protecting preps

jamala · #1 07/06/10, 09:11 PM

Ok everyone, can you buy a freezer lock if your freezer doesn't have one? Our neighbor down the road a piece went to get something out of her freezer Sunday night and it was almost empty. It was full Thursday night when she was out getting food out. It is in a small out building and she has no idea when the food was stolen. My freezer is in my garage but it has no lock and now I am trying to figure a way to lock it up. Normally someone is at our place almost 24 / 7 but you never know. And then Sunday someone opened the door on another neighbors house to break in and saw the homeowner asleep in his recliner and left (thankfully). They came back later when everyone had gone to a 4th cookout and tried again but the alarms went off and scared them. I am begging hubby to get a big dog, at least it may help deter someone.

WeaverRose · #2 07/06/10, 09:17 PM

You can glue a hasp/lock onto the side of the freezer and the door with Liquid Nails.
(On another post it was mentioned not to drill into the door due to condensers) Plus put motion detector lights on the area, it scares off some who like to operate in the dark. For real fun, get a large cow bell, and attach it to the door of your garage on the inside. You'll get used to it, but it'll startle anyone unauthorized to enter.

We lost most of the contents of our freezer, including lots of meat, when the door was left ajar. Funny thing was, none of us had been down to the basement in days. Except the Culligan man had been there the day before we found it open. We figured out he'd been helping himself to steaks each visit, and this time he forgot to be sure the door was shut. End of water softener contract.

jamala · #3 07/06/10, 09:18 PM

Well problem fixed, my 14 year old just put a chain around the freezer and a master lock. Unless they come with BIG chain cutters they won't be getting my food! Unless they have enough people to pick up a huge freezer full of food.

jamala · #4 07/06/10, 09:20 PM

Thanks WeaverRose, I just told my son and he and hubby are going to get me some cowbells tomorrow as well as the hasp lock, I think that will be easier than moving that chain everyday.

longrider · #5 07/06/10, 09:50 PM

I would hide and disguise it to look like something else. Build a cabinet around it. lock the cabinet up too.

other than that putting some chain through some hose from lowes to protect the freezer would be my answer. Some serious chain and a serious lock around it will go a long distance in the deterence department.

whiterock · #6 07/06/10, 10:49 PM

I might be tempted to put a cage around it with a lock on the cage door, big enough to put other things inside as well. once saw a frame made out of angle iron with a door to close and lock on something of that size also. sort of like an exoskeleton IYKWIM.
Ed

texican · #7 07/06/10, 11:02 PM

Oh my..............
If someone came during the night and raided my outside freezers.... I think it'd be worth losing some items... the two farthest away from the house are RAW BARF freezers... pretty much everything that goes in them is for the dogs and cats. Reckon if you had cast iron stomachs, no sense of taste or smell, it'd be alright.... Make sure you get the right package... some is hacked up chunks of "I can't remember". When I cleaned one of them out last weekend, there was a section with nothing but big leg bones from hogs and deer (save them for summertime gnawing for the dogs).

I do believe if they took food once, if they didn't end up in the ER, they'd never come back.

In reality, all the freezers (5) are protected by shaggy four legged patrolmen, always on the lookout for a fresh leg to gnaw on~

One of my aunts had some 'borrowers'... of course there was only one bad egg family new to the area... she met them somewhere one day and told em why didn't they come down to the house and visit... she was trying to clean out her freezer quickly, as someone was 'borrowing' stuff from it faster than they could put it in.... before her plan had a chance to work, the local Law saw that the sex felon hadn't posted his rental, and notified the locals of his felon status, and now he's on a permanent vacation at State Tech!

I told her she should bag up some coon or possum and put it on top, and label it t-bones or whatnot~

JIL · #8 07/07/10, 08:21 AM

now that is creative thinking

Ernie · #9 07/07/10, 08:33 AM

Yuck.

I just keep stuff close at hand. Like in the basement. It stays about 65 degrees down there anyway so the freezers and such are easier to keep cool.

JuliaAnn · #10 07/07/10, 01:30 PM

We have two freezers and they are inside the house. I kind of wish I had some place outside to keep them, because they take up space in my sewing room. Plus dh doesn't like to have to try to move my sewing stuff when he wants in one of them. I use the tops of the freezers when cutting out or pinning patterns...

Just Cliff · #11 07/07/10, 04:16 PM

I was putting some food away in barrels outside the other day and I caught myself looking around to make sure no one was watching.
I was 700 feet off the road, in the woods.... No one has even been to my house in months and I only have 4 people that have ever been over to my farm in 15 years. Only 1 person from work has been there and knows where it is.
The first thought that came to mind: I was like a Leprechaun guarding his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I started laughing at myself.
Anyone else found yourself being overly cautious while prepping?

Texasdirtdigger · #12 07/07/10, 07:33 PM

Oh yeah, I look around,especially, it it is something big.
I try to put all paper bags and boxes in my garden for composting... so it does not appear I have any good stuff in the trash.
We are pretty visible.... so, yeah, I take a look see.

beaglebiz · #13 07/08/10, 07:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just Cliff

The first thought that came to mind: I was like a Leprechaun guarding his pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. I started laughing at myself.

Cliff...that cracked me up.

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #14 07/08/10, 12:21 PM

i have chest freezers i just drilled the holes used short screws and didn't have any problem , somtimes my 2 extra chest freezers spend some time sitting on the trailer next to the garage plugged in like when we are getting ready to or have just had butcher day with a run a of chickens

but the chain should work fine

crazy people stealing food like that , reminds me of that post of hunger hardend memories.

**GREENCOUNTYPETE** · #15 07/08/10, 01:13 PM

bike inner tubes around chains work well quiets them and protects from scraching

just take the intertube , free if you get one that already won't hold air , bike shops should have one just tell them what it's for to put around a chain then just cut as much as you need and pull the chain thru it

Cyngbaeld · #16 07/08/10, 03:50 PM

When I was running a food bank I had to put padlocks on the freezers. I bought the standard metal hasps and drilled small holes for the screws. Someone really intent on stealing could have popped it off, but we were dealing with people who were sneaking around and snitching a bit at a time. I was pretty sure who it was but had no proof.

texican · #17 07/08/10, 05:45 PM

Just thought of something... for the folks contemplating 'locks' to secure their freezers. Remember that locks are only good for honest people. With a few portable tools, I can get through any chain, or disable a lock... and I'm just a bush engineer who's had to cut through his own locks (for doofus reasons)... imagine what a 'pro' could do. Granted, professional thieves don't really plan out freezer heists, but thieves have to eat, too...

Wilbursmommy · #18 07/08/10, 06:58 PM

If you put a chain and lock on your freezer, your'e just letting anyone who sees it know that theres something worth stealing. Maybe add a sign to the front and door of freezer along the lines of: "Smile! Your picture was just taken! Anything missing from this freezer will be replaced when I catch up to you! What do you want to live without? Arms or Legs?"

Ok, sorry. Just irritated today with all the talk of the moochers and thieves in our government discussions I had with DH today.

jamala · #19 07/08/10, 08:37 PM

Thank you all for your wonderful advice, texican I really enjoyed your post, guess I could label all my good stuff "shark chum" and maybe that would deter them. Wilbursmommy, love the camera idea. My son said we should put the deer camera up so that at the "flash" would scare someone off, our luck they would just steal the camera.

Trisha in WA · #20 07/08/10, 11:31 PM

Our freezer is in the garage. If I put a lock on it to keep people out, they could probably find the tools near by to get the lock off LOL