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Blog > Fridge & Freezer > Climate Classes for fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers

Climate Classes for fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers

Fridges, freezers, and fridge-freezers are all designed to operate in specific temperature ranges (climates). If you place one in a kitchen or in a separate room inside your house it’s likely that it will operate as intended (although it’s not advisable to place a refrigeration appliance next to a heat source such as a radiator or a cooker, or even in strong direct sunlight).

If you place one in an outside building such as a shed or garage you may be putting it into temperature ranges that fall outside the designed limits and could therefore experience problems ( e.g. Freezer defrosted: Can you put a fridge freezer in a garage? )

All fridges, freezers, and fridge freezers should have a climate class printed on their rating plate (or maybe in the instruction book). This class indicates the minimum and maximum temperatures that the appliance is suitable to work in. The most common climate classes sold in the UK are listed in the form below. ( Where is the serial number on a fridge or freezer? )

NOTE: Your appliance may not necessarily use the phrase “climate class”, on my freezer the writing is very small and it just says “class SN”.

Climate  Class Minimum Temp Maximum Temp
N 16 Deg C 32 Deg C
SN 10 Deg C 32 Deg C
ST 18 Deg C 38 Deg C
T 18 Deg C 43 Deg C

Written By - Washerhelp on April 1st, 2009 with 33 comments
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#1. April 1st, 2009, at 6:53 PM.

Freezer defrosted: Can you put a fridge freezer in a garage?: Climate Classes for fridges, freezers and fridge-freezers

Anthony Chapman Anthony Chapman
#2. June 28th, 2009, at 8:17 PM.


Whirpool in North America sells a garage fridge (Gladiator), which can operate at sub-zero temperatures because it has a heater as well as a cooling unit.
Can this model, or any analogue, be purchased in Europe.

Thanks

Tony

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#3. June 29th, 2009, at 1:43 PM.


I think it’s highly unlikely Tony. Not unless there are parts of Europe where such a requirement would be desired. The idea of a fridge needing to heat up its contents instead of cooling them down is quite novel for the UK :-)

Geoff Goodall Geoff Goodall
#4. August 22nd, 2009, at 5:17 PM.


not sure if this right forum for this question. If i buy a fridge/freezer in the uk and then ship it out to cyprus would it work ok given that temperatures in cyprus are far higher than uk

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#5. August 22nd, 2009, at 6:35 PM.


Geoff, you need to ask which climate class it is and check the maximum temperatre to see if it can cope with the type of temperatures over there. Some of the refrigeration sold in the uk is designed for a maximum temperature of 32 degrees C.

TheMountainTroll TheMountainTroll
#6. August 26th, 2009, at 6:27 PM.


Excuse-me,

But I think what is interesting people like Anthony and me is knowing if it is possible to buy in Europe a freezer we can put in our garage.

And, in our temperate countries, temperature in a garage could vary from -10°C to +40°C … And, even in winter, I don’t want to cook all what I have in my freezer.

Thanks a lot in helping us in putting this noisy thermodynamic machin in our garage

The Mountain Troll

Peter Munn Peter Munn
#7. September 14th, 2009, at 7:11 AM.


Is it possible to insulate the siting i.e an outside shed to make it suitable for housing a fridge freezer?

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#8. September 14th, 2009, at 5:04 PM.


Hello Peter: The issue with a shed or out-building is that they can get way too hot or way too cold. If one is modified so that it maintains similar temperatures to those inside the house it should be ok – if that can be done. Insulating may help in winter, but could make it even hotter in summer – not that we have much of one in the UK these days.

Chetan Vadgama Chetan Vadgama
#9. November 6th, 2009, at 3:33 PM.


What does SN-T mean ; its seen on some Refrigerators

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#10. November 20th, 2009, at 5:23 PM.


SN and T are both separate classes. Could it be a fridge freezer with different classes for each unit? Not sure.

Peter Peter
#11. December 5th, 2009, at 2:59 PM.


Would draping a blanket over a freezer’s condenser during the winter solve the problem?

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#12. December 7th, 2009, at 2:43 PM.


The problem is to do with the outside temperature causing the thermostat inside the appliance to shut off the compressor. If the appliance is a fridge-freezer with only one thermostat in the fridge section controlling the fridge and freezer section it will cause the freezer to stop cooling too.

The only remedy is to prevent the ambient temperature getting too cold or move the appliance to a better location. The condenser at the back gets hot and needs to dissipate heat, insulating it wouldn’t affect the thermostat inside the fridge turning off because the ambient are in the room has become cold enough to trigger it.

James James
#13. January 6th, 2010, at 12:42 PM.


I was told by a fridge salesman that a low-power light bulb,permanently switched on and placed in the fridge compartment will provide enough heat to periodically force the fridge to operate and thus maintain the required temperature in the freezer section. This is probably what the Whirlpool Gladiator fridge that Anthony Chapman refers to is doing.

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#14. January 8th, 2010, at 5:22 PM.


James: That sounds iffy to me to be honest. It would have to be not mains voltage, and also waterproof to run in such a damp environment.

Also, if the bulb is capable of raising the temperature of the fridge above 5 degrees to trigger the stat then the fridge would be constantly competing with the bulb to maintain the temperature at 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 degrees depending on which setting the thermostat is set to.

I never trust salesmen ;-)

C.Standen C.Standen
#15. January 11th, 2010, at 1:58 PM.


Having a cold plate with a defrost heat would solve the problem but defrost heaters aren’t the most reliable of gadgets.
The temperature in the fridge must be approx 3.4 on the cold plate for the fridge – fridge/freezer to cycle and so a defrost heater would raise the temperature to cause the unit to cycle but they can blow and occasionally blow through the cold plate. The thermostat senses the temperature of the cold plate and switches the unit off at approx -24 degrees and it switches back on at +3.4 so the aim is to raise the cold plate temperature above +3.4 and a defrost heater is by far the cheapest and easiest way of doing this.

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#16. January 12th, 2010, at 3:39 PM.


Thanks for your input C. Of course if they simply installed a separate thermostat control for the freezer compartment it would solve the problem for less cost and with less complication.

MIKE GILLARD MIKE GILLARD
#17. January 23rd, 2010, at 11:28 AM.


some fridge freezers have an ambient switch in the fridge cavity,on a few models this switches the 10w lamp on to raise the fridge temp. FACT.
DOES NOT INCLUDE 15W BULB MODELS

Fridgeguy Fridgeguy
#18. March 1st, 2010, at 1:48 PM.


In reply to Anthony’s comment of a garage fridge yes they are available in the UK. Although not specifically called that. They work on a small heating element just by the fridgestat phile which fools the fridge into thinking it is warmer then it actually is (not for prolonged use though as I have seen a few faults from the switch being left on. Also some of the fridges which run NTCs instead of stats run ambient temp sensors which the electronics work out the temp required. But always research the model you want not with sales staff though with the manufacturer or an engineer.

M Bruinvels M Bruinvels
#19. April 19th, 2010, at 5:25 PM.


Fantastic, useful info….i am trying to run a LEC wine cooler in a garage,and of course had i read your previous comments i would have realised the chiller has a climate rating, which is much warmer than my garage, and hence the chiller would not work properly! Many thanks.

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#20. April 20th, 2010, at 5:17 PM.


Thanks M. If it’s just a wine cooler creating temperatures similar to a fridge then if it gets cold in the garage and the fridge turns off it will still be cold inside the cooler. This issue only really affects a certain type of combined fridge-freezer.

However, the issue of the recommended climate class still remains so I can’t guarantee there would be no issues at all. A garage may get very hot in summer for example, which may cause the cooler to have to work very hard.

QSN Wine Cooler QSN Wine Cooler
#21. June 10th, 2010, at 8:12 PM.


This is completely true with any fridge. having it in a area that is not at room temp can throw the temp inside completely off. And the worst case seneario is destroying anything you have inside.

Anne Anne
#22. July 28th, 2010, at 6:07 AM.


Thank you for this very useful article – you saved me from making a very costly mistake!

After painstaking research (there seem to be little information on the subject), I discovered that all Beko frost free fridge freezers will operate in temperature as low as -15 deg Celsius. I cannot vouch for the brand as I have never heard of them but you may find this information useful.

Anne Anne
#23. July 28th, 2010, at 6:11 AM.


By the way:

N 16 Deg C 32 Deg C = NORMAL
SN 10 Deg C 32 Deg C = SUB-NORMAL
ST 18 Deg C 38 Deg C = SUB-TROPICAL
T 18 Deg C 43 Deg C = TROPICAL

I hope this helps!

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#24. July 28th, 2010, at 4:09 PM.


Thanks Anne. I’d be interested to see what climate class their refrigeration appliances are in as -15 deg Celsius is well out of any climate class range I’ve ever seen. Beko don’t have a bad reputation as far as I know, but they are a budget brand.

Anne Anne
#25. July 28th, 2010, at 4:55 PM.


According to the Beko website:

“All Beko frost free combi fridge freezers and all freezers are designed to continue to work in cold ambient temperatures down to -15C, meaning the appliance can be stored in a garage or unheated/cold buildings and your frozen food will be protected.

All Beko top mount, static fridge freezers, larders and fridges can operate in lower ambient environments down to 5C.”

http://www.beko.co.uk/ProductCategory-2-Refrigeration.aspx

Let’s hope it works because I have just ordered one!

Julie Julie
#26. August 10th, 2010, at 4:14 PM.


I have a11 year old AEG Frost free freezer (sited in an unheated utility room) which I intend to replace as the compartment at the top gradually ices up. We have defrosted it several times which is a big and long job as it’s so full and I have no-where to store the food whilst defrosting it. (baskets piled onto garage floor covered with 15tog duvet and blankets for several hours)

I have never had a problem with it defrosting when the temperature drops and have been told by John Lewis that the modern refrigerants now that CFC’s have been banned are the reason why several people have experienced their freezers defrosting completely when they have returned from holiday in cold weather.

I am considering buying an AEG A75270GA. The info on the Appliance Warehouse website for this model states that it is ‘Climate Class SN-N-ST-T’ so which is it??

I’m really concerned that I may have to provide some type of thermostatic heater for the utility room (what type?) as we may be away for long periods in the winter and although we have to leave minimal heating on for house insurance purposes there is no heating in the utility room.

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#27. August 10th, 2010, at 4:35 PM.


Hello Julie: I’ve not heard of climate class being displayed like that, it basically lists them all. John Lewis don’t show the freezers climate class but lists the ambient operating temperature at which the freezer will perform best, which is 10 – 43°C. SO I interpret it as covering all the range in the old climate class list (shown on my article above).

I don’t understand the link to CFC’s in relation to this issue. Whichever refrigerants they use they cool the fridges and freezers down to the required temperature perfectly well otherwise they couldn’t use them.

The freezers defrosting issue discussed here is caused by combined fridge-freezers being controlled by only one thermostat or sensor based in the fridge compartment. A separate freezer shouldn’t defrost in low temperatures as far as I’m aware because they are set to keep running until the temperature inside is -18 degrees C so I can’t see how the temperature in the garage dropping below 10 degrees should affect it at all.

However, the manufacturers are only claiming it works “properly” down to 10 degrees. I can only assume if the temperature drops below 10 degrees it may affect energy efficiency and cost more to run, not defrost. I think they need a certain ambient temperature to assist in heat exchange and evaporation of the defrosted water which runs onto the tray at the top of the compressor.

My separate freezer has been in the garage for the last 3 years and has a defrost alarm, even when the pipes on our washer in the same area froze last year the freezer didn’t defrost.

Julie Julie
#28. August 10th, 2010, at 4:42 PM.


I forgot to mention that it’s an upright FF freezer. I was told that the temperature falling below 10c doesn’t effect chest freezers.

J.L. said that they have to warn all customers buying upright FF freezers about the possibility of them defrosting when the temp falls. I was told that the freezer thinks it’s down to temperature and switches itself off then doesn’t trigger itself to switch back on and so defrosts complete with food!

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#29. August 11th, 2010, at 2:47 PM.


Julie: As far as I ‘m aware if the fridge and the freezer section have separate sensors or stats then the freezer shouldn’t defrost. Any decent fridge freezer should have separate sensors for each compartment.

If the freezer compartment has it’s own temperature sensor I can’t see how, when it’s set to freeze down to -18 degrees, it should defrost simply because the outside temperature was below +10 degrees.

If it doesn’t have it’s own sensor, and is controlled instead by the fridges sensor which is set to cool the fridge down to +5 degrees then if the temperature outside drops to say 0 degrees it will turn off the fridge. So whilst ever the temperature remains cold enough not to need the fridge cooling down any more the freezer will no longer be running either, and will slowly start to defrost if the ambient temperature remains this low for long enough.

Julie Julie
#30. August 11th, 2010, at 7:17 PM.


Hi there..

I think that you are mistaken in thinking I have a fridge freezer…. it’s just an upright Frost free Freezer… I’ve probably misled you with using the abbreviation FF for Frost Free.

Useful information here… thank you but I have been told by two different salespeople in John Lewis that this defrosting can happen in this sort of appliance if it’s sited in an unheated room and the temp. falls below 10C

benson benson
#31. August 26th, 2010, at 4:11 AM.


Hi,
Pardon my ignorance. Am I right to say for country like Singapore, it is advisable to use the ST class. Thinking of buying a SMEG fridge for use. Thank you.

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#32. August 26th, 2010, at 12:07 PM.


Hello benson: ST works up to 38 degrees, T works up to 43 degrees. I don’t know enough about their climate to answer but refrigeration might be tailored for the areas they are sold in.

It would make sense for refrigeration designed to be sold in Mediterranean climates to be ST or T but refrigeration designed to be sold in cold countries may be N or SN. Therefore it’s probably best to buy from the country it’s intended to be used in which would guarantee its suitability.

If you need to buy one elsewhere knowing it will end up in another country I would contact the manufacturer for advice. There may not be a fridge that can work in cold climates as well as really hot ones and it makes no sense to sell fridges capable of running up to 43 degrees C in the UK for example. Having said that, in these days of global marketing it’s hard to say how they deal with the problem.

Washerhelp Washerhelp
#33. August 26th, 2010, at 3:33 PM.


Julie:

“Useful information here… thank you but I have been told by two different salespeople in John Lewis that this defrosting can happen in this sort of appliance if it’s sited in an unheated room and the temp. falls below 10C”

No disrespect to the John Lewis sales people, they are probably the best informed sales people of the major retailers but they may be confusing issues.

Only fridge freezers where the freezer compartment is controlled by one sensor in the fridge compartment (a stupid idea if I ever heard one) should be affected. A separate freezer will have its own sensor set to cool down to minus 18 degrees centigrade, I can’t see how ambient temperatures of below 10 degrees could stop a freezer working. They already said that chest freezers aren’t affected (for the same reason) and as far as I know neither should any separate freezer.

It’s like saying a thermostatically controlled heater set to heat a room up to 25 degrees would stop working if the room temperature got to 20 degrees. It’s set to keep heating until the thing it is sensing reaches the temperature it is set to.

The separate freezer is set to cool down to -18 and will keep freezing until the temperature inside is -18. I can’t see how just because the temperature of the room drops to 0 degrees it could stop working thinking it’s cold enough when its job is to bring the temperature down another 18 degrees lower than 0 degrees.

I’m just trying to further clarify this point, which is looked at in more detail here – Freezer defrosted: Can you put a fridge freezer in a garage?

 

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