How Your Garage Fridge Is Affected By Cold Weather

While there are affordable ways to buy fridges without having to finance them, the decision to purchase a second refrigerator, often placed in the garage for overflow storage, is typically driven by the practical need for increased capacity for bulk items and beverages. However, the garage might not actually be the best place for a second refrigerator if you live in an area that experiences real cold, as Hannah Pregont, creative director and appliance expert at AjMadison, explained to Food Republic.

"Refrigerators are designed to run in controlled indoor temperatures, so when a garage gets too cold, the fridge may stop cycling on because it assumes everything is already chilled," Pregont told us. The refrigerator's sensors are typically in the fridge part, not the freezer. So a dip in exterior temperature — anything below 35 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, according to Pregont — signals to the fridge to stop running (which makes sense since the ideal fridge temperature is 35 to 38 degrees Fahrenheit). And unfortunately, if that happens, refrigerated food can end up freezing, while frozen food might partially thaw, which, according to our expert, ceases to be simply a nuisance and becomes a food safety issue, since frozen food doesn't last forever in a power outage. Sometimes it only stays good for 24 hours.

If you currently keep a second refrigerator in your garage, or you're thinking about adding one, Hannah Pregont had some signs to watch out for that could indicate your fridge might be affected by the cold once the temperatures start to dip (this is also useful information even if you live in warmer climes but get the occasional freeze). First up is "unusual cycling, like running constantly or barely running at all," said Pregont. It's important to pay attention to the hum of your garage fridge whenever you're near it, especially in cold weather; it'll be your first indication that something is wrong.

There are also, our expert told us, the tell-tale changes to your food. If you pull meat from the freezer and there's any sort of give, or you go to take a soda from the refrigerator portion and it's frozen solid, you'll want to act fast to save your food, because, as Pregont said, it's your "refrigerator's way of saying the garage temperature has officially crossed the line."

As for how to make your chilly space more hospitable for a second fridge, Pregont said you might consider insulating the garage. You can also place "a small heater nearby [to] help maintain stable operation," Pregont advised. And if you have the spare cash, you could also buy a garage-ready fridge, which our expert suggested due to its heightened ability to maintain a stable temperature even in extreme cold.