taking a break from the NFL draft prep, I have been spending the past few weeks clearing crap out of my garage. Part of my goal is to set it up in such a way that, now we are in the spring, have it so the kids and their friends, who will be outside playing, not have to come in the house to get drinks or anything. So I'm looking at a small fridge to stick in the garage and fill with water/gatorade, etc. I've read some concerns that newer fridges don't do well in the temperature changes of a very hot summer and then cold winter. Any experiences from the crew here on what works, or recommendations, etc?
I can only speak from my experience, but it's been through 2 Upstate NY summers and 2 winters now and I've had no issues with it temp wise in hot summers. I also keep beer in it over winter, and haven't had any issues with beer freezing so it's maintaining the set ~38-40 deg F even when it's freezing outside.
Buy the cheapest one you can - its a garage! - and its won't be a big deal to replace.
You can search online and find "garage kits" for a specific fridge model. These are basically heaters that sit around the fridge thermostat to make it think it is warmer then it really is. This ensures that the compressor stays on till the temp really gets low (like below freezing) and the freezer won't thaw. It makes the fridge less energy efficient, but thats better then everything in the freezer thawing.
I can only speak from my experience, but it's been through 2 Upstate NY summers and 2 winters now and I've had no issues with it temp wise in hot summers. I also keep beer in it over winter, and haven't had any issues with beer freezing so it's maintaining the set ~38-40 deg F even when it's freezing outside.
I've had one of these for 4 years in the Florida heat. No problems with extreme heat. Can't speak to cold. It is full of cold beer and being on the 9th fairway, comes in handy for the back nine.
it's mostly my beer fridge (and drinks for the kids) and it works out perfectly. the beer stays perfectly cold as do the drinks. We occasionally add some overflow food, and that stays fine too. One year it did get so cold I wound up with some exploded beer cans, but that is the only inconvenience so far.
My garage is not insulated.
I have a chest freezer in my basement for freezer stuff (and it would be good for s body if I ever needed to stash one, no one ever looks in the chest freezer in the basement).
So it jumps in front of your car when you pull into the garage?
yeah this is exactly what we did