We have a side by side refrigerator in our garage. Living in S. Florida it feels like 150 degrees in the garage so I know the fridge is working overtime.
Last week the freezer started getting warm near the top - frozen veggies were just starting to defrost a little but the meat at the bottom was still frozen solid...we caught it early on.
We emptied the whole unit, unplugged it and let it sit.
There was water on the garage floor so I'm pretty sure it was frozen up.
The next day we plugged it back in for 24 hours and it was running perfectly on both sides.
Previously, our SF friend Appliance Brad helped me replace the defrost heater and it's worked perfectly for a couple of years now.
Wondering if that's gone bad again or maybe some other part of the defrost system...thermostat or timer perhaps?
As always, your assistance is greatly appreciated.

So what was the actual temperature in the garage?
You should always have a thermometer in the frig and freezer. I like the Taylor models:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Tay...N92UB6-fHLQWn8TOy-2Y

It may be the frig can't keep up with the additional heat load. Make sure the condensor coils have good air circulation and it they are on the back of the frig, the frig is not pushed up close to a wall.

quote:

So what was the actual temperature in the garage?

I imagine that what the OP is referring is that it can easily reach 120 degrees and more in there.

Suggestion. If the OP has a service-door window in the garage maybe he can consider leaving it open. For security reasons mainly, he might not be comfortable with that. But it does make a difference in the ambient temperature of the area.

Instead of 120 or more it might hit 110. The joys of Florida living.