Appliance Repair in 08012 · Blackwood, Clementon & Lindenwold

Garage refrigerators work hardest in summer, but many of the most confusing problems happen in winter. When an unheated garage drops near or below freezing, a standard refrigerator senses that the fresh-food compartment is already cold and barely runs. The freezer section, which depends on that run time, starts to warm, and frozen food softens. Some people notice that the refrigerator section freezes drinks at the same time.

Some manufacturers make garage-ready refrigerators and freezers designed for wider temperature ranges, and some older models had a garage heater kit that kept them running in the cold. If your unit is not rated for low temperatures, moving it inside or to a heated space during the coldest months is the most reliable fix. Insulating the garage door or the walls also helps, and so does keeping the unit off an outside wall that takes the brunt of the wind. A summer check is worth scheduling too, since the same unit that idles in January will be running hard by July.

Before deciding it is the cold, rule out a real failure. Check that the condenser coil is clean, that the fan runs and that the door seals. Garage outlets are often GFCI protected, and a tripped GFCI will shut off the refrigerator without warning. Our technician can tell whether the refrigerator is failing or simply not suited to the space, and give you a written estimate if a part needs replacing.

Make sure the garage refrigerator can be reached and pulled out from the wall, and clear any tools or boxes around it. If you have a thermometer out there, jot down how cold the garage gets on the nights the freezer struggles. Driveway parking is standard. Have the model number from inside the refrigerator ready.