will freezers get too cold if you leave them outdoors in the winter?

[fojna]

I know, I know. "Duh, it is a freezer, it is supposed to be cold." But think about it--the fridge has pieces and parts, each of which may have various temperature tolerances. They are generally designed to be kept indoors at room temperature.

I want to pick up five to ten freezers on the cheap from craigslist. But I want to keep them in the shed, not the living room or bedroom or pantry. In the winter, they won't have to run, but I'll need them to work by the time summer rolls around. Do I need to heat the shed (burn fuel) and run the fridges (use electricity)? Or can I let them stay cool in the winter and take advantage of the weather?

All discussion I ever hear on freezers has to do with their internal temperature, not their operational tolerances.

Let's assume an average winter temperature of 20 below zero Fahrenheit, with occasional dips down below -50. What do you think?

[TruCelt]

I have often wondered why Yankees (being notorious cheapskates and all ;-) don't put their freezers out on the porch in the Winter. I always figured it had to do with the refrigerant and the piping system. It seems to me that if you let the liquid get too cold, it will shrink (if not actually freeze) enough that the system will get air bubbles in it. Then when you put back in the warmth it will swell up and cause a leak.

But hopefully someone will come along who actually knows. . .

[janeslogin]

Out on the tundra in Western Alaska I knew a dude who kept a freezer in the back of his truck. Much of the year it kept his moose and salmon frozen without power. In the summer he backed his truck into his parking spot and plugged the freezer in the outlet provided for his block heater and battery blanket.

He was a bit eccentric but I never heard of his having freezer problems.