How to use a side by side refrigerator in a cold garage?
There are refrigerators &amp; freezers designed for outdoor use. One semi-random example:


The basic problem is that ordinary residential refrigerators &amp; freezers are designed for indoor temperatures. From a GE side-by-side installation manual:


  REFRIGERATOR LOCATION
  * Do not install the refrigerator where the temperature will go below 60 F (16 C) because it will not run often enough to maintain proper temperatures.
  * Do not install the refrigerator where the temperature will go above 100 F (37 C) because it will not perform properly.


For better or worse, I believe some of this goes hand-in-hand with energy efficiency. EPA EnergyStar and similar regulations (and common sense "save energy" mentality) have resulted in refrigerators/freezers that are "just right". They have a lot of insulation to keep the cold in and relatively low-power compressors, based on the assumption that they will not have to cool "too much" and that keeping the cool is good enough a lot of the time. So they aren't powerful enough to get things cold if it is 100 F. And the flip side is that, especially with side-by-side, a certain amount of run-time is needed to keep optimal freezer &amp; refrigerator temperatures as they are dependent on each other - they are one unit, not two. So if the temperature is cold enough that the refrigerator doesn't need to run, the freezer doesn't run either - and gets too warm. Alternatively, if it gets so cold that the freezer doesn't need to run, the refrigerator will be cold but won't get internal air circulation and parts will get too cold.

Best answer I know of is: Put the spare refrigerator or freezer in your basement (if you have one) or in an area (e.g., mudroom or similar) between the garage and the house so that it gets at least some climate control.