Something we get asked a lot is whether refrigerators work better in the colder months. Though this does seem logical, the truth is that this isn’t always the case, especially for those of us who have fridges in garages in our homes.
A garage fridge is a great means of getting some more storage space and somewhere to keep ‘extra’ items before you move them into the kitchen unit, however, if not properly maintained during the winter months you could find your garage fridge packing up on you. This is because refrigerators are designed to operate in temperatures warmer than their own, so if the temperature in your garage drops below the temperature of your fridge, you could encounter some problems!
Fridges work by cooling whenever the temperature of the room they are in rises above a certain point. They will then continue to run until the temperature returns to normal. Therefore, if your garage temperature drops drastically below this certain temperature, your unit will stop running. This can be even more problematic if you use a dual unit which also has a freezer section – things could begin to thaw. It’s important to keep an eye on your garage fridge/freezers during winter as they could go off without you knowing and begin to run again once the temperature picks up – thawing and then refreezing food.
One way to avoid your garage fridge switching off during the winter is to use a heat element. We’ve all seen those outdoor drinks machines at parks or sports games during the winter; these are fridges too and you’ll see they run outdoors all winter long, usually without issue. This is because they include internal heaters that keep them at a controlled temperature. If you don’t have a heating element in your fridge already, it might be worth looking into this. For some refrigerators you can purchase this feature to help it run efficiently in unheated spaces, and other manufacturers have created heater-coil kits that you can add to your unit.
Most refrigerators have one thermometer which they use to operate – this is in the fresh-food (fridge) part. However, there are units out there that have a thermometer in both the fridge and freezer section, these units are the best design for your garage as they possess a wider temperature range and can therefore deal better with the fluctuating temperatures that we experience over the winter months.
So, if you use a fridge / freezer in your garage, then make sure you keep an eye on it over the winter; make sure you check it often to avoid it switching off without you knowing!
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