Refrigerator in garage was freezing everything in it. Tried your solution today and it is working perfectly! Temp hanging around 35-36 degrees. Thanks so much for posting your solution. Eddie in Southwest Virginia
I can't believe that this actually works. I have a refrigerator in the garage and it was 41 degrees and wouldn't get colder. I put in the light bulb as instructed and within 10 minutes, the temperature was down to 35 degrees. I use the YoLink temperature sensor because I can view the temperature on my phone and get email notices if the temperature falls or rises above the set parameters. Tried the type used in this video, but it requires you to regularly look at the little monitor screen. The YoLink is a little more expensive but worth it. We buy beef in large quantities and have several freezers and use 10 of the YoLink sensors.
This works great! The part cost me about $12 and a 13 watt bulb. I also purchased an analog fridge/freezer thermometer, so under $20 altogether. We're having some up and down weather in northern Ohio so some days I've been able to turn this off for several hours. This will definitely keep us going through the winter. What a great hack! Thanks, John!
I find that in order to keep the freezer around zero degrees I need to keep the light plugged in if my garage gets below 50 degrees. Otherwise if I unplug the light the freezer is about 12 to 15 degrees.
You could also "adapt" the fridge so the light in the fridge stays on when the door is closed. I simply drilled a small hole in the door where the button makes contact to turn the light off. When the weather warms up, I just put a piece of tape over the hole so the switch works again. $0 dollar fix. Do not alter the light in the freezer. That should continue to turn off as designed. This will only work on a fridge with a single thermostat controlling both the freezer and fridge.
Thanks so much. Last winter I put a heater in my garage which used a lot of electricity. Tried a 20 watt bulb in fridge a few days ago and it works like a charm!
Glad to hear that. You might want to use a lower wattage bulb in order to save energy costs. Too high of a wattage will cause your fridge to run more often to offset the heat from the bulb. Ideally your fridge will run just enough to keep your freezer at zero and the fridge around 40. For me a 15 watt cfl does the trick.
@@johngulbronson969 With 20 watt bulb, fridge has been between 36-37F and freezer is below zero. Everything is working great. Sure beats running 1500 watt heater in garage like last year.
Ingenious idea my man. I live in Chicago in the Midwest and it defrosts every time it's cold outside. Soon as I get home from work I'm going to do the same setup. You're awesome thanks
Brilliant idea. I ordered a fridge heater kit for mine but it will take a few days to get here, while I wait for the parts (and the time to install them) I adapted your idea by inserting a portable light (one of those used by car mechanics) inside the fridge. I used a bulb similar to the one you have
Works like a charm, John! Great life hack! Thanks so much for posting this. I bought a Reptile Thermostat on Amazon too, and 13W CFL bulbs in BLACK (so you don't get BLINDED when opening the fridge)! I set the Thermostat to shut-off above 45F (7C). Got a clamp lamp with socket for $15 at Home Hardware. My GE garage fridge doesn't have a heat-kit option, so this worked perfectly.
Glad to hear that. I just put a reptile thermostat on my set-up as well. I am not sure if it will save me very much money due to reduced electricity usage, but it's worth a try. Did not think about a black bulb as I did not know they were available, but not a bad idea.
nice! I did this with stuff I already had, so win-win! I used the existing temperature sensor in the garage, home assistant will turn on a tp-kasa plug that turns on the light in the fridge when it's cold and off when it's not so cold. thanks!
So I purchased a 13 cfl 60W bulb similar to the one in this video - have had it running with the outside temperature around the fridge around 55-58F - The fridge doesn't seem to be cooling as much as it has in the past in either the fridge or freezer areas - so I am thinking I may have a bigger issue with my situation but love this idea, as its certainly cheaper than purchasing a new fridge. I'll need to see what else may be going on...
Try a 7.5 watt bub. We have had a mild winter and my garage has not gotten very cold. I have been able to maintain around zero degrees in the freezer and 36 to 40 in the refrigerator with the lower powered bulb. Adjust your freezer and refrigerator settings until you get the desired temperatures.
@@johngulbronson969 Thank you - I assume you are using a CFL style bulb at 7.5W consumption rating? That rating of bulb seems to be a little more challenging to find but as the fridge seems to be running decently again, I may just stick with the 13W bulb and only have it come on once the temperature in the garage is 45F, which should make better use of the bulb I have which you had recommended. Thank You.
John, I read somewhere else someone hooked it up to a timer and turned on and off the bulb every 30 minutes and it worked for them. Have you ever tried this method to save energy?
@@ethan35c I have not tried a timer. I tried a reptile mat but that did not work out. I am not too concerned about the energy cost as I use a very low wattage bulb. I can't imagine that my fridge cost anymore to run in the winter than it does in the summer as my garage can get pretty warm in the summer months. Regardless, with hundreds of dollars worth of food in my freezer an extra $5 a month to keep everything at zero degrees is well worth it.
@@johngulbronson969 makes sense! I’m in PA so winters are cold and summers can get hot. Have your bulbs lasted a while or have you seen them burning out quickly ?
This is a great idea but I would suggest if possible using a bulb that has an outer protector instead of the squiggly type you have. This will protect from broken glass.
That might work. Right now I have a 7.5 watt bulb running full time. It costs 18 cents a day for the bulb. When it gets colder here in MI I will put in a 13 watt bulb. Good luck
Late to the game, an idea I will be implementing is putting the light on a smart timer. You can program a 10 minute on 20minute off cycle. That should be enough to keep it running.
It was around zero outside last week and 35 degrees in my garage. It worked just fine. I have had my garage get as low as 20 degrees a few years ago and it also worked fine.
I am sure I'm overthinking this but does it need to be that spiral type of bulb? Or any type of 12.5 watt bulb? I'm in Eastern Iowa so very familiar with the freezing temps and I just bought a GE top freezer refrigerator, trying to figure it out to get it to run properly. Thanks!
I do not believe it matters. Start out with the 12.5 watt low energy bulb and see how that works for you. I have my settings on both the cold side and the freezer side set low and with a 40 degree garage I am maintaining around zero in the freezer and 37 in the fridge. Ideal. I would strongly suggest utilizing a remote thermometer with sensors in both compartments. I hang mine on the garage wall and I can quickly determine the temperature of the garage, the freezer and the refrigerator.
@@johngulbronson969 thank you for the fast response. My freezer doesn't seem to have it's own temp control so I'll play with the one control a bit. Just need to find a bulb, thanks again!
John I wish I saw this last year will try it. Can you let us know what make / type of device you bought to watch the temp in the freezer / fridge / garage ?
Just type in Remote temperature monitor in Amazon and you will have many options to choose from. I replaced my initial unit with one that has 2 remote sensors. The receiver has a magnet on the back that I mount on the outside of my fridge. Now I can read the temperatures without opening the fridge door.
@@johngulbronson969 Curious as to what unit you went with that has the two remote sensors - would you mind sharing the unit you are using as I would like to consider a similar setup. Thanks in advance.
@@Ebaldacc It is something I picked up off of Amazon. I suggest checking out the site and selecting one. They are all Chinese made and the one I bought is no longer on the site.
I added the 12.5 light, set my freezer and refrigerator to minimum cold. The freezer temperature is minus 10 and refrigerator is at 15 degrees. Any suggestions?
@@johngulbronson969 Fahrenheit ... now I have a 50 watt bulb in the refrigerator and the freezer is at -20F and refrigerator at 21F. I have the freezer set to max cool and refrigerator to minimum cold.
How many times would you say your fridge turns on to cool it down with this setup? I have a 13W CFL (60-Watt Incandescent Equivalent) and I think it may be working too well. I’m not sure how often a refrigerator turns on to cool normally, but I’m wondering if my refrigerator is turning on too often due to the light. Refrigerator temp goes to high 30s F to 40F and freezer goes to -20F when turned on. When the fridge turns off the freezer temp ends up around 5-10F and the fridge heats up a little over 40F. At this point the fridge will kick on again to cool down. I’m not sure if this is normal. I am worried about my electrical consumption and I am not sure how many times my fridge actually turns on. What do you think?
There is no perfect answer as your garage temp is likely changing quite a bit throughout a week or month. I leave the bulb on all the time when the garage is below 50 degrees, I set my freezer and refrigerator slide adjustment in the middle and then adjust so that my freezer is near zero and the fridge near 40. As I am generally opening it every day it is easy to keep an eye on it and move the slides a bit when needed, Often I can go several days without adjustment but large changes in garage temp can cause me to adjust the thermostat. At the end of the day, I have some expensive food in the freezer that I do not want to waste. If I am paying an extra 10 bucks a month or so for electricity it is well worth it. I know several people that ruin their food in the freezer and are completely oblivious why their food is not very tasty or they have massive freezer burn from thaw and freeze cycles.
I went to try and buy a 12w Compact fluorescent light bulb and they don't sell them anymore. I guess it is against the law here in Michigan now. What kind of bulb can I try that will do the same thing?
I bought mine at either Lowe's or Menards. I have had them for years though. I have to believe they still make them, but perhaps an LED bulb would work just fine as they also give off heat. It is just a matter of finding the right bulb to generate the right amount of heat. This month I put a "reptile mat" to use. It detects the temperature inside the fridge and automatically turns the bulb on when the temp falls below 40 degrees in the fridge. I am still fine tuning the freezer setting but is does stay about 5 degrees now. This is saving energy as the bulb is not on all the time, but in reality is likely saves less that a quarter a month. My small sample size at this point would lead me to believe it is not worth it to spend $16 to save at most a dollar or 2 a year.
Is the bulb you use a 15 watt use of electricity? I ask because I have a 60 watt replacement bulb that uses 15 watts. Can you elaborate on the bulb used?
No it does not run constantly. A majority of the time it does not run. Think of it like how it reacts in the summer to the higher outside heat, when it will run more often than at room temperature. It runs just often enough to reach the desired temperature. I tried a Reptile mat in an attempt to save energy, but the fridge did not run often enough to keep the freezer near zero,
I don't think you need to worry about a freezer only unit as in that case the thermostat is in the freezer. On regular refrigerator/freezer combos the thermostat is in the refrigerator. That is why the light bulb works in the colder months to keep the freezer at zero degrees
What do you have your frig & freezer set at with the bulb on? Is each side set all the way to coldest or halfway like it normally is? My garage can get down to 20 degrees and less. I turned my freezer all the way to 'coldest' and it seems to be doing ok but it's only in the 40's outside. Someone in another video said the CFL bulb doesn't give off enough heat and to use a 25W incandescent instead. What are your thoughts?
I just installed the light again in my refrigerator as the temperature has been below freezing recently, although it has only been in the forties in my garage. I set my freezer to the coldest setting now with my fridge in the middle, and it is keeping my freezer between zero and 10. As it gets colder in the garage, I have to play with the controls a bit to get a good balance. Not a problem as I am in the fridge every day, so it is simple to monitor. If you are in an environment that gets down to 20 or below you may need to install a higher wattage bulb to get enough heat in the fridge to get it to run properly. But I would wait until it gets a bit colder before switching over. If you put the higher wattage bulb in now your fridge may be running more to offset the added heat from the higher wattage bulb. But it depends on your priorities. If you don't mind higher energy costs to keep your freezer near zero all the time just install the higher wattage bulb and pay maybe $10 a month more to make sure it keeps running. Regardless, the most important thing is to keep your frozen foods frozen near zero degrees to extend shelf life and keep your refrigerator around 35 to 40.
Hey John. How many lumens does that flourescent bulb make? I have an 8 watt that replaces a 50 watt incandescent but is 600 lumens. I figure that's what we need to know versus wattage as that varies so. Thanks! I already have the clamp and got it plugged in, just may need to get the correct bulb. Too bad we lost about $150 in frozen meat alone before I found this happening. Weird thing is if you unplug and replug the frig, it resets something and the compressor comes on immediately. Thanks again.
I am not sure if the lumens make any difference as that is a measure of light, and what you need is heat. The bulb I use works very well for my situation. Michigan winter with the garage temperature anywhere from 50 degrees down to 20 degrees if it gets really cold - which does not seem to happen any more.
@@johngulbronson969 alright thanks man. Yeah I’m out in western CO and the garage is the outside temp. I’m not sure lightbulbs measure anything but light output (lumens) and how much energy they consume (wattage) but with so many varying new wattage lights it’s hard to know other than their lumens. 🤷♂️ Look like I’m due for a trip for a lightbulb.
What do you have in the fridge? What does your garage temperature get down to? If the garage temperature stays above 32F I would do nothing. If it is generally under 32F it will work, but you might want to try a 7.5 watt bulb initially.
How long have you had this setup running for? Do you just leave the light on 24/7? I live just outside London, Ontario, similar to your weather. The issue I have is my fridge is freezing food but the freezer is fine 🤷♂️
I leave the light on 24/7 in the winter. I started doing this in early January when my garage temp was under 45 degrees F. Minor electrical usage with the 12 watt bulb. Garage temp was 35 yesterday. freezer temp at zero and fridge was 39. Steaks are frozen and beer is cold.
Yes you can someone else put a video up and I have been doing it for a couple years now. You just rig the sensor to think the doors open and I use a stardard appliance bulb not led and I use 25wat bulbs
50 watt was too much. the 12 watt seems to be just right for temperatures below 45 degrees in the garage. I pretty much have it dialed in to run at zero degrees in the freezer and 40 in the fridge. so simple and effective.
Wow, great tip. It's working like a charm. Was starting to worry as I have a lot
of food in the freezer.
Refrigerator in garage was freezing everything in it. Tried your solution today and it is working perfectly! Temp hanging around 35-36 degrees. Thanks so much for posting your solution. Eddie in Southwest Virginia
I can't believe that this actually works. I have a refrigerator in the garage and it was 41 degrees and wouldn't get colder. I put in the light bulb as instructed and within 10 minutes, the temperature was down to 35 degrees. I use the YoLink temperature sensor because I can view the temperature on my phone and get email notices if the temperature falls or rises above the set parameters. Tried the type used in this video, but it requires you to regularly look at the little monitor screen. The YoLink is a little more expensive but worth it. We buy beef in large quantities and have several freezers and use 10 of the YoLink sensors.
This works great! The part cost me about $12 and a 13 watt bulb. I also purchased an analog fridge/freezer thermometer, so under $20 altogether. We're having some up and down weather in northern Ohio so some days I've been able to turn this off for several hours. This will definitely keep us going through the winter. What a great hack! Thanks, John!
I find that in order to keep the freezer around zero degrees I need to keep the light plugged in if my garage gets below 50 degrees. Otherwise if I unplug the light the freezer is about 12 to 15 degrees.
You could also "adapt" the fridge so the light in the fridge stays on when the door is closed. I simply drilled a small hole in the door where the button makes contact to turn the light off. When the weather warms up, I just put a piece of tape over the hole so the switch works again. $0 dollar fix.
Do not alter the light in the freezer. That should continue to turn off as designed.
This will only work on a fridge with a single thermostat controlling both the freezer and fridge.
Love this "hack". I used your suggestion for a 3 minute, $0 "fix". Thanks.
Thanks so much. Last winter I put a heater in my garage which used a lot of electricity. Tried a 20 watt bulb in fridge a few days ago and it works like a charm!
Glad to hear that. You might want to use a lower wattage bulb in order to save energy costs. Too high of a wattage will cause your fridge to run more often to offset the heat from the bulb. Ideally your fridge will run just enough to keep your freezer at zero and the fridge around 40. For me a 15 watt cfl does the trick.
@@johngulbronson969 With 20 watt bulb, fridge has been between 36-37F and freezer is below zero. Everything is working great. Sure beats running 1500 watt heater in garage like last year.
Ingenious idea my man. I live in Chicago in the Midwest and it defrosts every time it's cold outside. Soon as I get home from work I'm going to do the same setup. You're awesome thanks
What kind of bulb are you using now ?
Brilliant idea. I ordered a fridge heater kit for mine but it will take a few days to get here, while I wait for the parts (and the time to install them) I adapted your idea by inserting a portable light (one of those used by car mechanics) inside the fridge. I used a bulb similar to the one you have
Works like a charm, John! Great life hack! Thanks so much for posting this. I bought a Reptile Thermostat on Amazon too, and 13W CFL bulbs in BLACK (so you don't get BLINDED when opening the fridge)! I set the Thermostat to shut-off above 45F (7C). Got a clamp lamp with socket for $15 at Home Hardware. My GE garage fridge doesn't have a heat-kit option, so this worked perfectly.
Glad to hear that. I just put a reptile thermostat on my set-up as well. I am not sure if it will save me very much money due to reduced electricity usage, but it's worth a try. Did not think about a black bulb as I did not know they were available, but not a bad idea.
Thank you, this worked perfectly. I appreciate the suggestion of the black light - I too didn't want the additional bright light.
nice! I did this with stuff I already had, so win-win! I used the existing temperature sensor in the garage, home assistant will turn on a tp-kasa plug that turns on the light in the fridge when it's cold and off when it's not so cold. thanks!
Thank you so much for the video , to everyone watching this works
So I purchased a 13 cfl 60W bulb similar to the one in this video - have had it running with the outside temperature around the fridge around 55-58F - The fridge doesn't seem to be cooling as much as it has in the past in either the fridge or freezer areas - so I am thinking I may have a bigger issue with my situation but love this idea, as its certainly cheaper than purchasing a new fridge. I'll need to see what else may be going on...
Try a 7.5 watt bub. We have had a mild winter and my garage has not gotten very cold. I have been able to maintain around zero degrees in the freezer and 36 to 40 in the refrigerator with the lower powered bulb. Adjust your freezer and refrigerator settings until you get the desired temperatures.
@@johngulbronson969 Thank you - I assume you are using a CFL style bulb at 7.5W consumption rating? That rating of bulb seems to be a little more challenging to find but as the fridge seems to be running decently again, I may just stick with the 13W bulb and only have it come on once the temperature in the garage is 45F, which should make better use of the bulb I have which you had recommended. Thank You.
Thanks for the vid very helpful for my fridge freezer in the garage 👍🏻
I did this and it worked!!...thank you!!!
This video saved my garage fridge!
Glad to hear that. Cold beer and frozen steaks!
John, I read somewhere else someone hooked it up to a timer and turned on and off the bulb every 30 minutes and it worked for them. Have you ever tried this method to save energy?
@@ethan35c I have not tried a timer. I tried a reptile mat but that did not work out. I am not too concerned about the energy cost as I use a very low wattage bulb. I can't imagine that my fridge cost anymore to run in the winter than it does in the summer as my garage can get pretty warm in the summer months. Regardless, with hundreds of dollars worth of food in my freezer an extra $5 a month to keep everything at zero degrees is well worth it.
@@johngulbronson969 makes sense! I’m in PA so winters are cold and summers can get hot. Have your bulbs lasted a while or have you seen them burning out quickly ?
Thanks for the tip....experimenting with it right now. Looks like the right answer.👍👍
This is a great idea but I would suggest if possible using a bulb that has an outer protector instead of the squiggly type you have. This will protect from broken glass.
That might work. Right now I have a 7.5 watt bulb running full time. It costs 18 cents a day for the bulb. When it gets colder here in MI I will put in a 13 watt bulb. Good luck
Late to the game, an idea I will be implementing is putting the light on a smart timer. You can program a 10 minute on 20minute off cycle. That should be enough to keep it running.
great info...i wonder if it works when its down to like -0 degrees....or can I use the old style light bulbs...like a 25 watt.....?
It was around zero outside last week and 35 degrees in my garage. It worked just fine. I have had my garage get as low as 20 degrees a few years ago and it also worked fine.
Does your refrigerator have both adjustments for the freezer and the refrigerator temperatures inside the refrigerator?
Yes. Most refrigerator/freezer units do. I will have to make some adjustments based on the temperature fluctuations in my garage
Thank you! Do not freeze the white claws!!! 😂
I am sure I'm overthinking this but does it need to be that spiral type of bulb? Or any type of 12.5 watt bulb? I'm in Eastern Iowa so very familiar with the freezing temps and I just bought a GE top freezer refrigerator, trying to figure it out to get it to run properly. Thanks!
I do not believe it matters. Start out with the 12.5 watt low energy bulb and see how that works for you. I have my settings on both the cold side and the freezer side set low and with a 40 degree garage I am maintaining around zero in the freezer and 37 in the fridge. Ideal.
I would strongly suggest utilizing a remote thermometer with sensors in both compartments. I hang mine on the garage wall and I can quickly determine the temperature of the garage, the freezer and the refrigerator.
@@johngulbronson969 thank you for the fast response. My freezer doesn't seem to have it's own temp control so I'll play with the one control a bit. Just need to find a bulb, thanks again!
John I wish I saw this last year will try it.
Can you let us know what make / type of device you bought to watch the temp in the freezer / fridge / garage ?
Just type in Remote temperature monitor in Amazon and you will have many options to choose from. I replaced my initial unit with one that has 2 remote sensors. The receiver has a magnet on the back that I mount on the outside of my fridge. Now I can read the temperatures without opening the fridge door.
@@johngulbronson969 Curious as to what unit you went with that has the two remote sensors - would you mind sharing the unit you are using as I would like to consider a similar setup. Thanks in advance.
@@Ebaldacc It is something I picked up off of Amazon. I suggest checking out the site and selecting one. They are all Chinese made and the one I bought is no longer on the site.
@@johngulbronson969 Thank You - I managed to find one that actually does three different transmitter readings - too all good there!
I added the 12.5 light, set my freezer and refrigerator to minimum cold. The freezer temperature is minus 10 and refrigerator is at 15 degrees. Any suggestions?
Is your temperature gauge reading Celsius instead of Fahrenheit?
@@johngulbronson969 Fahrenheit ... now I have a 50 watt bulb in the refrigerator and the freezer is at -20F and refrigerator at 21F. I have the freezer set to max cool and refrigerator to minimum cold.
Would a bird bath heater/deicer work too?
Not sure. The light bulb works great and is cheap
Thank you thank you it worked like a charm
Glad that it worked for you.
Nice job! Thanks a ton.
Glad you liked it!
How many times would you say your fridge turns on to cool it down with this setup? I have a 13W CFL (60-Watt Incandescent Equivalent) and I think it may be working too well.
I’m not sure how often a refrigerator turns on to cool normally, but I’m wondering if my refrigerator is turning on too often due to the light.
Refrigerator temp goes to high 30s F to 40F and freezer goes to -20F when turned on. When the fridge turns off the freezer temp ends up around 5-10F and the fridge heats up a little over 40F. At this point the fridge will kick on again to cool down.
I’m not sure if this is normal. I am worried about my electrical consumption and I am not sure how many times my fridge actually turns on.
What do you think?
There is no perfect answer as your garage temp is likely changing quite a bit throughout a week or month. I leave the bulb on all the time when the garage is below 50 degrees, I set my freezer and refrigerator slide adjustment in the middle and then adjust so that my freezer is near zero and the fridge near 40. As I am generally opening it every day it is easy to keep an eye on it and move the slides a bit when needed, Often I can go several days without adjustment but large changes in garage temp can cause me to adjust the thermostat.
At the end of the day, I have some expensive food in the freezer that I do not want to waste. If I am paying an extra 10 bucks a month or so for electricity it is well worth it. I know several people that ruin their food in the freezer and are completely oblivious why their food is not very tasty or they have massive freezer burn from thaw and freeze cycles.
I went to try and buy a 12w Compact fluorescent light bulb and they don't sell them anymore. I guess it is against the law here in Michigan now. What kind of bulb can I try that will do the same thing?
I use a 12 watt CFL bulb
now I know what to do with my old c9 xmas bulbs
Where do you find cfl bulbs these days? Local hardware store has moved to virtually all LED.
I bought mine at either Lowe's or Menards. I have had them for years though. I have to believe they still make them, but perhaps an LED bulb would work just fine as they also give off heat. It is just a matter of finding the right bulb to generate the right amount of heat.
This month I put a "reptile mat" to use. It detects the temperature inside the fridge and automatically turns the bulb on when the temp falls below 40 degrees in the fridge. I am still fine tuning the freezer setting but is does stay about 5 degrees now. This is saving energy as the bulb is not on all the time, but in reality is likely saves less that a quarter a month. My small sample size at this point would lead me to believe it is not worth it to spend $16 to save at most a dollar or 2 a year.
Is the bulb you use a 15 watt use of electricity? I ask because I have a 60 watt replacement bulb that uses 15 watts. Can you elaborate on the bulb used?
I use a 15 watt cfl bulb. It is really temperature dependent, but I find that wattage works well when my garage is from 25 to 45 degrees.
Does this just keep the fridge/freezer running constantly and that's why it stays running ?
No it does not run constantly. A majority of the time it does not run. Think of it like how it reacts in the summer to the higher outside heat, when it will run more often than at room temperature. It runs just often enough to reach the desired temperature. I tried a Reptile mat in an attempt to save energy, but the fridge did not run often enough to keep the freezer near zero,
would this work for a freezer ONLY unit? TIA
I don't think you need to worry about a freezer only unit as in that case the thermostat is in the freezer. On regular refrigerator/freezer combos the thermostat is in the refrigerator. That is why the light bulb works in the colder months to keep the freezer at zero degrees
@@johngulbronson969 super, thx
What do you have your frig & freezer set at with the bulb on? Is each side set all the way to coldest or halfway like it normally is? My garage can get down to 20 degrees and less. I turned my freezer all the way to 'coldest' and it seems to be doing ok but it's only in the 40's outside. Someone in another video said the CFL bulb doesn't give off enough heat and to use a 25W incandescent instead. What are your thoughts?
I just installed the light again in my refrigerator as the temperature has been below freezing recently, although it has only been in the forties in my garage. I set my freezer to the coldest setting now with my fridge in the middle, and it is keeping my freezer between zero and 10. As it gets colder in the garage, I have to play with the controls a bit to get a good balance. Not a problem as I am in the fridge every day, so it is simple to monitor. If you are in an environment that gets down to 20 or below you may need to install a higher wattage bulb to get enough heat in the fridge to get it to run properly. But I would wait until it gets a bit colder before switching over. If you put the higher wattage bulb in now your fridge may be running more to offset the added heat from the higher wattage bulb. But it depends on your priorities. If you don't mind higher energy costs to keep your freezer near zero all the time just install the higher wattage bulb and pay maybe $10 a month more to make sure it keeps running. Regardless, the most important thing is to keep your frozen foods frozen near zero degrees to extend shelf life and keep your refrigerator around 35 to 40.
Hey John. How many lumens does that flourescent bulb make? I have an 8 watt that replaces a 50 watt incandescent but is 600 lumens. I figure that's what we need to know versus wattage as that varies so. Thanks! I already have the clamp and got it plugged in, just may need to get the correct bulb. Too bad we lost about $150 in frozen meat alone before I found this happening. Weird thing is if you unplug and replug the frig, it resets something and the compressor comes on immediately. Thanks again.
I am not sure if the lumens make any difference as that is a measure of light, and what you need is heat. The bulb I use works very well for my situation. Michigan winter with the garage temperature anywhere from 50 degrees down to 20 degrees if it gets really cold - which does not seem to happen any more.
@@johngulbronson969 alright thanks man. Yeah I’m out in western CO and the garage is the outside temp. I’m not sure lightbulbs measure anything but light output (lumens) and how much energy they consume (wattage) but with so many varying new wattage lights it’s hard to know other than their lumens. 🤷♂️ Look like I’m due for a trip for a lightbulb.
What do you call that clamp that's holding the light?
It is called a clamp light. About 10 bucks at Lowe's or Home Depot.
Do you think that will work with a mini fridge without a freezer in a unheated garage?
What do you have in the fridge? What does your garage temperature get down to? If the garage temperature stays above 32F I would do nothing. If it is generally under 32F it will work, but you might want to try a 7.5 watt bulb initially.
@@johngulbronson969 beer it is most of the time unheated only heated when working on equipment. Live in Eastern Pa
@@timd5597 I would not do anything unless my beer started freezing
How long have you had this setup running for? Do you just leave the light on 24/7? I live just outside London, Ontario, similar to your weather. The issue I have is my fridge is freezing food but the freezer is fine 🤷♂️
I leave the light on 24/7 in the winter. I started doing this in early January when my garage temp was under 45 degrees F. Minor electrical usage with the 12 watt bulb. Garage temp was 35 yesterday. freezer temp at zero and fridge was 39. Steaks are frozen and beer is cold.
If you want to automate the bulb you can buy a temperature controlled outlet. They are also called a reptile thermostat. About $20 on Amazon
you think you could just pull the door switch and let fridges light stay on
Might be worth a try.
Yes you can someone else put a video up and I have been doing it for a couple years now. You just rig the sensor to think the doors open and I use a stardard appliance bulb not led and I use 25wat bulbs
Did you say 15 watt or 50 watt was to much for you in your video?
50 watt was too much. the 12 watt seems to be just right for temperatures below 45 degrees in the garage. I pretty much have it dialed in to run at zero degrees in the freezer and 40 in the fridge. so simple and effective.
Great video, thank you!
Glad you liked it!