"MournSword" wrote in message
oups.com...
I'd like to install a very small refrigerator in a barbecue type
island I'm building. Problem is, that it gets below freezing here
very frequently.

I'd only use the refrigerator (and only have power to it), when I'm
barbecueing in the warmer months. Would having a small refrigerator
with no power hurt the refrigerator during the cold months..? Any
information appreciated, especially hands on experiences about having
a refrigerator in an unheated area, garage, yard or whatever!!
Thanks, Larry

I predict an indoor or RV-grade refrig will have a very short life out
there, even aside from it getting confused and not working right when the
nights get chilly. Outdoor-grade refrigerators, aka soda pop machines, cost
a whole lot more for a reason, and it ain't just the cukoo clock parts for
the money and cans. Making the plumbing weather-resistant requires better
materials and engineering. I'm sure some barbecue equipment company makes a
purpose-built refrig for your application, but it is bound to be expensive.
If the usual alternative of one of those wheeled deck coolers is out of the
question, I'd build a nook into the the island for a cart-mounted dorm or
bar fridge. Putting one of those on all-terrain casters and a metal frame
should not be hard- probably can adapt some existing cart from the big-box.
Then just roll it out from garage or wherever at dawn, and plug it in, on
the days you will be entertaining. If you can keep it plugged in somewhere
within the heated space, that will solve the dawn and smell problems.

aem sends...