After losing food when garage breakers tripped, one homeowner with two chest freezers asked the internet if it was possible to get warned when the units lost power.
Here's what to know
In a post to Reddit's r/homeautomation community, the original poster said they had been "burned in the past by breakers flipping unexpectedly and losing everything in the freezer." They were looking for an easy way to monitor the units.
"We keep snakes, so one of the freezers is packed full of expensive snake food," the OP explained. "So, I'm kinda nervous about the garage and I'm wondering if there is any easy way to monitor it or get notifications if it loses power. I've thought about a smart outlet or something similar, but if they lose power, from what I can tell, I wouldn't get a notification."
Many commenters said temperature monitoring is more useful since an outage is only one thing that can stop a freezer from doing its job. "I would deffo look to monitor temperature as opposed to power," they wrote. "A two-hour power cut won't affect the temperature too much with doors closed. A power-sensing switch won't help if there's power but the freezer internals have died/vented."
As users noted, temperature tracking can also catch a door left open or a freezer that still has electricity but is no longer cooling.
Several commenters said they use products such as YoLink thermometers, AcuRite sensors, and Thermoworks Node devices to send alerts when temperatures climb above a set threshold.
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More background
For people who want a no-electronics fallback, commenters brought up the quarter test. One user called it "the classic low-tech method," noting you freeze a cup of water, place a quarter on top, and check whether the coin sank.
The limitation, commenters noted, is that this method tells you what happened rather than helping you stop it in time. As another user pointed out: "By the time the entire cup of ice has melted, so has everything else. It's not a prevent problem as much as a report problem."
For real-time warning, users favored a freezer-safe temperature sensor that can alert your phone once the reading moves above the range you set. People in the thread said those devices had warned them about issues such as freezer doors not being fully closed.
A smart plug or Wi-Fi outlet can still work as a cheaper backup by sending an alert when it drops offline. Commenters said that approach can help with breaker trips or if something becomes unplugged but that it is not as complete as temperature monitoring because it cannot catch every kind of failure.
Where can I learn more?
These stories look at how to protect refrigerated food during outages or cooling failures, with tips on preparation and backup battery options as well as one commonly misunderstood freezer tactic.
• Home cooks shared clever tips to keep a fridge cool during outages without opening the door.
• Pila says its next-gen tech that protects fridges could save hundreds of dollars in spoiled groceries.
• Reddit users warned that insulating a freezer for outages can actually hurt performance.
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