I have 2 small chest freezers. I would like to make counter tops on them with either a lamanent directly glued to the lid or by making a top with plywood and lamanent to set on them. so I can have more counterspace to work on. My delima is that the instructions that came with the freezers states "Do not store item on top of unit." I realise that it needs air circulation around it and I cannot have it shoved inside a cabinet or have walls or items too close to the sides and back. But the top doesn't get warm and I would have to make it so I could easily get into it so I would keep the counter top cleared and just use it for workspace. Do you think that placing a countertop on it would cause problems with it? I was planning on having a small shelf on the wall above the door swing to store small appliances.
That warning might be the same type as other products have...it's there because someone was vying for a Darwin Award.....like the warning on ladders-do not place in front of a door or a hair dryer-do not use while in the bathtub. At some point someone used it for regular counter space then opened the lid without removing the items, breaking the items then sued the freezer manufacturer. But I don't know for sure. I wouldn't put anything heavy on it, I don't know how strong the metal on the outside of the door is and it might bend and cause problems. If you go with a laminate covered board be sure it is large enough to lay on the edges of the door where there is more support from the door frame.
It's probably not the best idea to put countertops on top of a freezer, since it may not let the machine vent properly. Also, you may get forgetful in the future and put heavy things on it (or a guest or a housekeeper might). Good luck!
the company told you already not to place something on top why would you still put a counter top on it? does that make sense?
I tend to use my washer and dryer as extra counter space occasionally. I just put an old towel over them before I set anything on them
They did not say why. If it is because it may vibrate off, then it would still be okay as a workspace, If it is because the metal on the lid is thin and can dent easily then putting a piece of plywood and laminant would protect it. If it is because of ventelation then I may have a problem, but it doesn't get warm to touch and there are no vent holes that would be covered. The vent holes are on the side of the unit near the bottom. I think Toni is probably right that the manufacturer is idiot proofing the instruction manual so someone doesn't do something ridiculous like jump on top of it or open the lid with glass sitting on it and sue the company.
The reason why is because of the rubber seals between the door and the freezer body. Placing weight on the lid compresses the rubber seal and it will lose its ablility to seal the cold air into the freezer. It will harden and become inflexible or even get wavy gaps or creases from the uneven weight. You will then find that the freezer ices up and that it no longer functions correctly. ie it will run continuously and eventually break down. The freezer gasket is designed to support the evenness/weight of the lid.
that's right tmholding! my hubby is always reminding me not to put or leave anything on the freezer top because of the gaskets. makes sense. gardentoad, would it be possible for you to build a table above it, leaving space from the top of it to use?
I would have to hang it off the wall so I could move it away to get into the freezers. I don't want to store things on top of the freezers. I just need a surface to roll out dough, maybe set some cookies or pies to cool. Just a temporary work area.I have a tiny kitchen and what little counter space I have is taken up by the coffee maker, toaster oven, breadbox, dish drainer,can opener, just no elbow room. Maybe I can just use the top the way it is. I just thought an edge around it to keep flour from falling behind it would be nice.
As extra work surface it would be fine, nothing very heavy would be involved while you are kneading dough, cutting cookies, whatever. To keep the flour under control how about taking a cotton kitchen towel, wet it and squeeze excess water out, roll it lengthwise and use it to catch the flour. When your cooking project is finished use it to whip up the area and toss it in the washing machine.
You have my sympathy. I have a small kitchen now, but I used to have an eenie weenie kitchen which is what things sound like at your house. I used to use my chest freezer for rolling out dough, cooling cookies and cutting out sewing projects. It didn't cause me a problem. I've had that same freezer for over 15 years. In my current kitchen I bought a kitchen island on wheels. I love that thing. I love being able to drag it wherever I need to use it. And, since it moves around, you really can't store stuff on it. If you need food prep space do a web search for kitchen carts and you may find a relatively inexpensive solution to your problem.
