|
Refrigerators and
Unheated Rooms - Beware!
We’ve
had a really cold winter here in the Northeast this
year, and once the cold air arrived it stayed a while. I’ve
had several folks ask why their spare refrigerator in their
unheated garage wouldn’t keep frozen food, well, frozen.
So
I thought I’d share this with you to save you the hassle
of learning it the ‘hard way’.
The
short answer to the question is that the thermostat in most modern frost-free refrigerators is reading the (40F) temp in the
fresh food section.
In
theory, that means when the ambient temp drops to 40,
the t'stat no longer calls for cooling and any food stored in
the freezer (0-5F) begins to thaw. In the real world, when the
temp in the unheated room drops below about 55-60F, there's
not enough compressor run time to keep the freezer cold
enough.
You’ll
want to keep this in mind if you’re using a frost-free
refrigerator as a backup and it’s in an unheated garage or
porch, etc. You’ll be able to store fresh food OK in the
refrigerator section if you need the ‘overflow’ room, but I
recommend you empty the freezer section in the Fall to
prevent thawed food.
Hopefully we won't have to worry about this for a
while. I think winter's over here in the northeast...
Was this article helpful?
Please click the "donate" button on the left side of
this page to help me keep this information free!
Many Thanks! - Dave
Copyright www.DavesRepair.com
This article may be reprinted and distributed freely only
in its entirety, including this message.
|
