What’s the Difference Between a Regular Freezer and a Garage-Ready Freezer? | House Caravan (2023)

FAQs

What makes a freezer garage ready? ›

What does “garage ready” freezer mean? A garage ready freezer can handle hot or cold outdoor temperatures while maintaining an optimal temperature inside. Garage ready freezers can be kept in a garage of any temperature from 0°F to 110°F without malfunctioning.

Changes in temperature in an unheated garage can be hard on these appliances. "You need to make sure that the unit is not exposed to temperatures above 110° F or below 0° F, because that may damage the freezer," says Larry Ciufo, who oversees the ratings for Consumer Reports' freezer tests.

If your garage is insulated and has climate control, it is absolutely fine to put your freezer in there. You just want to make sure the garage space is dry.

There are three types of freezers on the market: upright, chest, and refrigerator-freezer combinations. The upright and refrigerator-freezer are available as manual-defrost or frost-free models. Though less convenient, manual-defrost freezers are more cost-efficient.

The Issue with Using Freezers in the Garage

Most standard freezers are not designed to be used in extreme weather conditions like an unheated garage. In extremely hot conditions, freezers have to work extra hard to keep items frozen. In cold temperatures below freezing, freezers can shut off.

Beko's innovative Freezer Guard technology means that your freezer can be placed anywhere on your property; in the garage, the kitchen, or any outdoor buildings and your food will remain frozen even if the external temperature drops as low as -15° C.

If the garage space is uninsulated or too cold, the freezing temperatures will trick the freezer into thinking it has reached the desired level of refrigeration and it may fail to turn on, which could result in damage to the unit and food spoilage.

So while you may save electricity initially by having less work for the freezer to do in the lower ambient temperature, over time you'll reduce the freezer's ability to keep that heat out. Come summer you'll find the freezer uses more energy than before, because the insulation is shot.

Refrigerators work by starting to cool whenever the room temperature rises above a set point – typically around 36 degrees – and stays running until the temperature returns to normal. This means that if the temperature in your garage drops and stays below this set temp, your refrigerator stops working.

A loose marketing term but generally, it is intended to operate at lower and higher ambient temperatures. Normal freezers and refrigerators are usually in a house where the temperatures are fairly stable. Garages can get much hotter and colder. “Garage ready” freezers can operate from maybe 0–100 F.

How is a garage ready refrigerator different? ›

Garage ready means that the freezer is well insulated and equipped to handle temperature extremes in an enclosed garage. The garage must be enclosed so that the freezer is not subject to snow, rain and other environmental weather conditions not meant for an electrical appliance.

The freezer stops working when outside temperatures are in the 30s/40s because the thermostat that turns on the compressor is actually measuring the frig temp, not the freezer temp.

When it comes to upright freezer vs chest freezer energy usage, chest freezers use up less energy than upright freezers, providing some relief to both the planet and your wallet. This is largely because chest freezers have an airtight seal at the top to keep the food inside fresh.

Energy Efficiency

Probably the biggest downside of the frost-free appliances is that they are less energy-efficient than their older cousins. Fridge freezers are measured by a sliding scale, from A+++ to G.

The majority of the energy your freezer uses goes towards cooling down the air that comes in when you open the freezer door. When your freezer is full, there is less room for warmer air to take up, and the items that are in there help to cool down any air that does sneak in. So keeping it full means less energy used.

Should You Unplug a Garage Fridge for the Winter? If you don't have any food in the fridge, unplugging it during icy weather will save you the trouble of heating the thermostat. However, if you still want to use your fridge for food storage, it's best to leave it plugged in.

Let the ice melt

The easiest way to defrost a freezer is to simply let the ice melt on its own. After you unplug your appliance, leave the door open and wait for the ice to melt on its own. If you want to expedite the melting process, you can put a fan near your freezer to help it defrost.

Why is my freezer not freezing everything? ›

If your freezer is not cold, the problem may be caused by a broken condenser fan motor. The condenser fan draws cool air through the condenser and over your freezer's coils. If this fan is broken, your freezer's inner temperature will rise, and the compressor will overheat.

To prevent problems, buy a garage-ready fridge that can function efficiently when it gets bitterly cold and also stiflingly hot in your garage. A refrigerator designed to run in a garage has better insulation and components that can handle temperature changes. This special design does make them a little more expensive.

“Frost Free” is a term for fridge and freezer based units that have built in technology to automatically defrost themselves after a set period of time in order to stop the build-up of ice. Previously, older units would require regular manual defrosting in order to keep them ice free.

Cold air can escape faster from an empty refrigerator, so an appliance in a hot garage needs to work harder in addition to fighting the ambient temperature. A fully stocked refrigerator has less room for warm air, so it helps the unit to maintain a cool temperature when it is opened on a hot day.

A refrigerator in an uninsulated garage will require a lot more energy to run during the hot summer months and may not operate correctly if the temperature gets too cold. 90 degree environment will use 45-50% more energy than one in a 70 degree environment.

Refrigerators do not work as well in the cold, as they were designed to work in room temperature. Most of the time, the freezer stops working before the fridge section does. The thermostat is within the fridge compartment, rather than the freezer. Let's say your fridge is set at 40 degrees.

If you have sufficient room, the ideal options are typically large capacity upright freezers or chest freezers.

Energy Efficiency

The cooling system of a frost-free freezer is usually more energy efficient than that of an auto-defrost freezer. If you're looking for kitchen appliances that will help save you money on your energy bills, go with the frost-free models.

Best practices for storing meat. Whatever the meat — beef, chicken, pork, or fish — there's no question about it: You can safely store your food the longest in the freezer. That's because you can safely freeze meats indefinitely.

What should I look for when buying a freezer? ›

Storage Capabilities: More often, bottom freezer models have greater storage options. They offer larger sizes with more organizational features. You may find a greater number of shelves, pull-out baskets, and even exterior doors.

Freezers. Many homeowners enjoy the convenience of a separate freezer, either an upright or chest model. Today's freezers have a lifespan of up to 20 years, but they average about 11 years, according to the NAHB.

The Cons. Less Flexible Storage Space. Since upright freezers have up to 15 percent less storage space than chest models, storing larger items can be difficult. It may be hard to stash things like large cuts of beef or venison, whole turkeys and other odd-shaped items.

Fridge Heaters

If your garage temperature dips below freezing, the thermostat inside the garage refrigerator's freezer may think it's cold enough and shut off. To work around this issue, you need to heat the air around the thermostat. One way is to install a heating coil around the thermostat.

Refrigeration appliances can be adversely affected by the environment they are placed in. If the temperature in a room surrounding the appliance is hotter or colder than the climate class rating specified by the manufacturer, then they can stop working (Climate Classes for fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers).

If you suspect your freezer is too cold, check the temperature. Most newer freezers have a built-in thermometer, or you can buy one and place it in the freezer. The ideal temperature for your freezer is 0 degrees Fahrenheit, but -10 to -20 degrees Fahrenheit should be fine.

A fridge in the garage won't generally last as long as an indoor fridge because it will have to work harder to maintain suitable internal temperatures. However, this is less likely to be an issue if you live in a mild climate without extreme temperature fluctuations.