I have a chest freezer that has operating temperatures down to -15C. I want to leave it on the balcony, which has a roof and it is shielded from the elements. But for shorter periods of the year we get weather colder than -15C.
Will it damage the freezer? Will the freezer just stop running temporarily? If the ambient temperature is -20 and the inside is -5-10C then atleast it won’t get hotter, so the food won’t spoil if it gets colder inside.
Edit: I could connect a smart plug and disconnect it if below -15, if that would help
I would personally triple check to make sure this means what you think it means.
Assuming it does, you should be in the clear. Cutting the power when it gets colder is probably not necessary since the freezer won’t have any reason to run, but it might be a worthwhile precaution anyway. If for some reason the compressor does try to run with frozen oil, it might damage itself or try to draw too much power and blow a breaker (or start a fire if your wiring is sketchy). Better to be on the safe side.
Not sure what’s wrong with -15c. Northeastern us and southern canada will routinely get much colder than that.