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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I have a ice maker with N.T maked on the back what does this referr to
That’s not on the list, is it a non-UK climate class maybe?
what fridge should I choose when I live in western Arizona? In summer, temperatures are above 43 C. Are there no fridges for climates above 43?
Hello Dan. Any fridge sold in your area should be appropriate for the climate. I would go to a reputable local retailer and ask them about it but I would expect all the refrigeration appliances to be the same climate rating and appropriate for your climate.
As far as I am aware, only Beko make Fridge Freezers suitable for use outside – ie in a garage.
That’s my understanding too Alan, it’s been discussed in earlier comments.
What would happen to a fridge freezer with a climate rating of T (18 – 43 ) if the temperature frequently drops to 13-14 degrees? We don’t have the heating on overnight or during the day and the temp is often this low in winter before the heating goes on. We’re looking for a non plumbed FF with ice dispenser and the ones we like in our price range are Ts.
Hello Sarah, try this article How are fridges and freezers affected by the room temperature?
Thanks Andy,I had read that but it’s not really quite the same as it’s not going in a garage, it makes sense to me why it would defrost if the temperature outside is lower than the fridge temperature but why wouldn’t a fridge operate properly below 18 degrees?
Hello Sarah. As far as I’m aware the main issue is when temperatures fall quite low. Do they sell those climate classes in the UK? I know that overnight in winter my house easily drops below 16 degrees and can go as low as 14 – 18 degrees is the temperature that we actually have our central heating thermostat set at, so to us at least that is a nice comfortable temperature. It’s obvious that almost every house in the UK will fall below 18 degrees especially overnight in winter. I am not aware of any problems this would cause with a normal fridge, or even a fridge freezer, or freezer.
The problems I am aware of are all related to when temperatures fall considerably lower such as when inside a garage. The only thing I can think of is that the climate class you quote is not designed for the UK and is designed to be sold in countries where temperatures never drop below 18 degrees (not even sure such a country even exists).