Should you have a refrigerator in your garage?

The Refrigerator

The refrigerator is unquestionably a life-changing device that is extremely valuable to people. It completely changed the course of our life. Having a fridge in the house makes life so much easier. It can keep your meats fresher for long periods of time, your vegetables fresh longer, and your beverages chilled always.  

The question is it okay to have a refrigerator inside your garage? Yes, it’s okay to put your fridge in the garage but not always. The thing is, you need to consider the temperature inside the garage.  Refrigerators function by sensing the heat from the surrounding air and altering the temperature inside the fridge accordingly.

Before purchasing a refrigerator that you intend to put in a garage, it is critical to evaluate your local environment. This will have a significant impact on the refrigerator’s function. Knowing how modern refrigerators work will guide you in determining whether your arrangement is appropriate for a garage refrigerator.

Tips in keeping a refrigerator in your garage

1. Area – A flat, dry, and cool garage floor is great for storing your refrigerator. The cooler the location, the better it is for storing your refrigerator. Freezers that are kept in cool settings use less energy. To avoid overheating, the top and back should have adequate air circulation. 

2. Design – The design of your refrigerator might help you determine whether or not it will work correctly in unheated areas. Also, the design of the refrigerator will determine how much space it will occupy. 

3. Know the fundamentals – You must know the basics of how a refrigerator operates. This way you can be educated on how will you operate it. And it will help you also avoid confusion if ever you need to make adjustment with the temperature. It also aids in preventing damage because of misuse. 

4. Energy saving refrigerator – If you are in the market for a refrigerator, you should look for one with an energy-saving option. Electricity-saving refrigerators use 15% less energy than standard refrigerators. One thing to keep in mind also is to choose those with good door seals to help save energy.

5. Get rid of garage clutter – You must clear the area in your garage where you wish to install your refrigerator. Containers and debris can accumulate on and around the refrigerator, reducing circulation and effectiveness. That’s why it’s important to maintain the cleanliness of the area to protect your refrigerator from getting not enough circulation and effectiveness.

A man about to discard old fridge standing next to the open garage door, outdoor cropped shot

6. Plan what to store in your fridge – What you put in the fridge can also have an impact on it. Make sure that you just store enough items inside it. The air is sucked out and refilled every time you open and close the fridge door. The things in the fridge behave as natural ice cubes, cooling the new air and keeping the fridge from overworking.

7. Put ice in the freezer- Putting ice inside your freezer will allow it to stay cool when it is extremely hot in your garage or if your refrigerator shuts down, perhaps saving your frozen food. 

8. Keep your refrigerator stocked – Putting anything in there helps to keep the temperature in your refrigerator stable. For example, its useful to keep beverages in your refrigerator at all times. The cold mass will assist to manage the temperature inside your refrigerator and allow it to run more efficiently.

Pros and Cons of having a refrigerator in your garage

Pros

A chef will love having space to store leftovers. They will definitely appreciate it because more space is what they really need to store the meats, vegetable fruits and even the spices that they will for their cooking. 

An extra refrigerator in the garage is useful for keeping groceries on hand and reducing the number of trips going back to the grocery.

Owning a garage refrigerator that can contain bottled drinks is quite useful and allows your main fridge to be used mostly for meals. This is a big help for those who are storing a lot of food. 

If you are most likely to have visitors every once in a while, a second refrigerator is great thing for storing prepared dishes as well as leftovers. This will help you in decreasing the time for preparations. 

Cons 

Depending on the size of your refrigerator, second refrigerator takes up valuable garage space. So, if you’re thinking to have a refrigerator, consider you space. 

Having a second refrigerator in your home raises your electric bill. So, if you’re a person that is very particular with the bill, think before putting a fridge in your garage area. 

Food in the other refrigerator is more likely to spoil since it is forgotten about. They will be more food waste from your household if this happens. And that’s a thing you would not like. 

Because of the extra moisture created by the equipment, running an extra fridge can cause garage condensation. The other things in the garage will also be affected by it. 

Having an extra refrigerator will cause you to buy a lot of foods. You will overspend on groceries and more likely to cross your budget. So, make sure to buy just the things you really need to avoid overbuying. 

Wrapping it up

For a variety of reasons, many individuals are putting their refrigerators to the garage. Maybe its because they need a bigger space inside their home, or maybe just because they want to store separately their beverages from the other refrigerator. 

The important aspect is to ensure that your garage temperature is comfortable in both winter and summer. Insulating your garage will definitely help. And it will also avoid damaging your refrigerator. Also keep it dust/debris free. 

A refrigerator in the garage is not a bad idea at all. But you must pay close attention to all of the conditions and details to ensure your fridge keeps working correctly. By this you will have no hassle in storing a bulk of meat, fruits and vegetable that you might need inside your household for your everyday consumption.