A lot of people have tried putting a refrigerator in their garage. But unfortunately, most refrigerators will start to malfunction when they’re left there because of extreme cold or high humidity. The best solution to this problem is garage ready refrigerators.
So what is a garage ready refrigerator? A garage refrigerator is a highly optimized refrigerator that is designed to withstand the unfavorable weather conditions of a garage using special thermostats and other technologies.
If you want to know more about garage ready refrigerators, what they are, and whether you can make your household refrigerator a garage ready one, keep on reading!
What Does a Garage Ready Refrigerator Mean
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To understand what a garage ready refrigerator means, you should first know why a regular refrigerator won’t work in garages.
A regular refrigerator works by adjusting the internal temperature depending on the temperature around the fridge through a thermostat.
The problem with regular household refrigerators is that they only have a narrow range of temperatures where they can operate, which is usually around room temperature.
This is because indoor refrigerators rely on the fact that our houses never really fall below 55 degrees F (12.7 degrees C) or hotter than 100 degrees F (37.7 degrees C).
This is understandable because we live inside the house and usually have the heating on when it’s too cold and air conditioning on when it’s too hot. However, garages aren’t usually as insulated, heated, or air-conditioned as our houses.
In fact, a lot of manufacturers actually recommend that the refrigerator is being kept within these temperature ranges to work properly.
A lot of house owners thought of keeping their old refrigerators running in the garage. However, this almost never worked for them because the built-in thermostat in the fridge can’t withstand the extreme temperature changes in the garage.
This is where the concept of a garage ready refrigerator has come into existence. These refrigerators are regular ones with the exception of being durable enough to survive being left in a garage.
They work using a series of sensitive temperature sensors that allow the machine to operate in a wider variety of weather conditions as well as withstand the continuous fluctuation of temperature due to lack of insulation.
Is a Garage Ready Refrigerator the Same As Outdoor Refrigerator
There’s quite a difference between outdoor refrigerators and garage ready ones, so you shouldn’t confuse them with one another.
Outdoor refrigerators are built to withstand wet weather, such as rain and very high humidity. However, they have regular thermostats that can’t operate in freezing weather.
So, while garage ready refrigerators are built to withstand fluctuation of temperature and freezing, they’re still considered indoor ones.
Reasons to Buy a Garage Ready Refrigerator
There are plenty of reasons why many people need a garage ready refrigerator. Of course, the main reason to go for a garage ready option is that you can’t operate a refrigerator in your house for whatever reason, or you’re trying to utilize the extra space in your garage for an additional refrigerator.
It’s also a nice way to save up some snacks if you spend a lot of time in your garage. In that case, some of the following reasons may apply to your case:
Your Garage Gets Really Humid in Summer
One of the most special aspects of garage refrigerators is that they have a special design that deals with the relatively higher moisture in garages when compared to the kitchen’s drier climate.
Your Garage Gets Freezing Cold in Winter
On the other extreme, most garages up north can easily fall below freezing temperatures in winter. In that case, the refrigerator may not work at all, which causes the food to thaw, among other issues.
This is where a garage-ready refrigerator or a freezer comes in handy, as they won’t be tricked into idling in winter.
You Live in an Area Where Temperatures Fluctuate Throughout the Day
Regardless of the temperature outside, our houses are built with various insulating materials that keep the house’s temperature somewhat more steady than what it is outside.
This means that even if the temperature tends to fluctuate more often, the change inside the house is slower, allowing the refrigerators and other appliances with thermostats to accommodate this change.
On the other hand, garages aren’t that insulated, so the fluctuation of temperatures may trick the compressors into overworking themselves or not working at all, and the result would be unpleasant in both cases.
Can You Make Your Refrigerator Garage Ready
There are plenty of ways to make your refrigerator garage ready. These can be through modifications to the appliance, or to the garage itself. These methods include:
Using a Garage Kit
A garage kit is a simple warming pad that is wrapped around the refrigerator’s thermostat to trick it into operating in the cold by making the refrigerator think that the air is warmer than it actually is.
Insulating the Garage
If you live in the south where temperatures can easily rise up to 110 degrees in summer days, keeping a traditional refrigerator in the garage won’t work.
This is because the refrigerator will have to work a lot harder in order to maintain everything cool inside. In other words, the compressor, as well as other components of the refrigerator, will have to work all the time.
This results in wearing out these parts extra quickly and shortening their lifespan, costing you quite a hefty sum for repairs, let alone the uptick in electricity bills.
In that case, you won’t only need a garage ready refrigerator, but you’ll also need to transform your garage into a more insulated environment.
What Are the Best Garage Ready Refrigerators on the Market
Here are our recommendations for the best garage ready refrigerators on the market:
- Kenmore 04661219 Top-Freezer Refrigerator – Best Overall
- KUPPET-Mini Refrigerator Compact Refrigerator – Best Mini Garage Ready Fridge
- hOmeLabs Beverage Refrigerator and Cooler – Best for Beverages
- Galanz GLR10TRDEFR True Top Freezer Retro Refrigerator – Best Retro Design
Conclusion
With that said, you now know what a garage ready refrigerator is and how it works. If you’re considering a garage ready refrigerator, make sure that you check out our recommendations because their design allows them to work in a garage.
