Running fridge/freezer in cold weather

[blackhawkscp]

Hi all, getting ready to head out for our spring trip from New York where the weather is staying cold. My question is a basic one. If I turn the fridge on and nights stay in the 30’s and days in the 40’s. I believe the compressor may not work correctly for the freezer and things could thaw. So if I run a portable heater and hope to get the inside temp to say 50+, do you think the freezer would work ok? I would like to load the freezer and fridge a few days before we head south.
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[TonyMac]

We shall assume you are talking about a residential fridge/freezer. You'll be fine in the 30s and 40s. I keep a freezer in my garage in SLC. It is subject to 30s and 40s for months at a time and it's run well for 20+ years. Worst case, in the constant 20s, the contents of the fridge might freeze. I also have an early 1930s GE monitor top fridge in my garage as a beer fridge; again, 20+ years and I still have cold beer. The Monitor Top is a bit different from today's fridges, but just sayin'....

[blackhawkscp]

Thanks TonyMac.
Yes it is a residential fridge with a bottom freezer by Whirlpool. Bought my RV new in 2017.

[oscarvan]

I don't agree with the science behind your thinking.

As long as the temp in the fridge is above set it will run and cool, until ambient goes below that and then the temp in the fridge goes DOWN with it.

I don't see it warming in the fridge because it's cold outside....

And, I've never heard of this.

But I've been wrong before.....

[Podivin]

Originally Posted by oscarvan

I don't agree with the science behind your thinking.

As long as the temp in the fridge is above set it will run and cool, until ambient goes below that and then the temp in the fridge goes DOWN with it.

I don't see it warming in the fridge because it's cold outside....

And, I've never heard of this.

But I've been wrong before.....

You're both right, and wrong.

I believe the OP is more concerned about the freezer portion. That should be cooled to somewhere close to zero degrees. So an ambient temp in the 20s or 30s would eventually require the compressor to kick on to keep the freezer at proper temp. But you're right, the fridge portion would not require any cooling at that point.

OP, I agree with TonyMac, go for it. Like him we've had fridges in barns and shops without climate control for years. They live in both very hot and very cold temps, it'll work just fine. You only need to run your portable heater if YOU want the room to be warmer, the fridge won't care.

[Winemaker2]

OP is correct in that low ambient temps will cause the compressor to run less to keep the fridge at proper temp. The freezer section is not a separate system and doesn't turn on/off to maintain its set point.
Think about a fridge set for 40*F in a 35*F garage... the compressor doesn't need to run at all to maintain the fridge but the freezer won't get any cooling and will be roughly 35*F... not good!
In colder climes w fridges in garages this is a common problem. Some mfg sell a small heater that can be added but for occasional situations/ use an extension cord and an incandescent light bulb placed in the fridge section will cause the compressor to run enough to maintain the freezer temp at or around 0*F
I would start w a 40W bulb to see if that's sufficient. How much heat is needed will depend on ambient temp and take a little experimenting. If the bulbs is a little higher W than required it won't cause any problem the compressor just runs a little more than required.

[Waiter21]

Maybe, Depends on frig model. Stick a couple bottles of water in the freezer and see what happens. You'll probably be OK and freeze the water (32 deg) but the freezer may not be able to get down to 10 deg.

[oscarvan]

OK... I guess it depends on the design of the fridge then.

I believe my fridge's compressor runs depending on the freezers demand. Then the fan blows cold air from the freezer to the fridge depending on the fridge's demand.

The fan and the compressor don't necessarily run at the same time. (I can hear the fan running without the compressor at times).......

So I don't see the problem occurring.

But I could be wrong....

[HJLowell]

I grew up on farms where we had
Chest deep freezers and residential refrigerators on the unheated back porch, in the barn and old smoke house in Northern Indiana . Temperatures from 100 in august to 20 below in the winter.
We butchered and canned so this was our food supply and an income source.
Never in 70 years has the room temperature been a negative factore.
Most every farm has refrigerator s and freezers in the unheated garage .
Across the midwest.

[grindstone01]

Check out your refrig specs for the coil operating temp's range. An example is when I installed a residential refrig in our fifth wheel and discovered it would not work when the outside temp was above 100F or below 30F. A solution for an aftermarket install is to block off the outside vent and roof vent from the outside air exposure and add vents for inside RV air circulation.
My advise would be to get a refrig/freezer thermometer and make a habit to look at it every time the refrig door is opened so you know everything is working.
Your factory installed refrig should be be properly vented, but still would have a coil temp operating range.

[sbleiweiss]

I agree with all the garage and barn comments, and will bring it home to in the RV too. We store our MH in a garage and only heat it to above freezing. My garage furnace is set to 40 degrees. The fridge is on all the time and does fine.

[blackhawkscp]

Thanks everybody. Appreciate your thoughts. I have the fridge on and a couple 5 watt heaters running for tonight. I might put a larger heater in for a few hrs overnight. Suppose to be around 16F tonight. But I noticed the freezer was working earlier today with temps around 30.