storage advice please?

[Nicos]

My Le parfait storage jars are kept in the cellar but I am aware that if the temperature drops too low they may freeze ( ie -18C may cause freezing in there) so I'm going to buy a thermostatic radiator to use in there in case of an emergency!
We have 40 x 1 litre jars plus lots of jars of jam (which are not tempered glass).

My question is- at what temperature should a start to get worried? 4C or a bit lower???

My neighbours suggest I should store them inside the house- but quite frankly we just don't have enough storage space!

[binley100]

Water freezes at 0deg and expands when frozen so you would need expansion room ...ie if I freeze liquids in plastic I always squidge some air out to allow for it . Not sure how that would work with glass . Don't know if this will help
http://www.nationalscientific.com/su...NVIALS0509.pdf

[veggiechicken]

Can you insulate the actual storage area - with bubble wrap, insulation boards etc - so that it has its own little microclimate in the cellar?
Water freezes at 0 deg but would syrup or brine?

[binley100]

found this as well....


Can glass jars be used for freezing?
Regular glass jars break easily at freezer temperatures. If using glass jars, choose wide-mouth dual purpose jars made for freezing and canning; these jars have been tempered to withstand extremes in temperatures. If standard canning jars (those with narrow mouths) are used, leave extra headspace in liquid packs (3/4-inch for pints; 11/2-inches for quarts) to allow for expansion of food during freezing and completely thaw food before removing it. Do not use regular canning jars for foods packed in water.

So I think you need to keep an eye on temp in your cellar (dead jealous you've got one) and if it looks like dropping to air freezing temps then pop the heater on.....bit like a gh I s'pose

[roitelet]

I keep mine in the cowshed, and you know what that is like. Never had a problem with freezing although some water pipes in there froze one winter. I would have thought that your cellar is better insulated than my cowshed.

[Patchninja]

It doesn't cold enough for you to worry does it? Our cellar is bitterly cold in the winter but nothing ever freezes in there. It has a beaten earth floor that I'm sure tempers the temperature - do you see what I mean? hahaha. Not explaining this very well.

[Bill HH]

Has it ever frozen in there? I would have thought it unlikely if its an underground cellar, if it does, throw some carpets or rugs over the whole lot.

[polc1410]

PURE Water freezes at 0C. At just under 4C it starts to expand which is what causes pipes to burst as they freeze.

HOWEVER, impure water freezes at a lower temperature (hence why you use salt to melt snow/ice) so you are probably good to maybe 5 or 6 C below? Give some air space to if things do expand there is room to compress the airspace.

Does it need to be tempered glass? Its sudden expansion and contraction of glass that will do for it... put a glass jar from the oven in the freezer its bound to crack. Let it cool down, pop it in the fridge and then some melting ice and then the freezer and you'd probably be OK.

[Nicos]

Thanks for all your thoughts peeps!
All worth looking into.

(It's not an underground cellar- it's at ground level and you have to climb outdoor stairs to enter that part of the house)

Unfortunately we have had some jars freeze in there a couple of winters ago when it was -18C at night for a few days....and one of them did crack!
The condensation on the jars was dreadful in there too ( all the labels ran and then went moldy!)

It's a bit of a dilemma in there cos if we block off the draughty window the mold will be worse- and if we leave it open the temperature will drop and cause the jars to smash.

Still- it could be worse...we might not of had a cellar!!

[Glutton4...]

Can you get your hands on a big old chest freezer, and use it as an insulated cupboard? Cover it in any old rugs/sacks/carpet/bla before it gets that cold, and fingers crossed!

[Nicos]

Yeh- good idea- I think we need to go with some form of insulation around them as peeps have suggested.

Have to say though- I'm still tempted to get a small thermostatically controlled radiator to use only when it's exceptionally cold!

[Mikey]

Nicos if you're are going to consider a radiator then I would get an oiled filled one, oil has a much lower freezing temperature than water roughly -15 so you'd be a lot safer with one of those.

[Nicos]

OK- thanks for that Mikey- good bit of advice there!

[Feral007]

I'd say some old freezers would be the way to go. Do you have a local tip? Best place for finding stuff round these parts.

[Patchninja]

But how likely is it to be -18°C? That's incredibly cold, especially for here!