Protecting a fridge in the great outdoors

February 26, 2007 6:21 PM

I need some suggestions about how to protect an old, small beer fridge which I'm going to keep outdoors from the weather, particularly the rain.

The situation is that I've been gifted an old fridge (that dates back to the early 1980s, I think) which I'd like to use as a beer fridge when I entertain people on my backyard patio. So obviously, the fridge would be kept outside. I've got a very important party coming up this weekend, infact, so there's every chance it'll be called into service this very weekend!

The problem is my patio hasn't got a proper, roof, or at least one that would keep out the rain. Its roof, if you can even call it that, is a mesh of some kind that provides adequate shade when it’s hot and sunny, but doesn’t keep the rain out at all when it rains. So of course I'm worried that if it rains, the combination of a fridge with electricity coursing through + water = disaster.

The only thing I can think of is a tarp, but I'm worried that it might catch fire if and when the exposed element at the back of the fridge gets too hot. Beyond that, I've got nothing.

So I'd like some good suggestions to keep the fridge outdoors and to protect it from the elements at the same time? Extra points for cheap and easy-to-implement solutions!

posted by Second Account For Making Jokey Comments to home & garden (11 comments total)

Dumb question: Can you put the sucker on wheels and take it inside when you're not partying?
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:36 PM on February 26, 2007

Faint of Butt: I'm not really a DIY kind of guy, so if you're suggesting I attach wheels to the fridge, no, I can't. If you mean putting it on some kind of trolley, that's possible, but I'm looking for a more long term solution so I can just keep it outside 24/7.

Besides, given it's at least 20 years old (and still going strong!) I'm not sure that moving it around a lot is such a great idea.
posted by Second Account For Making Jokey Comments at 7:01 PM on February 26, 2007

I'm not sure how household electricity works where you live, but for safety's sake you should think about using an isolating transformer or RCD to prevent shocks. (Should be mandatory if 240V is the standard where you live, maybe it's different in 110V country).
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:04 PM on February 26, 2007

Build a box to put over it? You said small fridge, right? I realize you said you're not a DIY kind of guy, but this seems as if it would be easy, maybe? Just nailing a few pieces of wood together? Seal the edges? Something you could just uncover during use? Am I crazy?
posted by illek at 7:57 PM on February 26, 2007

An umbrella with the pole shortened. the base on top of the fridge.
posted by hortense at 8:33 PM on February 26, 2007

So you're not a "DIY kind of guy" but you're looking for DIY suggestions for weatherproofing an indoor appliance for inclement weather?

Obviously the important part of the fridge to keep dry is the rear and underside. Unless you can insure that these bits will be out of the weather (secure not just from rain, but also moisture in general) then I'd seriously question the logic behind putting the thing outdoors.

At the very least you can expect it not to last that long in the elements. At the worst you could have a serious shock or fire danger sitting on you back porch. Also, consider how hard the fridge will have to work on hot days or if it is in direct sunlight. Your power bill may suffer.

Isn't the classic placement for a beer fridge in the garage or basement? Could you have the beer fridge "off site" as an auxiliary backup for a more weather proof beer depository such as an ice chest?
posted by wfrgms at 8:56 PM on February 26, 2007

When you aren't entertaining out there wrap it in a tarp and unplugg it. A fridge that old is really going to suck down the power so its not a great thing to leave on all the time.
posted by subtle_squid at 9:06 PM on February 26, 2007

In most munincipalities a refrigerator left outside has to have its door removed. Or so I have been told.

That's because there were a couple of cases of little kids crawling inside such refrigerators and pulling the doors shut (hide and seek!), and then suffocating inside.

Even if it isn't a law where you live, I think it's a good idea.
posted by Steven C. Den Beste at 12:09 AM on February 27, 2007

The tarp idea sounds fine as long as you intend to leave it unplugged while covered with the tarp. You most certainly do not want to try to have the tarp on it while it's running. There is no way that there would be enough airflow across the coils, and even if it didn't catch on fire it would suck down a ton of electricity by running the compressor constantly.
posted by Rhomboid at 5:52 AM on February 27, 2007

A plastic shed like this might be easily modified to protect your fridge; also a GFCI-protected outlet is a must for this sort of thing, but if your house is reasonably new then the outside outlets are probably protected.
posted by TedW at 6:51 AM on February 27, 2007

Depends on how long you want it to run, but I kept a running dorm fridge on my patio, in the weather, for about six months in my first apartment. The electric bits are mostly covered from weather.
posted by notsnot at 6:55 AM on February 27, 2007