Can I put my old refrigerator in the garage?

Placing your refrigerator or freezer in the garage can help save on space, time and energy. A freezer can also save you the extra money and time needed to make frequent trips to a grocery store. Your appliance will stay in good shape with maintenance scheduled with a qualified refrigerator repair service technician.

Can you put a regular fridge in the garage?

Unless you live in a climate with consistent year-round temperatures and they fall within the manufacturer-recommended range of temperatures for running the appliance, using a regular fridge in the garage is a bad idea.

Do I need a special fridge for the garage?

The temperatures in typical unfinished garages tend to reach outside of that range in colder and warmer months. A typical refrigerator may not handle these extremes. If the ambient air temperature gets too hot, the refrigerator will have to work harder to keep its contents cold, which wears out the compressor fast.

What kind of refrigerator can I put in my garage?

Can you keep a refrigerator in the garage in winter?

Having a refrigerator in your garage is a great way to store extra and bulk food. While this can be beneficial, most garage refrigerators stop working at some point during the winter if left unmanaged.

Tips to Put a Refrigerator in your Garage

Can you leave a fridge in the garage unplugged?

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.

Can you store an unplugged fridge in an unheated garage?

Yes! You can certainly store a mini-fridge in an unheated garage.

Can any fridge freezer be used in a garage?

If your garage is insulated and has climate control, it is absolutely fine to put your freezer in there. You just want to make sure the garage space is dry.

What happens to a fridge in cold weather?

The freezer warms up and items thaw. Or, when it's really cold, items in the fridge freeze entirely (since the fridge has no way of heating the contents). Cold temperatures may also cause the oil in the compressor to get too thick to circulate properly, and you end up burning out your compressor.

Can you keep a fridge outside in the summer?

The fridge is one of the hardest working appliances in your home. Move the refrigerator outside in the summer, and it has to work even harder. That's why you should select a model designed specifically to work in a harsh, hot environment. Outdoor refrigerators are more compact than full-size indoor kitchen units.

What is the difference between a garage refrigerator and a regular refrigerator?

A loose marketing term but generally, it is intended to operate at lower and higher ambient temperatures. Normal freezers and refrigerators are usually in a house where the temperatures are fairly stable. Garages can get much hotter and colder. “Garage ready” freezers can operate from maybe 0–100 F.

What is a garage ready refrigerator mean?

The ability to handle hot or cold temperatures outside while maintaining an optimal temperature inside makes a freezer garage ready. That means you can store your freezer in a cold or hot garage without worrying about the change in temperatures from 0°F to 110°F.

Can a freezer be kept in an unheated garage?

Changes in temperature in an unheated garage can be hard on these appliances. "You need to make sure that the unit is not exposed to temperatures above 110° F or below 0° F, because that may damage the freezer," says Larry Ciufo, who oversees the ratings for Consumer Reports' freezer tests.

How long can a refrigerator be stored without being used?

If your refrigerator was stored any other way find the manufacturer's guidelines on how long it needs to be upright. This may range between 15 mins to 1 day. If you can't figure out the manufacturer or make and model then leave it upright for a day before using.

Does a refrigerator in the garage use more electricity?

A refrigerator in an uninsulated garage will require a lot more energy to run during the hot summer months and may not operate correctly if the temperature gets too cold. 90 degree environment will use 45-50% more energy than one in a 70 degree environment.

How do you keep a refrigerator working in a cold garage?

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 is to install a heating coil around the thermostat.

Is it OK to store appliances in garage?

Firstly, we do not recommend that you store your appliances in your garage (or the garage of a friend or family member). The appliances can easily be damaged in a garage (by moving / parking cars, kids, tools falling, etc.), and most garages are not climate controlled.

How do you winterize a refrigerator?

Can an unplugged fridge be left outside in the winter?

1. Can My Appliances Be Left Outside In The Cold? No, appliances left outside in extreme cold temperatures (below freezing) can create serious problems such as cracking pipes, water pumps, valves and drain lines.

What happens if fridge is not used for long time?

Essentially, if you leave your fridge on its side or back then it's possible that it will transfer internal fluids from the right place to the wrong place. 5. While this isn't ideal, you would do well to check on your fridge every few months. Several months of mold isn't nearly as a bad as several years of mold.

Should I unplug my refrigerator if away for four months?

If you are going to be away for more than a month (or will be placing the unit in temperature-controlled storage), we recommend the following: Remove all food and turn off the circuit breaker or fuse that supplies power to the refrigerator or unplug the cord from the wall receptacle.

Will a refrigerator work after being unplugged for years?

From what we found, you can typically leave a fridge unplugged for up to four hours with food inside. If there isn't food present, you are safe to unplug your fridge for months, even years.

Can you leave a freezer outside in the winter?

A freezer on the porch in a moderate climate should function well all year long, with higher electric bills in the summer and lower in the winter. Leaving a chest freezer in the rain can short out the compressor that is located on the exterior of the unit.

Will a refrigerator work outside?

The answer is yes, you can put your refrigerator outside. Technically speaking, all refrigerators are air conditioners. They use a compressor to turn the heat in the inside of the fridge into the cold air and push it out through vents on the back and front of the unit.