One of the most common appliances in any home today is a refrigerator. Not only can you use it to store different types of foods, but you can also store a wide array of beverages as well. Although the vast majority of people prefer to store it in the kitchen putting your refrigerator in the garage can be a good idea, especially if you’re using your garage space as an extension of your living area.
But is it a good idea to put your freezer in your garage? It all boils down to the state of your garage. Is it fully insulated? Since climate control is one of the most integral factors, keeping your freezer in an uninsulated garage may not be the best option.
In the normal sense of things keeping your fridge in an uninsulated garage is possible. However, fluctuations in temperature can drastically affect your refrigerator’s performance and hinder its ability to function optimally. At the same time, server changes in temperature can hasten wear and tear for the fridge’s components.
This article will delve deeper into the intricate dynamics of keeping your refrigerator in your garage. Read on to find out.
Putting Your Refrigerator in an Unheated Garage
Although there are no basic rules for where you should put your refrigerator, putting your freezer in a garage-especially one that is uninsulated, comes with an array of problems. After all, the vast majority of refrigerators will often stop working at some point when put in an uninsulated garage. This is equally the same as putting your refrigerator in the garage during winter. Even so, this will mostly depend on the type of refrigerator and how well your garage is insulated.
As a rule of thumb, you should not store your refrigerator in temperatures below 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This is mainly because any temperatures below the recommended will often thaw any frozen food stored in the refrigerator portion for storing food. It is important to ensure that you always allow your refrigerator to cool down to room temperatures before putting it in your garage.
Tips for Putting your Refrigerator in the Garage during Winter
There are numerous benefits to putting your refrigerator in the garage. However, putting your freezer in your garage space during winter is not a walk in the park. There are numerous challenges that you can face.
Generally, most refrigerators will stop working optimally if the cold conditions are not managed promptly. Remember that without proper prepping, putting your refrigerator in the garage during winter will certainly cause the freezer to thaw food. To avoid these problems, here are a few ways to help you out.
1. Keep an Eye on Thawing
Ideally, refrigerators work in simple ways. On one hand, it will start to cool whenever the room temperature exceeds a particular point and will maintain operation until the temperatures cool down to normal.
On the other hand, the refrigerator will not power on when temperatures are lower. This is to ensure that the refrigerator remains cool and that the food does not thaw. While not all refrigerators can have this problem, the ones with two thermometers are less likely to experience this problem.
2. Check Into a Heater
Although a refrigerator is meant to keep its contents cool, a heater will come in handy if you are putting your refrigerator in your garage during the winter. I’m sure you’ve seen those beverage dispensers that always remain out during the winter and still function properly.
Well, the secret is that these types of refrigerators come with internal heaters that ensure that the internal temperatures are maintained. If you have a fridge that doesn’t have an internal heating element ten it might be time to hit the market for one.
Although this is a formidable solution, you should always remember that some refrigerators allow for external heating elements to be installed, while others don’t. Regardless, having some sort of internal heating element for your refrigerator during the winter is crucial for a properly running refrigerator, especially during the winter.
Related: What is a Garage Ready Refrigerator?
3. Consider Your Refrigerator’s Temperature Range
How high or low can your refrigerator go? Defending on different factors, your refrigerator can have varied temperature ranges. This is mostly because most refrigerators have one thermometer installed in the fresh food section.
Typically, the thermometer is what runs the refrigerator and it can tell the unit to cool down when necessary. This means that whenever temperatures fall in your garage, there are higher chances that your refrigerator will stop working and your food will thaw.
Although most refrigerators have one thermometer, there are others that come fitted with two thermometers- one found in the fresh food section and another in the freezer. Such refrigerators are the ones that are best suited for storage in the garage. This is for the sole purpose that they have a wider temperature range and can better handle any fluctuating temperatures.
Always remember that having the right refrigerator in the garage is key to having your food cool all winter long.
Putting your refrigerator in The Garage During Summer
Beer fridge, snack fridge, vegetable fridge whatever you refer to your fridge, installing your refrigerator in your garage will ensure you get the most needed extra space as well as convenience. However almost all garage species aren’t adequately insulated.
In such cases, sweltering summers will bring unmatched problems for ideal operations. Just like cold weather high temperatures add more stress to a fridge by making it work extra harder, more so, if your garage exceeds 10 degrees.
While your high temperatures may make your refrigerator work harder, there are myriad other dangers that high temperatures may pose to your refrigerator. For starters, you can expect your energy bills to spike dramatically.
As if that’s not enough, some of the most important parts such as the motor might burn out due to overuse, making your food spoil quickly. If you intend on storing your refrigerator in the garage during the summer, here are a few points that you should always keep in mind.
Related: The Best Garage Ready Refrigerators (Reviewed 2021)
- Ensure to Keep Your Refrigerator Full
One of the most important things that you should do when keeping your refrigerator in your garage during the summer is to ensure that you stock it fully. This is mainly because the refrigerator will battle against the ambient temperature in the garage to keep your food cool. You can help out your refrigerator by ensuring that you stock it.
If in any case you don’t have to use the entire refrigerator, you can fill the remaining space with gallons of water. Not only will they help to fill the space, but they will also remain cool and help the refrigerator to maintain a cold chain whenever the door is opened.
Remember heat will easily move in and out of the refrigerator with ease in a hot climate. Therefore, stocking the species with food or gallons of water will ensure that there is less room for warm air to come in, allowing the internal temperature of the refrigerator to remain cool.
- Keep it Properly Installed
If you put your refrigerator in the kitchen, chances are that it has been properly wired to specifically meet the requirements for your refrigerator. This cannot be said for most garages. In many cases, garages are not wired to offer your refrigerator the required voltage. And without the correct type of electrical installation, you can rest assured that your refrigerator will not receive enough power to properly function.
When a refrigerator motor does not work optimally, chances are that the refrigerator will strain the condenser to produce enough cold air. Always ensure to have a proper hookup in your garage before putting your garage in it. To ensure that you do your due diligence, you can always hire an electrician to properly set up your garage wiring for you.
- Keep Your Garage Cool
You probably know by now that room temperature directly affects how a refrigerator will work. According to experts, the ideal room temperature for putting a refrigerator is between 60 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit. If your garage exceeds the higher limits, chances are that the refrigerator won’t stop working and it can easily burn out due to overuse. This makes your garage not ideal for putting your refrigerator.
Even so, if you have to put your refrigerator in a hot garage, you should find ways of making the space cool. Consider installing fans, vents, and any other supplemental insulation. It will go a long way in ensuring that your garage remains cool and your refrigerator will not find it hard to operate. At the same time, ensure to check for any leaks on the windows and doors and add weather stripping to ensure that any extra heat is completely kept out.
Related: How Do I Cool my Garage Workshop?
Refrigerator for Garage Storage
Although you can use a normal refrigerator to store your foods in the garage, the truth is that you’re better off using a Garage Ready refrigerator that is specifically designed for the job. But what is a Garage Ready Refrigerator?
While it might sound complicated, a garage-ready refrigerator is merely any other refrigerator that has been custom-made to function well in garage temperatures. These refrigerators have been designed to hold a broader range of temperatures, as opposed to normal refrigerators that can handle only a specified range of temperatures.
Why you should Buy a Garage Ready Refrigerator
There are many reasons to get your hand on a garage-ready refrigerator. If you’re still wondering why you invest in one, here are different scenarios that happen when normal refrigerators are faced with fluctuating temperatures.
- Too hot-When it’s too hot, your normal fridge will automatically work harder to ensure that the internal environment remains cool. With high intensity, you can expect your machine to run on high electricity bills. Additionally, chances are that your refrigerator will probably break down. When it comes to garage-ready refrigerators, it’s highly unlikely that your refrigerator will overwork and consume a lot of power. This is mainly because they come with better insulation to better handle a wide temperature range. Finally, they come with two thermostats and compressors that are designed to keep the temperatures favorable.
- Too cold-When it’s too cold, your normal refrigerator will thaw the food stored in it. The food in the freezer will also freeze, while the food in the food section will tell you that the condition is very favorable. However, this cannot happen with garage-ready refrigerators, since they have been designed to ensure that temperatures in the freezer won’t go low under any circumstances and that the food won’t freeze or thaw.
Although a garage-ready refrigerator reigns supreme over a normal refrigerator, it also comes with its fair share of trouble. However, you can easily take care of these problems by using a garage refrigerator kit. This kit is quite important in that it works by helping refrigerators to handle extremely cold temperatures.
They basically work by sticking a coil near the refrigerator’s thermostat {mostly found in the fresh food section} and tricking the compressor into running continuously. Therefore, the extra heat will keep the food fresh from freezing or spoiling. Although this won’t help solve your energy problems, it will come in handy in solving your temperature cases.
What to Look for in Garage Ready Refrigerator
Just like any other product, there are certain features in a garage-ready fridge that put them above the normal fridges. Such things include ample storage space, energy efficiency as well as a compact size.
Always remember that all garages can change. At times, you may want to repurpose your garage or simply move particular things like cars around. Therefore, knowing particularly what you want will help make things much easier when searching for a garage-ready refrigerator.
What do you intend on using your refrigerator on? Do you need to store extra food or simply keep your beverages cold? These and many other questions will help you find the perfect garage refrigerator. Generally, when looking for a garage-ready refrigerator, don’t allow to settle for just any. Ensure to get your hands on one that is energy efficient and you’ll end up saving a lot on energy bills. When it comes to size, ensure to go for one that can easily be installed. You should also consider other features such as temperature control.
Conclusion
Putting your refrigerator in the garage is no easy fit. You have to put into consideration the fluctuation in temperatures in order to get the loss out of your refrigerator. Generally, it boils down to getting your hands on a garage-ready refrigerator. This way, you will better enjoy storing your food and beverages without ever worrying about the sanctity of your food.
Are Infrared Heaters Good for Garage?
Contents
