Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:

Running a refrigerator in an unheated area

Freezers and refrigerators are designed to perform the best when placed within the heated area of your home. When placed in an unheated area they usually burn out their starter, although some early designs had seemingly indestructible starters that tend to last forever in unheated areas.

The reason the starter burns out when freezers or refrigerators are stored in an unheated space is that after a period of time, when the temperature surrounding the unit is low enough so the compressor doesn't need to cut in, the compressor gets as cold as the environment. The oil in the bottom of the compressor case gets very thick and prevents the motor from turning when it does need to start. This situation causes the compressor to "cycle on it's overload". Each time the compressor tries to start the windings inside the case get a little warmer. This will eventually heat and thin the oil enough so that the compressor starts. Modern starters are not really designed to do this on a continuous basis and will burn out quite quickly.

In the second edition of my book I describe how to make up a device that solves this problem. Let me know if you are interested in receiving a copy.