Appliance Repair in 19126 · Olney, Logan & Oak Lane

An enclosed porch or sunroom seems like a convenient spot for an extra fridge. The trouble is that these rooms are often unheated, poorly insulated and full of sun. In winter the temperature can drop well below what a refrigerator is designed for, and in July the glass turns the room into an oven.

Cold causes a surprising problem. Many refrigerators rely on a thermostat inside the fresh-food compartment to decide when to run. When the room is cold, that compartment rarely calls for cooling, the compressor barely runs, and the freezer section thaws. People often find soft ice cream in January and think the unit has failed. Some models are built to handle colder rooms, but many are not. In summer, the opposite happens: the compressor runs constantly, the coils overheat and parts wear quickly.

Keep the unit out of direct sun, leave space around it for airflow, and vacuum the coils more often than you would indoors. If it struggles only in the coldest or hottest weeks, the location may be the cause. If it struggles year-round, a technician can check the thermostat, fans, defrost system and sealed system and tell you whether repair makes sense.

Many homes here have driveways; tell us if the technician can use one. If the refrigerator is on a porch or in a garage, make sure that space is unlocked and has light. Let us know the room temperature when the problem shows up, because that is one of the first things the technician will ask.