How long does a freezer stay frozen when the power goes out?
Hi. Actualexperience here... it depends on the ambient temperature and how much stuff is in said freezer. So heres a data point:<p>Freezer: normal upper level refrigerator freezer chock full of frozen fish caught on holiday in Alaska.<p>Place, Time: Houston, TX, Late Summer, Hurricane Igor just hit and knocked our power out for 14 days.<p>Findings: We kept the freezer shut and at about 4-5 days the fish was noticeably thawing and getting flexible. Still cold, but not frozen. I think we might have made an attempt at dry ice but it was too late in the process to matter.<p>At day 8 or so it had completely defrosted.<p>At day 10 the smell was so horrendous that if we opened the freezer door we would gag.<p>At day 14 the power returned. On day 15 or 16 we opened the now cold rotted fish in the freezer and cleaned it out. We vomited multiple times. The smell, despite multiple rounds of bleach, never really went away. The stench permanently inextricable from the lining of the freezer, and the flavor of every ice cube ever made in it from then on.