The Refrigerator is Not Operating in Cold Weather

Too Cold For Cooling

When the temperature around your refrigerator begins to fall below 50 degrees the compressor will be tricked into thinking it doesn’t need to cycle on as often or run as long. This can result in improper cooling. As the temperature falls, the lack of a cooling cycle will become more of a problem and the air inside the fresh food compartment and freezer may rise to levels above the safe range for storing perishable foods. If the temperatures really plummet and fall below freezing, the compressor will not cycle on at all and the refrigerator will eventually be as cold as the freezing temperatures outside, which could result in fresh food freezing inside the unit.

While water freezes at 32 degrees F., some foods do not. Ice cream and popsicles are family favorites for the freezer compartment and they require a lower temperature to remain in their solid state. This is why freezers are programmed to remain around zero degrees F. When the refrigerator is in cold weather surroundings the short cooling cycle or non-existent cooling cycle may make the refrigerator eventually adjust to the same temperature as the outside air eventually. Even if the refrigerator settles at a temperature below freezing, the freezer may still be at a higher temperature than it requires and thawing will occur.

The most expensive repair you would likely make to a refrigerator is a replacement compressor. Consumers often choose to buy a whole new unit instead of spending money on repairs. Owners want the compressors to last as long as possible. But cold weather exposure can thicken the oil that lubricates the compressor’s parts and may make it fail long before it should.

If you want to use a refrigerator in an exposed area where temperatures get too cold for normal operation, you may be able to use a home remedy to make the refrigerator work, according to the Mister Fix It website. Using a 40-watt light bulb mounted in a coffee can and plugged into an outlet, you can create a heater that will force the refrigerator to call for cooling even when it gets cold outside. This will maintain proper temperatures as long as the outside temperature doesn’t drop too low.