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Keeping an old refrigerator running in an uninsulated garage can cost more than it's worth. First, you'll have to heat it in the winter to make the freezer work; then it needs more power in the summer heat. If you have to have it, here's how to make it work.
Find the model number of your refrigerator and contact the manufacturer's parts department to see if it offers a garage kit for your unit.
You may be able to solve your problem by installing a “garage kit,” a heating coil to warm the air around the thermostat. The warmer air makes the compressor run longer and keeps frozen food, well, frozen. Check with the manufacturer to see if it makes one for your model.
But before you shell out $20 for the kit, consider how much you’ll have to spend to keep your brews chilled and pizzas frozen in the summer. Your old fridge is less efficient than your new one, so it’s already costing you more to run. Add 25 percent to run the old clunker in an 80-degree garage. Then double the bill if it’s running in a garage at 90 degrees and up. Are you sure you want to pay that much just to save a trip to the kitchen?
Avoid last-minute shopping trips by having all your materials ready ahead of time. Here's a list.
Share what's on your mind and see what other DIYers are thinking about.
October 09, 12:34 AM [GMT -5]
I installed a 25 watt light bulb on top shelf under thermostat. Screwed the bulb into a socket that can be plugged into an extension cord. Then plugged the extension cord in outside the fridge. To keep bulb upright i zipped tied cord to shelf. This keeps my brews cold and pizza frozen. I thank my dad for this idea.
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