Q&AZ: Should you keep your fridge in the garage during hot Arizona summers?

Many Arizonans put a second fridge in their garage for convenient storage, but could this be damaging the appliance?

Through KJZZ's Q&AZ reporting project, a listener asked: Is it OK to run a refrigerator in the garage?

A garage over 110 degrees is not an ideal place for a fridge. However, with a well sealed and insulated unit, there are ways to maintain its life during a hot summer.

Try to minimize how many times you open the fridge door. Each time, your fridge is having to work to cool down the hot air that enters, according to Jesse Fernandez, an analog power engineer with the Arizona Society of Professional Engineers. 

He also suggests keeping your fridge fully stocked to minimize the open space and therefore the amount of hot air that is able to enter.

Something as simple as putting in cases of water can reduce the workload on your fridge and maintain a more consistent cool temperature, Fernandez said.

“Your fridge coils are what cool down your fridge by pulling out the warm air. When you have a stocked fridge, it would put less work on your fridge coils because there's going to be less warm air to pull out," he said.

Another tip: Clean your fridge coils once every six months, Fernandez said. This will allow your coils to work to their full potential without obstruction of dirt and debris.