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Choose outdoor appliances for outdoor living
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May 2010
Outdoor kitchens and living rooms are a great place to spend summer evenings and are becoming a common extension of modern homes.
Make your outdoor room as safe as your indoor rooms. Here’s how:
First, buy appliances that the manufacturer says are safe for outdoor use rather than transplanting indoor appliances to your patio. Refrigerators and icemakers designed for indoors can be damaged by outdoor temperatures that are too hot or cold.
As the popularity of outdoor rooms grows, more manufacturers are creating products that can hold up to the elements and withstand wet weather. You can find refrigerators, freezers, wine chillers, keg tappers and ice makers with a safety stamp from Underwriters Laboratories or another rating agency that ensures the appliance is safe to use outdoors.
A tip: Choose stainless steel appliances for your outdoor room. They’re corrosion resistant and easy to clean.
Before plugging in outdoor appliances, upgrade outdoor outlets. Each should be a three-prong outlet, protected by a ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI), with its own weatherproof cover. Without a proper cover, moisture can get into outlets and cause a malfunction or shock.
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