Freezer
The essential machine that keeps food fresh and the colony cool through active refrigeration.
The Freezer is a cornerstone of thermal management and food preservation in the Oxygen Not Included colony. As a foundational machine available early in the game's progression, it allows Duplicants to actively lower the temperature of their surroundings while storing perishable items in a state of suspended decay. Without this device, managing the heat generated by machinery and preventing food from spoiling would be nearly impossible for any growing settlement.
- category
- Machine
- function
- Cooling and Storage
- power_source
- Electrical
- primary_resource_consumed
- Power (Watts)
- unlock_requirement
- Early Tech Tree
Lore & Background
Beyond its industrial application for cooling machinery rooms, the Freezer plays a vital role in the colony's biological sustainability. It halts the natural decomposition of foodstuffs, allowing Duplicants to stockpile resources during harvest seasons and survive through periods of scarcity or isolation. The hum of a functioning freezer is often considered the sound of a stable home, signaling that the colony has mastered its immediate environment enough to preserve what it grows.
In Their Own Story
The air in the storage bay was thick with humidity and the faint, sweet scent of rotting berries. Duplicant Unit 72 looked at the pile of spoiled food on the floor, then at the blinking red light of the broken generator. With a heavy sigh, she grabbed her wrench and began to dismantle the old unit. Within an hour, the new Freezer was humming to life, its vents exhaling a clean, crisp chill that instantly stopped the decay in the nearby crates. The colony had survived another night.
Reader's Guide
To unlock the Freezer, players must first research the basic Thermal Management technology early in the game's progression tree. This machine requires a steady supply of electricity to operate and will consume power continuously as long as it is active. The primary function of the Freezer is twofold: it actively cools the tiles surrounding it by drawing heat from the immediate area, and it provides 100kg of storage capacity where items are kept at a low temperature. This prevents food stored inside from spoiling due to high ambient heat or time. Strategically, the Freezer is essential for preventing food waste in early-game colonies. It also serves as a critical tool for managing heat output from other machines like generators or smelters. Placing freezers near heat sources can help maintain safe temperatures for Duplicants and prevent equipment from overheating.
Did You Know?
- Freezers expel the heat they remove into the surrounding tiles, which can cause nearby areas to warm up if not managed correctly.
- Items stored inside a Freezer do not spoil regardless of how long they are kept there, making it perfect for long-term food storage.
- The cooling efficiency of a Freezer is dependent on its power supply; without electricity, it ceases to cool and acts as simple insulated storage.
- Freezers can be stacked vertically or horizontally to create larger cold rooms for processing large quantities of gas or liquids.
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