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I want to get a small deep freezer for my kitchen upstairs. I have hardwood floors and I am concerned about potential water damage from a power outage and the freezer defrosting and getting water all over my floor.

Is there any type of mat or covering that would protect the floors in the event that this might happen?

Niall C.
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Carrie Griffin
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2 Answers2

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I am sure they sell large pans somewhere but that shouldn't be a concern. Your freezer should be contained, in that if there is a power outage and everything melts - the water should stay in your freezer.

Note: I have to think if I was putting a deep freezer on my hardwoods I would lay it on an area rug. Even insulated the freezer bottom is pretty cold comparatively so I would try to bridge that temperature gap. I would not worry about spillage though. Although you could test this before bringing it in your house with a hose.

DMoore
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    Unless that freezer is designed with a drain valve for use during deliberate defrosting, and that valve is accidentally left open... – DJohnM Apr 07 '14 at 15:54
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    @User58220 - That is a good point but hopefully obvious. Also how much stuff in your freezer would actually melt? Even when I have had power issues, my ice cream was contained in its own container. Maybe if you had a freezer packed with Popsicle. – DMoore Apr 07 '14 at 16:07
  • +1. Also, chest freezers are extremely efficient and will take a long time to melt at all. A freezer should be able to go several hours without anything melting, maybe even a day if the freezer is full and the ambient temp isn't too high. – Hank Apr 07 '14 at 23:04
  • The bottom of a freezer is usually hot because of the compressor mounted under the end in the ones I have had. Regular defrosting would eliminate the over flow condition the OP is concerned about. – Ed Beal Aug 28 '17 at 01:44
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The coldness from parts of the freezer will keep the wood damp and cause mold to grow in the floor over a long period of time. Have it sit on some kind of rubber mat.

The Man
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  • If any part of the exterior of a freezer is cold then there's something wrong with the freezer. It seems like heat from the compressor or the condenser coils would make a warm environment where mold might like to grow. – Greg Hill Oct 28 '19 at 21:12