Freezer in unattached garage in northern Ohio during the winter

[Holly_Hobby]

Hi, I have a question about our small chest freezer. We remodeled our kitchen recently and moved the freezer out to our garage because we don't want it in the new kitchen. Will it be harmed by being out in our unheated garage all winter? I've been unplugging it when it goes below freezing. Thanks

[NYC_SKP]

1. I cannot think of any components that would suffer from exposure to cold.

But it really depends on it's age and it's overall design.

The only imaginable problem might be starting plugging it in when it's super cold after being off for any period of time, and if it has belts or other parts that need to be flexible and pliant.

And, honestly, I think it would be better to just leave it plugged in all the time, especially if it's a newer model that might have timed cycles to keep fluids and gases circulating automatically.

[Holly_Hobby]

4. The freezer is about 4 years old

What you say makes a lot of sense, I'll leave it plugged in. Thanks

[dixiegrrrrl]

2. Rust and mildew, maybe

We keep our freezer in our outside car port, it tends to collect moisture on teh top and get mildew.
But we also keep it plugged in.
The one blessing from having 2 freezers outside in 2 different houses, over the years, was that when we lost power,
the freezer held kept everything frozen for days,, and in the winter power loss, I could open the lid and the freezing nights would do the trick.

[Holly_Hobby]

5. I've been keeping a close eye on it,

no mildew or rust so far. Thanks

[Kaleva]

3. Lots of people do that.

I'm unaware of anyone whose freezer died because it was kept in an unheated garage or building.

Here is one person's opinion:

"In general however, there seem to be three principles that would prevent a freezer operating efficiently at low ambient temperatures. One is that a low temperature in the compressor and the condensor coil (the “warm” coil on the outside of the freezer) means a lower pressure is generated, resulting in less of a cooling effect. Another is that the compressor lubrication oil can thicken, or turn to sludge. The third, and probably most significant, problem is that modern freezers are designed to be more energy-efficient than their predecessors, and this is achieved largely by sophisticated electronics, incorporating sensors and relays, and controlled by software. At low room temperatures, water droplets condensing on the cold electronic circuitry might result in incorrect switching of the compressor. "

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/10568496/Jeff-Howell-do-freezers-need-to-be-kept-inside.html

When I used to work in the hvac field, for those people who wanted to run their air heat pumps when the temps dropped below freezing, it was recommend that a heating coil be wrapped around the compressor so that the oil in the compressor did not thicken. Keeping a freezer out in a space where the temps drop below freezing might reduce the life of the compressor.

[Holly_Hobby]

6. I don't expect it to last as long as a freezer kept in the house,

but I don't want to kill it this winter. Thanks for the link.