What if there is a power cut? Short circuits, overloading the mains supply, or a power station failure may also halt the flow of electricity in the home. And, what actually happens as a result of the food in the fridge or the freezer?

Let’s start by putting your mind at ease: In freezers, in particular, a power cut generally does not mean that the items stored will immediately be spoiled. Frozen food will remain safe to eat for a further 10 to 110 hours before being spoiled. The precise number of hours depends on the type of appliance in each case. Liebherr appliances also switch on again automatically as soon as the power cut is over. This is particularly useful if you’re not even at home when it happens.

In general:

* If the temperature remains at a minimum of -9 °C in a freezer compartment, you can still consume the food stored, even after a power cut

* The better the insulation, the longer frozen food stays fresh even without electricity.

* The fuller, the better. This is because, as the amount of frozen food stored increases, the less air there is to warm up. For this reason, it is also better in terms of energy consumption if the freezer compartment or the chest freezer is as full as possible. We advise that if you don’t have much food stored away, to fill up the empty space with cold packs. In this way, not only are you saving electricity and being well prepared in the case of a power cut, but you have cold packs to hand at all times which can help you transport sensitive items more safely, particularly in the hot summer months.

Which freezers have the longest storage time in the event of a fault?

Unfortunately, there is no single response to this question which applies in all cases. However, most Liebherr fridge-freezers retain the cold for 24 hours or more in the freezer compartment. The 4-star freezer compartment in refrigerators in most cases also seals in the cold for 16 hours. And even the small freezer compartments in tabletop fridges provide an average storage time of 10 hours in the event of a fault. However, with up to 110 hours, chest freezers are the way to extend the life of frozen items for the longest. You can check the exact storage times in the event of a power cut on our homepage under the technical data section of the relevant appliance.

In the Liebherr chest freezer GTP 2756, the food stored remains fresh for 110 hours in the event of a power cut.

How do I know that there has been a power outage?

Depending on the model, Liebherr appliances have a mains outage alarm. At temperatures in the freezer compartment of 14°F degrees or above, an acoustic alarm sounds. With fridges or freezers with an electronic control panel, a notification is also shown on the display. Following the power cut, some appliances also display the highest temperature reached while the power was off. This means you can accurately check to see whether the food stored can still be consumed or not.

We hope this information was helpful, and that you don’t actually need it this Christmas 🙂