All summer long you’ve used that old refrigerator in your garage to store cold drinks and ice cream treats. Then the weather outside falls into the 20’s and now the “garage fridge” just doesn’t seem to be getting cold enough. Gas-Fridge would like to explain what’s happening.

Believe it or not, refrigerators actually work better in warmer temperatures, than they do in cold temperatures. Most refrigerators have a cold control in the refrigerator section that controls when the refrigerator runs. When the refrigerator runs, the coldest air goes into the the freezer section and it then “shares” some of this cold with the refrigerator section.

So the problem arises when the outside air temperature gets down into the 30’s or 40’s, the refrigerator section is already cold enough and never tells the unit to make cold air, so suddenly the freezer doesn’t seem to be working. And then the problem gets worse.

Now that the cold control is not telling the refrigerator to run often enough, and not at all when it gets into the 20’s for a period of time, the freezer may be sort of frozen, but so is the refrigerator section. Now you can’t keep food in the refrigerator section because it will freeze. Now those everyday items that freeze at about 32 degrees (milk, soda, water) may even explode as they become frozen which could cause a major mess in the refrigerator.

So, if you have an old “garage fridge”, you should probably give it the winter off, since it really not able to function properly in the cold weather. In addition, if it is a compressor style refrigerator, the oil in the compressor is really not designed for use in cold weather and the owner’s manual states that it should only be used in “normal household” temperatures.

Next time you’re looking for a great refrigerator, why not consider an EZ Freeze Refrigerator which is completely non-electric requiring only propane or natural gas to cool and freeze food goods. Gas-Fridge is one of the nation’s premiere dealers of gas appliances and we would love to show you the benefits of utilizing gas appliances and help cut the electrical cord! To learn more about our company, please give us a call at 928-636-6674.