UK households who'll have fridge or freezer in garage on Saturday warned

UK households with a fridge in the garage have been warned ahead of a 33-hour snow storm on Saturday and Sunday. Storm Bert was expected to bring “heavy rain, strong winds and disruptive snow to parts of the UK through the weekend”, the Met Office said today.

Ahead of the weather shift, UK households who keep their freezer or fridge outdoors have been warned. Howards Electrical explained: "If you have ever wanted the convenience of a fridge freezer in your garage there are a few things that you need to know."

It said: "Modern fridge freezers function by comparing the freezer temperature to the outside, and therefore lowering the temperature as needed, blowing excess cold air from the freezer to the fridge." It added: ""Changes in temperature in an unheated garage can be an issue. You will need to make sure that the unit is not exposed to temperatures over 43C or below -17C because it could damage the fridge freezer."

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Forecasters have issued a yellow warning of snow and ice for much of Scotland, northern England and parts of western and eastern England and Wales between midday on Thursday and 10am on Friday. They had previously issued a yellow warning for snow and ice across northern Scotland until midday on Thursday, with 2cm to 5cm of snow expected fairly widely.

It added: "This is a very delicate balancing act that would benefit from being in a garage with a heating or cooling system. If your garage is too hot your fridge freezer will be working extra hard to keep itself cool, sending your electric bill through the roof and potentially wearing out the appliance sooner.

"If your garage is too cold this could confuse your fridge freezer, making it think that it is at the correct temperature when it might not have. As long as the outdoor temperature is below freezing your fridge freezer will stay idle, letting the contents thaw out. Once you understand these basic parameters, you will be able to determine if your garage is the right environment for a fridge freezer."