In the Eastern Townships, an ice storm or strong winds can cut the power for hours. The first question that comes up: does everything in the fridge have to go?
Not necessarily. The Government of Quebec publishes specific timeframes and a list of what to keep and what to throw out. Here’s the essential, plus what to check on the appliance once the power is back.
How long your food lasts
In the fridge: food stays cold for about four to six hours. Food stays cold longer in a full fridge.
In the freezer: frozen food keeps for about 48 hours in a freezer in good condition, filled to capacity and kept closed. In a half-full freezer, count on 24 hours.
Room temperature matters too: the cooler the room, the longer the freezer holds its cold. And a fridge’s freezer compartment lasts much less time than a separate freezer.
The most important rule: don’t open the door
Every opening lets warm air in and shortens the countdown. During an outage, keep the doors closed, decide in advance what you’ll take out, and don’t unplug the appliance.
A thermometer in the fridge helps a lot: the temperature should be between 0 °C and 4 °C.
What to keep and what to throw out after more than six hours
For any outage longer than six hours, sort your food when the power comes back.
| Food | Keep | Throw out |
|---|---|---|
| Dairy products | Hard cheese in a block, parmesan, sliced or processed cheese, butter, margarine | Milk, cream, soft cheese, cream cheese, yogurt in an opened container |
| Fruits and vegetables | Whole fresh fruits and vegetables, pasteurized fruit juice | Cooked or prepared raw vegetables, unpasteurized juice |
| Meat, poultry, fish | — | All raw or cooked dishes made with meat, poultry or fish |
| Eggs | — | Eggs in the shell, liquid eggs, quiches and custards |
| Condiments | Mustard, ketchup, commercial mayonnaise, pickles, commercial dressings | Homemade mayonnaise, tartar sauce, garlic in oil |
| Desserts | Baked fruit pies, cakes, muffins, cookies | Cream desserts, custards |
In the freezer, partly thawed food with frost on the packaging can be refrozen if the centre is still hard. Perishable food that has fully thawed and been above 4 °C must be thrown out.
If a food looks or smells suspicious, don’t take any chances: throw it out.
When the power comes back: three things to check on the appliance
An outage can also leave its mark on the appliance. When the power returns, watch for these signs.
The fridge won’t restart
First check the breaker in the electrical panel, which may have tripped. If the breaker is fine and the appliance stays silent, it’s a breakdown that needs a technician.
It runs, but doesn’t cool anymore
Give it a few hours to get back down to temperature. If it’s still lukewarm the next day, or the freezer doesn’t refreeze, call. A refrigerator not cooling is an emergency: food won’t wait.
It’s making a new noise
Repeated clicking or an unusual hum after an outage deserves a diagnosis rather than waiting.
Two precautions for next time
Keep a thermometer in the fridge and one in the freezer: when the power comes back, you’ll know whether the temperature stayed safe. And a well-filled freezer holds the cold longer than a half-empty one. If yours isn’t very full, frozen water bottles work very well.
Your fridge or freezer didn’t survive the outage? We come to you in Sherbrooke and the Eastern Townships, 24 hours a day. Call 438 798-5778 or fill in a quote request. We can serve you in English over the phone.