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Freezer in unheated area

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  • chrisw
    chrisw Posts: 3,791 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    squirrelz wrote:
    You can't keep fridge freezers in unheated rooms, unless they have dual thermostats - otherwise the thermostat cuts out when the fridge gets below zero, and the freezer starts to thaw out.

    It happened to me - I used to have a fridge freezer in the garage, and had to replace it with a small freezer when all the frozen food thawed out two winters in a row.

    This is the correct answer as I've always understood it. Therefore, fridge freezers may be a problem, freezers only should be ok.
  • santana-mx3
    santana-mx3 Posts: 415 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    I was told at Iceland that in general upright freezers are not suitable for unheated garages but chest freezers are. The upright freezers which were suitable they said were the double skin ones. I don't know if that's right or not but it was what I was told.

    I also heard that you should not keep a fridge freezer in a garage, the problem being with the fridge rather than the freezer part. I had a Scaninova fridge freezer (in the kitchen) which had two separate condensors one for the fridge and one for the freezer. When the fridge part broke down, I enquired on another forum whether I could use the working freezer part of it in the garage and was told it was ok since there it had a separate condensor. I moved the unit into the garage and continued to use the freezer section there for the next year, only getting rid of it when I moved house.
  • rsvtoddy
    rsvtoddy Posts: 244 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts
    Well my upright Scandinova fridge freezer has just been moved after 21 years in an unheated outhouse (door left open too!) and it still works fine!

    It's really rusty and looks horrible but won't die!
  • Lord_Gardener
    Lord_Gardener Posts: 2,971 Forumite
    Our fridge freezer has been kept in our unheated garage for 23 years - no problems!
    I'm mad!!!! :rotfl::jand celebrating everyday every year!!!
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 0 Newbie
    Part of the Furniture Combo Breaker
    Think i'll go down the freezer thermometer route to begin with.

    Thanks for your help.
  • deanos
    deanos Posts: 11,241 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Uniform Washer
    It should tell you in the manual if it can be used in a unheated area eg. garage, when we bought ours from John Lewis it said it was compatable, it may invalidate the warranty if its not compatable
  • Snapdragon
    Snapdragon Posts: 341 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 100 Posts Name Dropper
    I recently went to the large Currys store in Wednesbury looking for a new upright freezer to replace the ancient one kept in my garage. I was looking for labels expecting them to mention which were suitable for use in garage/outbuilding. Couldn't find anything so I asked.
    The assistant went away and came back saying "Sorry, we don't sell ANY freezers that can be used in a garage, all modern freezers are not suitable for unheated outbuildings".
    When I pointed out that most people didn't have room in the house and would normally expect to be able to put them anywhere they had room, he said, it's your choice if you want to take the risk. He even suggested, if you put it in the garage and it goes wrong, move it into the house before you ring for an engineer!
    It put me off until I can get a bit more advice, which was probably a good thing as when I got back from the trip I found my washing machine had packed up, so it looks like that will have to be 1st priority!
  • deanos
    deanos Posts: 11,241 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Uniform Washer
    Comet online/instore tell you if its suitable for an outbuilding, scroll down and look at other features under full details tab

    http://www.comet.co.uk/comet/html/cache/43_707173.html

    Suitable for use in outbuildings Will operate correctly if located in an outbuilding
  • martindow
    martindow Posts: 10,568 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper
    We have recently acquired a new fridge/freezer which we keep indoors. There is a switch inside the fridge which turns the inside light on permanently. The delivery man said that this should be used if it is kept somewhere unheated. The slight warmth from the bulb ensures that the compressor will run occasionally even in very cold weather.
  • BargainJunky
    BargainJunky Posts: 1,534 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    Sorry to resurrect this really old thread.

    I've an 8 year old fridge freezer in our garage which unfortunately seems not to like this lovely weather we are having - defrosted ice cream anyone :rotfl:. Does anyone know if it is likely to work again properly or has this weather seen it off for good? The small upright freezer that sits next to it is still quite happy but not sure for how long!
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