Freezer not working in the garage

How cold is your garage?

the freezer does not measure the temp in the garage, it measures the temp inside the unit.  However, it does require a good amount of power to start the compressor.  check to see what else is running on that circuit and move either those items or the freezer to a different circuit.  If the freezer read the outside temp for its operation, it would never turn off inside the home because you keep it around 70 degrees and the freezer needs to be much colder.  If you turned the freezer on its side to get it through the door and did not allow enough time for the oil to return to the compressor, you could have burned out the compressor.  When you move anything with a compressor on it and turn it on its side or upside down, your oil runs into the lines and away from the compressor.  you must allow the oil time to return to the unit in order for the oil to properly cool the compressor.  its best to wait 24 hours, but a couple of hours is usually fine.  Hope this helps you.

Bill 

I had the same problem with our garage refrigerator/freezer.  My understanding is that the coolant that runs through the system can actually "gel"  in a non-heated area like a garage and thus not circulate.  I believe that the old refrigerators that had freon as a coolant usually don't have this problem.  I was told that some manufacturers make a heating mat that you can put under the refrigerator that will keep the coolant from gelling up.  By the time I realized this was the problem we were having, the mechanicals just shut down and we had to buy a new appliance.  I hope that you can get the refrig/freezer up and running again!  Hope this helps.

the control that cycles the refer on/off is the cold control in the fresh food compartment. when the temp in the garage is down around 40 degrees the fridge won't run long enough for the freezer to get cold enough to freeze. cold air is taken from the freezer side to cool the fresh food side. to get a colder freezer you close the air vent supplying to the fresh food side. the fridge runs longer to cool the fresh food side and the freezer gets colder. in a cold room the fridge wont run enough for the freezer side to work. Unless the refrigerator is in a room at about 50-60 degrees ambient temp.

Thank you!

The outside temperature may not be "measured", but, it DOES matter to the machine's operation.

Unless a machine is rated as a Garage unit - like the Gladiator box, care should be taken moving a machine into a colder environment than a kitchen.

terryf said…

the control that cycles the refer on/off is the cold control in the fresh food compartment. when the temp in the garage is down around 40 degrees the fridge won't run long enough for the freezer to get cold enough to freeze. cold air is taken from the freezer side to cool the fresh food side. to get a colder freezer you close the air vent supplying to the fresh food side. the fridge runs longer to cool the fresh food side and the freezer gets colder. in a cold room the fridge wont run enough for the freezer side to work. Unless the refrigerator is in a room at about 50-60 degrees ambient temp.

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Grateful if you could suggest how to close the air vent supplying to the fresh food side. Since the cold weather started, the freezer section of my new refer in the garage is only cooling to about 20 deg F whereas it should be around 0 deg. A closer read of the manual says do not install refer where temp will be less than 55 deg. Hoping your suggestion will solve problem.

Maybe an electric blanket would help?

CDWerner said…

terryf said…

 (u)nless the refrigerator is in a room at about 50-60 degrees ambient temp.

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A closer read of the manual says do not install refer where temp will be less than 55 deg.

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Reading the manual always seems to be a last resort when it should be the first thing you do.

Large home appliances, including fridges, are designed for home use, in a household environment. Not many households fall below 55 degrees at ANY time of the year (unless the heat goes out).

That said, knowing that many people DO use their appliances in a manner inconsistent with the appliance's design, there is a "Garage Refrigerator Kit" available (http://frigidaire.stores.yahoo.net/gakithecokit.html) that will fit all Frigidaire top-freezer models made since 2001. 

It will also work with Kenmore models 7/65xxx 7/64xxx etc. that have a model number starting with 253 (i.e. 253.65802801, 253.74192000) indicating that they were manufactured for Sears by Frigidaire. They are 30" wide by either 66" or 69" tall. For other models, contact the manufacturer using the number provided in the owners manual. Don't have a manual? Go to sears.com/parts, enter your model number, then click on the "Get manuals" link on the right.

Or, buy a product designed for the garage: http://www.sears.com/shc/s/Compare?storeId=10153&catalogId=12605&partNumber_1=04628432000P&partNumber_2=04660722000P&partNumber_3=04604463000P&partNumber_4=04643173000P&partNumber_5=04628722000P&prodCount=5