GFI outlet is tripping because of refrigerator in the garage.

This is a problem I have encountered before. When compressors start they sometimes trip gfi. Plug unit in different outlet or replace GFI with regular outlet

It is possible that the garage is too cold for the refrigerator to operate correctly. The GFI trip might be due to water getting into the compressor's connection box caused by a freeze-back. This is a really common problem with garage refrigerators in cold weather. Better in a basement where it's not subject to hot summer or cold winter temperatures. A stable environment is best, a garage is a poor place for a common refrigerator. Energy unwise as well.

It is possible you have a short. However, the more likely cause is the simple fact the refrigerator is plugged into the GFI outlet. Try this first, take a heavy duty three prong extension cord, NOT a lamp extension cord, plug it into a non GFI outlet, and plug the fridge into the cord. Does it trip your house circuit breaker? If so, then you do have a short. You will need to call a local refrigerator repair company to find the source of the short, and only then will you know if its an easy or cost prohibitive fix. If it does not, and it likely wont, the problem is that a GFI outlet detects a fault to ground. Due to the humidity and moisture inside a refrigerator, and normal water drainage sometimes into the metal base of the refrigerator, it is not uncommon for water to contact metal points inside and outside a refrigerator. Since all / most metal points on a refrigerator are grounded to each other, if water contacts any of them, they can and will trip a GFI outlet breaker, because it is detecting a fault to ground.

A GFI outlet (Ground Fault Interrupt) is actually designed to provide extra protection from electrocution in wet areas where water can come into contact with a hot wire, and as long as the refrigerator is plugged directly into the GFI outlet and is not plugged into the GFI outlet by using any extension cord then there should not be any problem as long as the GFI outlet is not over-loaded with other appliances or large electrical demands. If the GFI outlet is tripping then either there is a faulty appliance or electrical device plugged into the GFI outlet or the GFI outlet is simply over-loaded with too much electrical demand, or the GFI breaker could be faulty. Plugging a refrigerator into a GFI outlet is not bad practice, however over-loading one is and that is what should never be done.

GFI outlets tend to wear out very quickly with a refrigerator running on them,most Manufacturers do not recommend plugging any major appliance into a GFI outlet.If you plug it into a non GFI outlet and it works fine the problem is in the outlet.

Try an extension cord to get it off the GFI outlet .

We had same problem with different fridge. Is the fridge cooling things? When ours did that we needed to replace the relay overload start capacitor it's called a three in one. It acts like a giant battery to give your compressor a n extra boost to get started runs about 25 bucks relatively easy fix only has three wires to connect

YOU CANT PLUG REFRIGERATERS INTO GFI'S BECAUSE OF THE COMPRESSER VARIYS THE AMPS UP AND DOWN SO IT TRIPS THE GFI.

try running an extension cord to the old outlet and see if the fridge works then you'll know if it's the fridge or outlet. good luck

Of course it can be plugged into a GFI outlet. Sounds like you have a compressor problem.