Will cold temperatures damage my refrigerator

[jeep2001]

I picked up a a very small refrigerator at Menards for $59.00. The sales person said that if the garage temp falls to 32 degrees the refridgerator will shut off and will not turn back on. Is this true because I would think the refrigerator will turn back on when the temp of the garage gets warmer?
Thanks Mike

 

[mattygee]

I don't know about the auto on/off features of your particular fridge, but generally speaking fridges do not work well below 50F because the compressor cannot heat the refrigerant enough to get the proper evaporative effect. A trick from the Alaska folks is to put a 60W bulb under the compressor to keep it warm. I dont see reasonably cold temps actually damaging your fridge though.

 

[pattenp]

My understanding is a refrig with a freezer section are the ones that get out of whack when out in a cold garage and the light bulb trick is used on those. If it's a refrig only then the issue is what ever is in the refrig will freeze if the outside temps stays below freezing for a long period. A freezer only unit works okay out in a garage. Cold won't damage the refrig, it just won't run correctly.

 

[Milton Shaw]

The refig is designed to run about 50% of the time loosing cool to the warmer room so that it runs enough to keep the freezer part frozen and the refig section cool. The set temp in refig is about 40 degrees so anything close to that and the reifg won't run enough to keep cold. Also the compressor oil thickens at low temps and makes the relay and start windings over work and eventually burn out. Refigs are designed to be inside the heated area of the house. Stand alone freezers are designed to be in utility rooms or garages and they will work in that setting.

 

[onewaydave]

Don't know about your fridg, but mine is unusual.

In an unheated shop, it keeps soft drinks cold all the time. It keeps them from freezing until -19'F. Yes that is a minus sign. At anything above that the drinks will not freeze. Well, for the past 12 years they haven't. I wouldn't know about the -19 except we had a freak cold year a couple of years ago. -10 is common. No freeze.

For $59 just put it out there and see what happens.

Dave.

 

[jeep2001]

Thanks everone, I think your right for only $59.00 I will take my chances and plug it in. Does any one know how long will a cheap refrigerator like this last, if I could get 5 years out of it would be great.
Mike

 

[jweller]

I've had a whatever brand cube style fridge for years. it sat on my deck for a while in one house and now resides in the garage. never gave me any issues - knock on wood.

 

[Shadowdog500]

I heard on another thread that it shortens the life to a couple seasons. My fridge died last fall so I do a little research. They do make fridges that are designed to work in any temp but they are expensive, so I just bought another cheap one. I unplugged mine when the temp dropped lower than 40 and by some magic it seemed to stay around 40 all winter on its own. I plan to plug it in soon(possibly this weekend).

Chris

 

[Charles (in GA)]

I heard on another thread that it shortens the life to a couple seasons. My fridge died last fall so I do a little research. They do make fridges that are designed to work in any temp but they are expensive, so I just bought another cheap one. I unplugged mine when the temp dropped lower than 40 and by some magic it seemed to stay around 40 all winter on its own. I plan to plug it in soon(possibly this weekend).

Chris

There, fixed it for you!!!

While I don't live in an extremely cold climate, I always have kept a fridge in my hangar or shop. Many years ago, 1979 actually, I put my parents old 1959 bottom freezer, porcelain on steel (inside and out), heavier than anything I've ever seen since, in my rented aircraft hangar. It ran for several more years in extreme heat of a closed up, uninsulated metal building, and cold winters too. Finally died in the later '80's. We got a smaller used fridge which I "abandon" when I moved out of the hangar.

Here at the house I installed my parents fridge (the 1979 model) in the shop in 2000 and it ran till about '05 when it broke a copper tube. I then moved my 1985 Kenmore coppertone fridge out of the house (thank goodness!!! that ugly thing is gone) and it ran a couple of years before the compressor locked up. To replace it I bought a brand new full size 17 or so cu/ft (cannot remember what brand just now) from Home Depot. It was 10% off of $459, but it had a slight dent in the lower door from a forklift, so I got another 10%, plus the state gave me a $50 debit card for replacing an old fridge with a new Energy Star model, plus I took it to scrap metal and got $20 or so, because HD would not do delivery/pickup at my zipcode. All in all, it was a good deal.

The heat is harder on them than the cold down here.

Charles

 

[MN BIANCHI]

I think the $59.00 refrigerator does not have a compressor at all. It is most likely a semi conductor system. Performance will be marginal. It will take longer to cool down your warm case of beer in one of these than a traditional household refrigerator. It will certainly cool, but not as fast as you might be expecting.

Regarding operating in your garage, you can expect the performance to diminish as the ambient temp drops below 50 degrees. You can also expect the performance to drop as the ambient temp rises above 90 degrees or if the unit is sitting in direct sunlight.

 

[OldracerJones]

I don't know if it has much effect at all. I've had a fridge and a freezer on the porch for 9 years and it gets to 10 deg F in the winter. Never had a problem.

 

[jlckmj]

I bought a used dorm type fridge back in 1995 when my oldest went to college. I am still using that ugly old thing in my shop today, it runs summer and winter.
Jim

 

[Big Bad Dad]

I was given a used fridge 7 years ago, and it's been in my unheated, uninsulated garage ever since. No problems at all. We have a mild climate in Va., but it has had it's share of sub freezing weather. My beer is always cold! LOL

 

[Bookworm]

My (much) better half paid $25 for a used dorm-style fridge 5 or so years ago. Been out in the un-heated un-cooled barn since. Seems to work fine, the only thing in it is bottled water ( I gave up on alcohol 13 years ago. Coincidentally, that's also when my (much) better half and I entered into wedded bliss....). Water has never frozen in winter, and is cold in the brutal summer heat we have here in Okra-homa.
I wouldn't worry about a cheap fridge, run it til it breaks, buy another. The economy needs the help.

 

[darkk]

Soda machines are just refrigerators.....

 

[Kev442]

The way I understand it, fridges built in the last 5 years use such small compressors for efficiency, that when starting below 50 degrees they fry as they cannot move the oil/refrigerant quickly enough.
Your usage may differ.

PS. Soda machines contain several light bulbs for a reason.