1212]

Hi yes we have jeyes fluid although not needed now, the smell seems to have gone thanks to the white viniger and bicarb, will give it 2 more days to be sure, as for the socket I have fitted a child safety cover that covers the whole socket and plug so can't be accidently turned off, I have no doubts it was an accident so shouldn't happen again, as for the meat I'm obviously gutted but it's done now and fortuately work is good so no redundancy this year, gives plenty of time to fill it back up