soonermomma Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Is it okay to have a normal refrigerator in your garage as an extra? We are going to have an extra one as of tomorrow and I would love to put the small one in the garage to keep extra stuff in, but it seems like I heard somewhere that you shouldn't keep refrigerators in your garage because they wont stay cold enough. Is this true? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wabi Sabi Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We had one in our garage for years and never had a problem with it. It was an old piece of junk refrigerator too, not even a nice one. If that junky thing could manage to stay cold I'm sure that any of them would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlyingMOm Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We have a refrigerator in our garage & use it to store sodas, milk, extra butter, etc. and have never had any problem with it's ability to keep things cold. (We live in NC so it's pretty hot here but not as hot as in the deep South- It might make a difference if you lived somewhere further South.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristusG Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I've never heard of that. I think it would be fine. We have an upright freezer in ours...looks just like a fridge, but it's a freezer only. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meriwether Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We have a refrigerator in ours and haven't had a problem with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mommaduck Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Yes. At one time I had two fridges and a freezer in an oversized "laundry" (but was like a garage/storage area). I didn't want the fridge taking up space in my kitchen, it kept all the food together (including the pantry shelves), and it prevented messes in my kitchen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theYoungerMrsWarde Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Normal? Who cares about normal? :001_smile: I have seen this a LOT. My in-laws have a refrigerated AND a freezer (they buy a lot in bulk.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wendi Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 My mom had an extra fridge in our garage for years, and we lived in Florida. Now, I live in AZ, and I have a freezer in the garage. No problems keeping cold. Wendi Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5LittleMonkeys Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We are in the south too and never have a problem with our refrigerator or our freezer in the garage. We have it set to the same temp as we had it in the house and it keeps everything just as cold. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kchara Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I've seen lots of people do that. Never heard of a problem. We would, if we had a garage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keniki Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I have two refrigerators and a chest freezer in my garage. In the summer we have a commercial cooler going in there too. We've never had any trouble. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Education Explorers Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 The only real drawback to having a fridge in the garage in summer is that it won't be as energy efficient as it would be inside and air conditioned home. It will keep things cold. Hotlanta certainly puts ours through the wringer. I would recommend keeping it stocked with something... water bottles etc. If you keep it mainly empty, then the refrigerator will have to work even harder to maintain a constant temp. which is never too fun for your electric bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mynyel Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 My parents have always had an extra refrigerator and chest freezer in the garage and my uncle has two refrigerators in his garage. Don't see a problem :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snickerdoodle Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Hotlanta Mental note to self: Do not move to this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
classics4us Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I haven't read all threads, but we live in south east TN and have a freezer and fridge in our garage. If you lived in the deep south tho you may run into problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anita in NC Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Here is an explanation of possible problems depending on where you live. http://www.jimrooneyonthelevel.com/2006/1209.htm We had the problem of our frost free refrigerator/freezer freezer part NOT working in the winter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CalicoKat Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I wouldn't recommend it. The freezer part defrosted during the winter once it got cold in the garage. We lost alot of food we'd grown and frozen. :001_huh: Our freezer is now in the basement and we've not had a problem since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Plucky Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We've had a fridge and extra freezer in ours for years. Love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Since the fridge in our garage is opened less, because it's used for extra storage, there is no problem with it staying plenty cold. We've had one out there for years now, ever since we got a new fridge. I can't imagine living with teenage boys without one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 In "red neck world" it is know as the "beer fridge"---doesn't matter if you keep beer in it or not, that is just what you call it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardening momma Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 The only real drawback to having a fridge in the garage in summer is that it won't be as energy efficient as it would be inside and air conditioned home. It will keep things cold. Hotlanta certainly puts ours through the wringer. I would recommend keeping it stocked with something... water bottles etc. If you keep it mainly empty, then the refrigerator will have to work even harder to maintain a constant temp. which is never too fun for your electric bill. This is the reason it would work but wouldn't. It will keep your food cold. It will probably have to work harder (use more energy) to do it. I live in SW Ohio and our garage gets very hot in the summer (late spring, too). We have a small upright freezer in the garage; it keeps our food frozen, but I'm sure it would do it more easily if it were in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 it is perfectly ok I have 2 full sized upright freezers out there, so one regular fridge...perfectly normal. I wish I had an extra out there, but then that would be weird. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alenee Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We have one in the garage and it's actually the colder of the two...never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganClassicalPrep Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 In "red neck world" it is know as the "beer fridge"---doesn't matter if you keep beer in it or not, that is just what you call it. :lol: When I was growing up, there was always a fridge in the garage, stocked almost exclusively with beer. (Occasionally some fish or venison... :tongue_smilie:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bzymom Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 I've had an extra frig (and my big freezer) in the garage since I had kids. The only problem we've found is that the texturized surface of the refrigerators tend to get rust spots. Not sure why, but it has happened with 2 different frigs, and never with the smooth surface of the freezer. And I love my extra frig at the holidays! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Education Explorers Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 Mental note to self: Do not move to this place. Unfortunately, Hotlanta quite fairly describes our climate. There are other perks to the area though. I have no idea what a "snow shovel" is or why someone would ever need one. (Not really, I don't need it explained to me.) When we have a blizzard (TRANSLATION: 1 inch of snow, ice or various combinations on the ground) the entire region is closed down. Oh let's be fair, 1/2 inch of anything cold will close us down too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Buckin' Longhorn Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We have a spare fridge and an upright freezer in the garage. Thank goodness! I hate running back and forth to the store. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cat Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 we have one in the garage..... I turned it off to save electricity as it wasn't an energy star..... not exactly sure how much we save on electricity but it always stayed cold and ran great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flobee76 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 we used to have one in our garage, then gave it to a friend in need. We never had any problems with it being in the garage, even in the heat of summer. We now have an upright freezer in our garage and it's so GREAT! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sandra in FL Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We have one and we live in Miami. It's fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
In The Great White North Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 The fridge in the garage will work fine. When (if) your garage goes below about 50, though, it will ruin it. We usually ran it in the summer and pulled the plug in the winter. The extra freezer was in the house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G5052 Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 (edited) Here is an explanation of possible problems depending on where you live. http://www.jimrooneyonthelevel.com/2006/1209.htm We had the problem of our frost free refrigerator/freezer freezer part NOT working in the winter. He's a former commercial AC/power guy, and said that indoor units are NOT made to take temperature extremes in some parts of the country. There are indeed some units that are, but you wouldn't buy them at Best Buy, Lowe's, etc. off the floor. They have to be special ordered. Edited June 1, 2011 by GVA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WishboneDawn Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 This is sort of complicated. The problem pertains to just fridge/freezer combos, not fridges with no freezer. And with combos that have only one thermostat for both parts. It's also only an issue if the temperature around the freezer gets close to freezing so only at certain times of the year and only in certain climates. What happens is that if the temperature goes down to a preset level the compressor will shut off. The level is set for the fridge, not the freezer so while it's cold enough in the fridge compartment because the outside temp is low it's not cold enough in the freezer, which needs to keep things below freezing, so it will start to defrost. If the freezer has a separate thermostat there's no problem because it will only shut off the compressor at a much lower temperature. This is mostly a problem in cheaper models because they tend to be the ones to use only one thermostat. I'm not sure how you'd check what kind you have but maybe get the model number and then call up the company to ask. In any case, you haven't ruined the fridge, maybe just the freezer contents, and once it warms up your freezer section will work again. Thank you Google! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinder Posted June 1, 2011 Share Posted June 1, 2011 We had a spare fridge in the garage for years and it worked well in hot weather. We did have a problem one winter. Dh thinks it's because the garage got too cold so the fridge stopped cooling, which allowed the inside of the fridge to warm up. We're in GA so the garage only got super cold that one year. We've since gotten rid of the spare fridge as we found we didn't use it as much as we thought we would. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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