Electric Refrigerator in unheated cabin

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I want to use a electric refrigerator in a cabin that will only be heated occasionally during the winter. The cabin is in a fairly temperate zone so the temperature can vary between 0 and 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Other cabin owners have problems with refrigerator life when used in these conditions. Frigidaire recomends that their refrigerators are not operated below 55 degrees Fahrenheit. I will be using a manual defrost refrigerator, so it will not try to heat up the colling coils to melt off the ice buildup. I am still concerned about the loading on the compressor when cooling during ambient temperature between 55 and 34 degrees Fahrenheit. I can construct a thermostat to shut off power to the fridge when the ambient temperature goes below a set temperature say 40 degrees. Is this a reasonable thing to do or am I worrying to much about nothing.

-- Rich Vandervoort (richvandervoort@hotmail.com), July 30, 2001

Answers

as long as its the POWER you shut off,, and NOT the compressor,, you should be fine,, the switch will keep trying to start up,, and burn it out. BUt iif the temp is goiong to be that low,,why do you need a fridge? just open the door. Or unplug it if your not going to be there,, and with it being so cold,, it'll stay cold

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), July 30, 2001.

The reason I need the fridge running is that the temperature may be 20 degrees when I leave, but 60 degrees later in the week. So I need the cooling to work only during unpredictable warm spells.

-- Rich Vandervoort (richvandervoort@hotmail.com), July 30, 2001.

I have a GE apt size refrigerator out in my unheated garage and all I do in winter is turn the dial down to 1 or 2 and it works just fine, come summer I turn it back up to 4 or 5.

-- TomK (Mich.) (tjk@cac.net), July 30, 2001.

Many of us have operated smallish refrigerators in unheated barns for many, many years with no problems, we just turn the thermostat down low.

-- Annie Miller in SE OH (annie@1st.net), July 30, 2001.

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