Fridges, freezers, and fridge-freezers are all designed to operate within 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. However, 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. You could then experience problems such as not working properly or completely malfunctioning.
So think carefully before installing a refrigeration appliance in a garage or outbuilding if the temperature inside is likely to get much higher or much lower than that of its stated climate class. If you buy any refrigeration appliance in the UK it is highly likely to be only designed to work in a kitchen or utility room. (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”. I would expect most refrigeration appliances in the UK would be climate class SN but check your rating plate.
| Climate Class | Min Temperature | Max Temperature |
|---|---|---|
| N | 16 ° | 32 ° |
| SN | 10 ° | 32 ° |
| ST | 18 ° | 38 ° |
| T | 18 ° | 43 ° |
The above climate classes stand for – N = Temperate climate, SN = Extended Temperate climate, ST = Sub Tropical, T = Tropical.
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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.
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!
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.
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.”
Let’s hope it works because I have just ordered one!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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
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.