OT - Secondary (Garage) Refrigerators - Mine only works half the year.....

northGAcock

My secondary frig can't keep up with the hot / humid summers of Columbia SC. Add to that it lives in a detached (non-insulated garage). An appliance friend of mine says I need to find a 30 year old frig, because they don't make them today to stand up to that kind of heat. Have any of you purchased a frig (in the last couple of years that you are happy with that might stand up to these conditions? It sucks not having cold beer and 

batboy

I have the complete opposite problem, but I am surprised that you are having heat issues and that you got the advice you did from your "appliance friend."

Newer refrigerators are still generally well insulated and, with proper seals, the motor should not have to work too hard to keep up with heat and humidity in SC.  Maybe you just need to clean your coils or service the motor; maybe you should check to make sure you aren't blocking the airflow or have it too filled up.  

I have a top freezer unit in an uninsulated garage in the Mid-Atlantic US (hot, humid summers, cold winters) and wintertime is my problem.  Due to the cold temps and the fact that most units have one thermostat for both the fridge and freezer, the colder it gets in the garage, the warmer it gets in the freezer!  The motor simply doesn't kick in enough to keep the freezer frozen because the fridge is kept plenty cool due to the surrounding air.  I lost serious $$$ the first time I figured out that the freezer won't truly freeze from November - March.

I do know that Gladiator by Whirlpool makes a line of refrigerators specially made for garages and uninsulated outdoor spaces.  You may want to check them out.     

Legume

OT-OT, but can you add insulation to your garage doors?  Our garage came with metal roll-up doors and we found an insulation kit that ads thick styrofoam insulation and a plastic cover to the inside of the door panels.  This has made a huge difference in our garage winter and summer and was about $700 installed on both single and double width doors.  Much cheaper than new doors and has helped the ambient temp of the rooms above the garage.

fishlessman

is there anything in the freezer, sometimes a big block of ice in the freezer helps to stabilize it, sometimes you need that ice to jumpstart a fridge that has been unplugged

henapple

Mine stays too cold. If looks don't matter we did my neighbor's with blue foam 2" insulation. Hell...build a shell around the fridge.

Ladeback69

I have a similar problem with my 12+ year old side by side frig.  It is supposed to be frost free, but frost will build over time in the freezer then the beer and soda won't stay cold.  I want to replace it but the wife doesn't want to spend the money right now.  In reading about new ones, the manufacture recommends not putting them in an area where the temps would be below  55 and above I believe 100.  If you are interested in one ask a question online to the manufacture.  There is a way to do through Lowe's I believe.  

ksmyrl

This may be way O-T here but in our detached garage at the lake we installed a tiny window unit air conditioner for this purpose. We put it on the back of the garage where it can't be seen and set the thermostat for about 80 degrees. It runs about 1/3 of the time and keeps it cool enough for the fridge to be efficient.

Egghead_Daron

batboy said:

I have the complete opposite problem, but I am surprised that you are having heat issues and that you got the advice you did from your "appliance friend."

Newer refrigerators are still generally well insulated and, with proper seals, the motor should not have to work too hard to keep up with heat and humidity in SC.  Maybe you just need to clean your coils or service the motor; maybe you should check to make sure you aren't blocking the airflow or have it too filled up.  

I have a top freezer unit in an uninsulated garage in the Mid-Atlantic US (hot, humid summers, cold winters) and wintertime is my problem.  Due to the cold temps and the fact that most units have one thermostat for both the fridge and freezer, the colder it gets in the garage, the warmer it gets in the freezer!  The motor simply doesn't kick in enough to keep the freezer frozen because the fridge is kept plenty cool due to the surrounding air.  I lost serious $$$ the first time I figured out that the freezer won't truly freeze from November - March.

 

+1. I have the exact same issue.

MelSharples

I have a 60's era Hotpoint fridge and a 70's Sears Coldspot that I inherited many years ago and they both work well in our uninsulated Atlanta garage. They don't make them like that anymore. Although I pay for it on the power bill, efficient they are not...

trip150

batboy said:

I have the complete opposite problem, but I am surprised that you are having heat issues and that you got the advice you did from your "appliance friend."

Newer refrigerators are still generally well insulated and, with proper seals, the motor should not have to work too hard to keep up with heat and humidity in SC.  Maybe you just need to clean your coils or service the motor; maybe you should check to make sure you aren't blocking the airflow or have it too filled up.  

I have a top freezer unit in an uninsulated garage in the Mid-Atlantic US (hot, humid summers, cold winters) and wintertime is my problem.  Due to the cold temps and the fact that most units have one thermostat for both the fridge and freezer, the colder it gets in the garage, the warmer it gets in the freezer!  The motor simply doesn't kick in enough to keep the freezer frozen because the fridge is kept plenty cool due to the surrounding air.  I lost serious $$$ the first time I figured out that the freezer won't truly freeze from November - March.

I do know that Gladiator by Whirlpool makes a line of refrigerators specially made for garages and uninsulated outdoor spaces.  You may want to check them out.     

You can buy a kit that warms the temp sensor to keep the fridge running longer in the winter, keeping the freezer frozen.  It is called a garage kit heating coil, google it.    

NPHuskerFL

Disagree with "appliance" guy advice. Have you inspected the condensing coil to see if it's dirty/clogged/restricted?  If it is the high ambient temps will cause the head pressure to skyrocket and the unit to not temp out and will over time cause compressor failure. Old ones are cool for nostalgic reasons and there are many that still operate and hold temp. My gut says yours is dirty. 

NPHuskerFL

Most newer models the condensing coil is located underneath which makes a nice area for dustbunnies to get sucked up into the coil. 
No or low airflow across the condensing or evaporator coil will cause out of temp issues every time.  Heat removal occurs at the condensing unit so I'd check that first. But, what do I know.  

Jeremiah

^^agreed. I'm here in the armpit of the south too and mine works fine. 

northGAcock

Thanks all for the input. I have been away dealing with some family health issues....just getting back and caught up on my reading. Again thanks....will get to work on this asap.

Cremaster

A Garage Kit cured my winter refrigerator problems