France in Focus

The small bouanderie where my washing machine and freezer are kept flooded two days ago to about 8 inches deep and the main fuses blew. I was able to isolate them and got the rest of the the house working again. This afternoon in the dry the washing machine was working normally but not the freezer. Is there any chance that the freezer will recover or is it? Any thoughts welcome please?

The electrics in a washer are behind the drum whereas on a freezer they are very close to the floor. You may be lucky.

Inside the freezer there will be a printed circuit board with several connectors. Remove (flat)cables, dry them (hair dryer, not too hot), touch of contact cleaner, gently dry the board, components and surroundings, insert cables, and above all: add a touch of patience. Reconnect after 24 hours and keep your fingers crossed.

What make and model of freezer?
Most white goods have all the electronics led panels etc high up and only the compressor is low down. The compresser is hermetically sealed and only the cable connection may get wet. Dry that out and you should be good to go.

Freezer saved, thanks to advice by RA and PE above, after much gentle application of the hairdryer and patience. Being a Liebher may have helped too. Thanks guys.
Have slung out all the meat as it was on the soggy side but am cooking up summer fruits which will, hopefully, return to the freezer.
It is amazing what one lurks at the bottom of the freezer, though, forgotten, unloved and very cold!

Tagh, a friendly forum, entraide in action. And really, we should thank Char for keeping this forum up and running so superbly.

tagh wrote: ↑Thu Nov 16, 2023 6:13 pm Freezer saved, thanks to advice by RA and PE above, after much gentle application of the hairdryer and patience. Being a Liebher may have helped too. Thanks guys.
Have slung out all the meat as it was on the soggy side but am cooking up summer fruits which will, hopefully, return to the freezer.
It is amazing what one lurks at the bottom of the freezer, though, forgotten, unloved and very cold!

I assume you have insurance covering flood damage, which should also cover the contents of the freezer.

Yes, thank you for your concern, NM, I have insurance cover but it is very difficult to value frozen garden produce and a few bits of meat. And as I burrowed deeper down quite a bit was still frozen solid so has been recovered, things like passata and tomato soup for example and some bought in frozen veg. And, frozen quince which is a nice surprise.
And I have cooked and refrozen loads of gooseberries and apples. Plus, my partner took a load of fruit to UK in a freezer box and popped it into her freezer. Mainly red garden fruits which will make jam. She also made a number of jars here too.
All in all, it could have been worse.
Now the freezer will have to be stood on breeze blocks so some strong locals will be needed to lift it!

Empty the freezer before moving it. The body can flex and the internal insulation crack. It happened to a freezer I had when I moved house. It was only some months later I discovered a problem.

Thank you, elsie, very important tip.