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Garage fridge

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:27 pm
by Round Six
Anyone run a fridge all winter in their unheated garage? I bought a fridge for beer and bait. Instructions said don't run it when the outside temp is under 45.

I'm thinking if any of y'all been doing that for more than a few years and your fridge is still working good, I'm gonna ignore the instructions.

Thanks

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:51 pm
by Mega Hertz
There had been a garage fridge here. We don't know how long it was there before us but it ran fine for the three years we had it before getting $50 from Detroit Edison for it. My wife's ex-husband is a useless, piss drunk cock, so he used it for his booze. We never did but it was running fine the whole time.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 8:20 pm
by Deleted User 9015
Mega Hertz wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:51 pm
My wife's ex-husband is a useless, piss drunk cock, so he used it for his booze. We never did but it was running fine the whole time.
That's no way to talk about your bull. You better slide her panties back over your head and go stand in the corner and wait for him to finish and fetch his bourbon, cucky.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 8:32 pm
by Mega Hertz
Neckbeard wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 8:20 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:51 pm
My wife's ex-husband is a useless, piss drunk cock, so he used it for his booze. We never did but it was running fine the whole time.
That's no way to talk about your bull. You better slide her panties back over your head and go stand in the corner and wait for him to finish and fetch his bourbon, cucky.
I do not get this reference.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Fri Dec 01, 2023 8:47 pm
by Deleted User 9015
Mega Hertz wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 8:32 pm
Neckbeard wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 8:20 pm
Mega Hertz wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:51 pm
My wife's ex-husband is a useless, piss drunk cock, so he used it for his booze. We never did but it was running fine the whole time.
That's no way to talk about your bull. You better slide her panties back over your head and go stand in the corner and wait for him to finish and fetch his bourbon, cucky.
I do not get this reference.
Apologies, too much cuckoldtube for me.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 9:54 am
by bmw
Unless the fridge also has a freezer section, why not just unplug it this time of year? It's not like the interior of the fridge will get above 40 degrees very often.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:03 am
by craig11152
I found this on the Internet
Will a Fridge Work in a Cold or Unheated Garage?
Very cold temperatures can interfere with your garage fridge's thermostat. If the temperature in your garage dips below a certain level, the thermostat senses the drop in temperature and may register that the fridge is already cold enough, even if it isn’t. When this happens, your fridge may shut off, allowing the food inside to defrost or get too warm. If the temperature gets below freezing, the food inside the fridge could freeze.

You can purchase a heating coil to place over your fridge's thermostat in the winter to get around this problem. There are various heating coils available that are specially designed to fit fridge and freezer thermostats. Alternatively, you could place a heater or heat lamp near the thermostat.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:15 am
by km1125
...
You can purchase a heating coil to place over your fridge's thermostat in the winter to get around this problem. There are various heating coils available that are specially designed to fit fridge and freezer thermostats. Alternatively, you could place a heater or heat lamp near the thermostat.
This is the stupidest thing I think I've ever read on the subject (and not a zing on craig, just whatever site he got that from).

Putting a heater on the thermostat WILL DEFINITELY throw it off and make it not work right. And this really only applies to freezers, not fridges, because you're trying to keep the freezer section freezing. The fridge section would also get much colder than a normal fridge and probably freeze stuff as well. A better solution for a fridge (if you're just trying to prevent it from working below 40F) would be to use a high voltage thermostat on the incoming plug, which would just (effectively) cut power to the fridge if it gets below 40F (or whatever temp you set it to).

But, if it doesn't have a freezer, or you're just not concerned about keeping the freezer running, then just set the temp to 35ish and leave it plugged in. It won't run as often and really will only run when the garage temps are over 40 or so anyway.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:20 am
by craig11152
km1125 wrote:
Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:15 am
...
You can purchase a heating coil to place over your fridge's thermostat in the winter to get around this problem. There are various heating coils available that are specially designed to fit fridge and freezer thermostats. Alternatively, you could place a heater or heat lamp near the thermostat.
This is the stupidest thing I think I've ever read on the subject (and not a zing on craig, just whatever site he got that from).

Putting a heater on the thermostat WILL DEFINITELY throw it off and make it not work right. And this really only applies to freezers, not fridges, because you're trying to keep the freezer section freezing. The fridge section would also get much colder than a normal fridge and probably freeze stuff as well. A better solution for a fridge (if you're just trying to prevent it from working below 40F) would be to use a high voltage thermostat on the incoming plug, which would just (effectively) cut power to the fridge if it gets below 40F (or whatever temp you set it to).

But, if it doesn't have a freezer, or you're just not concerned about keeping the freezer running, then just set the temp to 35ish and leave it plugged in. It won't run as often and really will only run when the garage temps are over 40 or so anyway.
I'm not disputing you and I don't know anything about it. But if there are in fact " various heating coils available that are specially designed to fit fridge and freezer thermostats".
why do they exist? A small industry of scammers?

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:30 am
by km1125
craig11152 wrote:
Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:20 am
km1125 wrote:
Sat Dec 02, 2023 10:15 am
...
You can purchase a heating coil to place over your fridge's thermostat in the winter to get around this problem. There are various heating coils available that are specially designed to fit fridge and freezer thermostats. Alternatively, you could place a heater or heat lamp near the thermostat.
This is the stupidest thing I think I've ever read on the subject (and not a zing on craig, just whatever site he got that from).

Putting a heater on the thermostat WILL DEFINITELY throw it off and make it not work right. And this really only applies to freezers, not fridges, because you're trying to keep the freezer section freezing. The fridge section would also get much colder than a normal fridge and probably freeze stuff as well. A better solution for a fridge (if you're just trying to prevent it from working below 40F) would be to use a high voltage thermostat on the incoming plug, which would just (effectively) cut power to the fridge if it gets below 40F (or whatever temp you set it to).

But, if it doesn't have a freezer, or you're just not concerned about keeping the freezer running, then just set the temp to 35ish and leave it plugged in. It won't run as often and really will only run when the garage temps are over 40 or so anyway.
I'm not disputing you and I don't know anything about it. But if there are in fact " various heating coils available that are specially designed to fit fridge and freezer thermostats".
why do they exist? A small industry of scammers?
For a FREEZER it can make sense, or if you have a fridge with a freezer and want to make sure the freezer still freezes, then it can make sense. For just a fridge, then no.

To elaborate: Most fridges don't have a sensor in the freezer, so they have no idea what the temp is in there. They have the sensor in the fridge, with the 'logic' that if they keep the fridge at a fridge temperature then the freezer will be well below that, as the cooling coils are all (or mostly) in the freezer section. Some of the really cold freezer air then makes its way to the fridge to keep that section cool (usually via some door or baffle). If the fridge is already cold because of outside air, then the compressor won't run and the freezer section will never get colder than the fridge section.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 12:55 pm
by Matt
Round Six wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:27 pm
Anyone run a fridge all winter in their unheated garage? I bought a fridge for beer and bait. Instructions said don't run it when the outside temp is under 45.

I'm thinking if any of y'all been doing that for more than a few years and your fridge is still working good, I'm gonna ignore the instructions.

Thanks
Do you have a connected garage where you could put it against an internal wall?

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 3:24 pm
by tapeisrolling
I've had a chest freezer in the (attached) garage for over 20 years and no problems. I also have a thermometer near it, and have gotten readings of 20 deg. several times over the years.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 4:22 pm
by Round Six
Matt wrote:
Sat Dec 02, 2023 12:55 pm
Round Six wrote:
Fri Dec 01, 2023 6:27 pm
Anyone run a fridge all winter in their unheated garage? I bought a fridge for beer and bait. Instructions said don't run it when the outside temp is under 45.

I'm thinking if any of y'all been doing that for more than a few years and your fridge is still working good, I'm gonna ignore the instructions.

Thanks
Do you have a connected garage where you could put it against an internal wall?
No. The garage is stand alone. I never have heated it during the winter.

Re: Garage fridge

Posted: Sat Dec 02, 2023 4:27 pm
by Round Six
Having read all the comments, seems the best thing to do is leave it unplugged in the winter. Why run it when it's freezing out? Beer and bait is going to freeze even if it's running. Thanks for the help.

It does have a freezer btw.