Refrigerator in garage.....

[dstig1]

"They" say you are not supposed to do it...but thousands and thousands of people do, soooo....

Repete's idea is interesting. You could get a temp monitor/alert with an app to notify on temp rise if you like, given that it is in another building and might not be noticed quickly.

 

[bigtiller]

Put a ceiling in the garage and blow in 15" or more of insulation. Along with some quality doors and windows. After that, there will not be any extreme low and high temperatures.

 

[Runner]

My solution is only keep beer, whiskey and Scotch in the shop fridge.

 

[KennyG]

I don't think it will be a problem but I've noticed that some freezers are marketed as "garage ready" and others aren't. Maybe some compressors don't run well at low temperatures?

 

[scott_vt]

Good Morning Richard,

I would be mindful of the freezer when temps get down to the 30's as the refrigerator may not run and the freezer may actually thaw on a stretch of colder days then refreeze later and be deceiving.

I agree with repete, I have an old refrigerator out in my Vermont barn, barn is insulated, and during the cold winter months the freezer does not work properly! Fast forward to my Ct home and two years ago I purchased a garage ready refrigerator and it will work properly even in cold weather in an uninstalled garage ! It wasn’t any more expensive than a normal fridge! JMO !
Good luck with your decision !
BTW, the new garage refrigerator in Ct gives you the proper adjustments for winter and summer settings !

 

[dodge man]

I looked up how much energy it takes to run a refrigerator a month and came up with an average of $20. If you need the space it seems like a good idea to put one in your garage. On the other hand is it worth $20 a month just for the convenience.

 

[5030]

3 freezers and 1 fridge in the unheated garage and never an issue but then neither are vermin as I keep Tomcat bait blocks in there as well.

 

[Gem99ultra]

I keep a frig in the workshop all the time. Never had a problem of freezing or thawing. They're built with insulation to keep the temp constant. In addition, we keep our freezer in the garage. It stays at -3* all the time, summer & winter. Never had a problem.

 

[ponytug]

FWIW: I have had cans and bottles freeze in garage refrigerators. So, I wouldn't leave anything in it over the winter, and I certainly wouldn't rely on the freezer portion to stay frozen.

I have to admit that personally I'm on @dodge man's page. $20+/mo to save me a walk back to the house seems like a lot. Now, if I had trouble walking, and was out in the garage for the whole day, different story- but I would put a bathroom in the garage first. Just my $0.02

All the best,

Peter

 

[BravoXray]

I had a cheap chest freezer in my hangar at the airport to store ice and meat for hangar parties for 18 years, never shut it off, and never had a problem. A friend has had it in his garage now for the last 3 years and it's still working fine.