Not all Refrigerators are the Same
If you are thinking of putting your replaced fridge in the garage this may help you down the road.
Newer refrigerators are engineered to be much more responsive to external temperatures, and are considerably more reactive than the older unit you are replacing, which were able to cope much better in extreme temperatures.
Sometimes, you may get a new refrigerator to go with your updated kitchen and think you will replace that old working unit in the garage, or put the swapped out unit in the garage
Most refrigerators are designed to work inside a home, where we tend to keep the temperature moderate . . . usually between 60-85oF. Usually, the most efficient room temperature for a refrigerator to operate is between 68 and 71 degrees.
Typical refrigerators have a single thermostat . . . The external temperature being monitored by the refrigerator during the summer in a hot, uninsulated garage . . . the refrigerator will work extra hard to keep up, possibly running all day to stay cool. You will notice your electric bill start to rise, or the motor will just overheat and burn out.
In the winter, if the temperatures are low enough your refrigerator thermostat is tricked into thinking that it is cold enough, the motor won’t kick in, then causing the freezer to thaw.
To prevent that from happening, they make a ‘garage ready’ refrigerator which has a small heater that keeps the compressor running so that your freezer stays frozen and your fridge stays cold. Garage refrigerators are relatively inexpensive averaging around $500 to $700 depending on the cubic feet.
A garage ready refrigerator is designed and manufactured to a different standard than that of a refrigerator intended to be installed in the house, having a higher and lower range for extreme temperatures, and may have two thermostats, one for the fridge, and one for the freezer.
If you have a refrigerator that is not garage ready, they do make a kit for a standard refrigerator, ranging from around $20 to $30 . . . which you will want to install ahead of time before you have any issues.
As a side note . . . There is a difference between an outdoor rated refrigerator and a garage refrigerator. An outdoor refrigerator is waterproof made for wet weather, a garage refrigerator is not.