Unheated garage

[Mike in Ohio]

My garage is unheated, I read, or saw, or maybe imagined someone using an old refrigerator to store stuff that might freeze over the winter. If I remember right they wired it so a light bulb inside would stay on to provide just enough heat to keep stuff from freezing. Anybody here ever do this? if so what wattage of bulb did you use? and did it work? I have an old fridge, and it is getting to be about that time where I need to start hauling that stuff into the basement for the winter.

 

[fivespdcat]

I'm sure it would work, but why not just insulate the garage. Should be good to go then. I live in Michigan and didn't even have many problems last year with the freezing.

 

[coljar]

I use to keep things I didn't want to freeze in an old refrigerator in an unheated garage, but I didn't need the light bulb. You're right, there was a thread about that. I was thinking they use a 25 or 40 watt bulb.

 

[Cruzingoose]

1000 watts = 3400 btu

I would agree, 40-60 watts in a fridge will keep things toasty.

 

[RLaCasse1]

You don't even need the refrigerator. All you need is a wooden box really.

When I was a kid we always kept the water lines in our pump house from freezing by putting a bulb in there. And that pump house was not insulated. It was just made of plywood.

 

[bobcatdan]

You only need a 20 watt. I have a trouble light in my beer fridge out in the garage. It keeps the beer right a around a little too warm to drink for my taste.

 

[chopper1]

My garage is insulated and things still freeze. I've used my garage fridge for years to keep paints and other items in there to keep from freezing, and it works even without a light bulb.

 

[ratdoggy]

But won't the light go off when you close the door?
I'm kidding...
I've heard welders keep their stock of rods in a fridge the same way to keep them dry

 

[trentonmakes]

But won't the light go off when you close the door?
I'm kidding...
I've heard welders keep their stock of rods in a fridge the same way to keep them dry

^^^Yupp

 

[Mike in Ohio]

But won't the light go off when you close the door?
I'm kidding...
I've heard welders keep their stock of rods in a fridge the same way to keep them dry

I'll just tell the little guy in there that drinks all my beer not to turn it off til spring!!

 

[nit2wn]

Dad took a small desktop type fridge and used it like that for his welding rods. He put a thermostat in it and set it for a desired temp using the bulb for heat. I'm sure it works for the heat part, not sure how well it worked on keeping the moisture out of his welding rods.

 

[MIJarhead]

I am an Indy based woodworker so I don't want my glues, stains and finishes freezing...
I have a cabinet in my shop that I lined with 1 inch styrofoam insulation and I keep a single 40 bulb inside the cabinet...-always on....with a thermometer and it stays a nice 70 degrees inside the cabinet no matter how cold it gets in the shop.
I go through 2 bulbs per winter. It's a very simple and reliable system!!