If you have a fridge-freezer that is placed outside the home (like the garage), then it may start defrosting in winter. This is because most fridge/freezers have minimum and maximum temperature restrictions for the appliance to operate correctly.
“In hot weather the freezer has to work overtime, and in very cold temperatures, the freezer 'gets confused' and shuts off, failing to keep a freezing temperature because it 'thinks' it is already maintaining a temperature of 0° F,” she says.
A freezer, according to food safety standards, should be anywhere between -10°F & 10°F. Anything under can risk freezer burn, and anything over can risk bacteria growth.
If you can determine the minimum ambient temperature for the freezer, you can keep a freezer in garage by enclosing it in a smaller space within the garage and heating that space. Sometimes a heat source as small as a lightbulb will do the trick.
Components like the compressor and water lines can freeze and crack in cold conditions, affecting efficiency and potentially shortening the appliance's lifespan. Increased Energy Use: Counterintuitively, your refrigerator may consume more energy in colder conditions.
Changes in temperature in an unheated garage can be an issue. You will need to make sure that the unit is not exposed to temperatures over 43C or below -17C because it could damage the fridge freezer. This is a very delicate balancing act that would benefit from being in a garage with a heating or cooling system.
If you have a fridge-freezer that is placed outside the home (like the garage), then it may start defrosting in winter. This is because most fridge/freezers have minimum and maximum temperature restrictions for the appliance to operate correctly.
WHY YOUR GARAGE FREEZER DOESN'T WORK. Refrigerators work by comparing the thermostat temperature setting inside the fridge to the environment around them. They are designed for room temperatures, so a very cold garage may keep them from working well.
If the garage space is uninsulated or too cold, the freezing temperatures will trick the freezer into thinking it has reached the desired level of refrigeration and it may fail to turn on, which could result in damage to the unit and food spoilage.
You see a layer of ice on the walls
One of the surest signs that something's not right in your freezer is a layer of frost or ice on the walls.
Frozen food should be safe to eat indefinitely if your freezer stays at or below 0°F (-18°C).
Faulty Evaporator Fan
If this fan isn't working correctly, the cold air won't distribute evenly, leading to a freezer that runs but doesn't freeze as it should. Listen for Unusual Noises: Strange noises can signal that the evaporator fan is malfunctioning.
No, appliances left outside in extreme cold temperatures (below freezing) can create serious problems such as cracking pipes, water pumps, valves and drain lines.
An under counter freezer is the one for you.
The Effects of Cold Weather on Refrigerators and Freezers
Ice Buildup on Refrigerator Coils: When exposed to moisture and freezing temperatures, the refrigerator coils and connected components may become covered with ice, which may prevent the unit from operating properly.
If your garage temperature dips below freezing, the thermostat inside the garage refrigerator's freezer may think it's cold enough and shut off. To work around this issue, you need to heat the air around the thermostat. One way to make a garage refrigerator work is to install a heating coil around the thermostat.
Refrigerators do not work as well in the cold as they were designed to work at room temperature. Most of the time, the freezer stops working before the fridge section does. One of the primary culprits behind a malfunctioning garage fridge in winter is the extreme cold temperatures that characterize the season.
If food is completely thawed, warmed to room temperature or left out of the refrigerator for more than 2 hours, throw the food out for safety's sake. These principles apply to meat, poultry, shellfish, some vegetables and cooked foods. Do not refreeze ice cream and similar frozen desserts.
Basically removing all your food, unplugging the unit, allowing all the frost to melt and then drying out the compartment. Plugging it back in, allowing it to cool down and then restocking it with your food.
While most refrigerators, freezers, and refrigerator-freezers on the market today have automatic defrost controls, some models are available with manual defrost. Automatic defrost refrigerators work by heating the interior refrigerator coils at regular intervals.
If the the temperature of the room is to cold then the fridge will simply not turn on. This means the food in the freezer will start to defrost. As a guide the temperature of the room should not go colder than 10 degrees C. Examples of a cold area could be a garage during the winter or a cold pantry or kitchen.
The common industry range for garage ready freezers is 0-110°F, meaning that they can usually handle the varying temperatures typically found in a garage without malfunctioning.
Refrigerators work by starting to cool whenever the room temperature rises above a set point – typically around 36 degrees – and stays running until the temperature returns to normal. This means that if the temperature in your garage drops and stays below this set temp, your refrigerator stops working.