Keezer in Hot Garage

Here in Florida our garage can reach a blistering 105+ degrees during the summer months. The humidity feels like something you might experience in a tropical rainforest.

Is it a bad idea to keep our keezer out in the garage in these conditions?

I know the manufacturer's instructions say to avoid doing this. I'm wondering if they are just being super cautious or if it really will spell certain doom for our keezer and its contents (the precious homebrews).

This will be our first summer with the keezer in the garage so any thoughts or personal experiences would be much appreciated.

If it matters, it's a GE 7.0 cu. ft. freezer from Home Depot that I converted to a keezer with 2x10 wooden collar.

Thanks!

You've pretty much nailed the reasons why I have zero desire to ever go back to FL...

You could install a fan, or two, in the upper part of the garage in order to vent some of the hot air. Or get a solar powered roof fan and install it. That way, as the temps go up, it pulls the air out. You'll still not get below the outside temps, but at least you'll have a cooler (and less humid) garage.

As for the temps the manufacturers recommend keeping the freezer in. I suspect it will run a LOT more when you go over that range. If you properly insulated the collar, you shouldn't have too much loss from it (or too much heat getting in)... Only way to know for certain, would be to put one of the devices that measure how much power something is using. It goes between the plug on the controller and the outlet. I would also get one of the weather stations with remove probes, that also keeps the high and low readings stored, and put the cordless sensor in the keezer. Then you'll know, what temps it's hitting.

I lived in florida for years. Had the kegerator in an unheated-uncooled laundry room with a flat roof and it worked fine. 105 is kinda cool actually, the thermometer I had on the covered porch next to the laundry room regularly read 115 or more in summer. If that is where you have room for it then go ahead, I wouldn't worry about it. Down there I saw more than one person with the fridge sitting outside in the sun and covered by nothing but an eve. It will cycle a little more but it will work. I was running a regular kegerator so I don't have first hand keezer knowledge. I suspect you may have a moisture/water build up problem since keezers tend to retain water plus extra humidity outside. Some damp rid or a drain hole may be in order. I miss florida, indiana is such a hole.

-cheers

Both the above posts have excellent suggestions. IMO, insulating the collar and somehow venting/exhausting the garage are the most important. Condensation should not be excessive if the freezer is well sealed. There will always be some, but if there is an air leak there will be a whole lot more. The kill-a-watt meter thingy can really be an eye opener on power consumption for any household 110v appliance. It will log the duration and the cumulative kwhs since last reset, so you can easily figure out the cost per month to operate something like a freezer. I was surprised to learn that the power consumption was much less than I had expected for my freezers.

I will look into installing a roof vent or fan to vent the hot air so at least the garage won't be hotter than the outside temps.

Thanks for the suggestions everyone!

Seven said:

Is it a bad idea to keep our keezer out in the garage in these conditions?

I know the manufacturer's instructions say to avoid doing this.

Click to expand...

One thing to keep in mind is that the keezer is around 40°F inside, instead of 0°F (as the manufacturer would expect), so it's not nearly working as hard as you think.

The temp differential from inside to ambient (about 65°) is about the same as if the unit was being used as a freezer in a 65° room, which it's certainly designed to do.

Of course, it's been modified with a collar. I'd definitely insulate that and any gaps/penetrations in the collar.

(FWIW - I keep my chest freezer ferm chamber at 65° in my garage all summer here in Atlanta, GA and it hardly cycles)

W/ the Florida humidity, you will likely get condensation on the inside. No biggie, I recently found a leftover stray package of baby diapers in the house, one tossed in the low corner of the keezer turned inside out works pretty well at absorbing condensation / spilled product.

a container of rice will do that for you...

Seven said:

I know the manufacturer's instructions say to avoid doing this.

Thanks!

Click to expand...

Sorry if someone has posted this beore. but i don't feel ike havinging reaind the post( i'm no ads thinik as drunk you u s am.0 : D hahahah

nay who the manufacturers have put alot of time into testin there machines and i guessed you get away for a while but it will f up sooon. so Meh. hope i hlep probl y not. : D

I keep mine in the garage in Wyoming and have a lot more trouble with cold than hot but, my garage will get to 90 + in the summer. There is a definate effect and on the refrig that I use. The internal temp goes up when the weater gets real hot and it runs all the time but it still works. The only thing that I can't do is lager at about 35 F once the outside temps go up.