[rustyhack]

I have a new refrigerator that I placed in my unheated cabin in the Sierras. Over the winter, the contents of the freezer melted. Food in the fridge seemed to be ok. I have been told that compressor motors do not operate well in cold temps. Is this true and if so, is there a fix? Temps. in cabin can drop down to mid-20s.

[woodchuck]

Not all refrigerators are insulated the same and not all condensers are in the same place. Your cold control is monitoring the temprature of the refrigerator section and is designed to turn off the compressor to keep things from freezing in that section. If it stays cold long enough outside in your garage the cold control thinks its cold enough and won't turn the compressor on. A makeshift closet to hold a little heat the unit generates will probably help.

[rustyhack]

Thanks, Woodchuck. I was thinking maybe if I rigged up an incandescent light bulb in the compressor cavity, that might help. Any thoughts?

[woodchuck]

All the sensors are inside the unit. The problem isn't the compressor but the cold temp. that seeps into the fridge. The light may help keep the chill off.
May even a blanket thrown over it will trap enough of the heat the unit generates to make it run right.

[denman]

I also have a cabin but we drop down to 40 below regularly.

The reason your freezer melted was because of the auto defrost.
Defrost heater comes on and the compressor never comes on.
Heat rises so it tends to stay in the freezer compartment.

Because of the oil inside the compressor it is not a good idea to start them at lower temps. Puts extra strain on the unit due to the oil being thicker. As woodchuck said it probably would not come on in any case, though it must be close to freezing in the cabin since the fresh food side did not freeze.

We never have to worry about it going above freezing in winter so we just empty the freezer and put the stuff in a cooler out in the porch. It stays frozen. I then unplug the freezer and put in a heater I made up, in the fridge section. Two 100 watt light bulbs and a wall thermostat set at just above freezing. I can then leave drinks etc. without having to transport them back and forth to the city. We use this cabin year round.
2 bulbs just in case one burns out, have only had 2 freeze ups in 15 years, both bulbs burned out.

You could try wiring a switch in-line with your defrost heater. With no one opening the doors and if the food is well sealed you may not need defrost. And since the compressor will only come on when the fridge temp rises and this will be dependant on the cabin being warmer it should work OK for the compressor.