I can almost guarantee that the other receptacle in your garage is on the protected (load) side of the GFCI. A GFCI receptacle can protect other receptacles connected to it.

I have a completely low opinion about FP reliability to begin with. Both my sister and I have had complete abysmal performance of their "dish drawers."

Lots of VFD type motors will trip a GFCI, and there's not much you can do about it. You can try an isolation transformer, but you probably want to move the fridge somewhere that doesn't require GFCI.

The GFCI has two options on how electricity flows from it. 1- Protected by the GFCI 2- not protected. By swapping the wires to the downstream outlets from the "load" to "line" side the slave /downstream outlets will not be protected.

1. Here's a discussion of a problem very similar to the one you are having. A contributor states that GFCIs make no sense for refrigerators.
2. Apparently, GFCIs when wired correctly will protect "downstream" receptacles in addition to the GFCI receptacle. This discussion shows that a mis-wired GFCI will NOT protect the GFCI receptacle but WILL protect the downstream receptacles. Perhaps you could try this with the refrigerator's GFCI receptacle.

I would never plug any device which must remain on into a GFCI-protected circuit, unless it is required, and I don't know of any case where it would be. This includes refrigerators, freezers, smoke/CO alarms, any type of security system, network device, etc. etc.

I have read several places that the 2017 update to the electrical code added GFCI for all outlets in a garage: https://www.thespruce.com/common-electrical-codes-by-room-1152276 .

Apparently earlier versions exempted dedicated receptacles for items such as refrigerators that could not be easily moved: https://www.howtolookatahouse.com/Blog/Entries/2018/7/when-were-gfci-receptacle-outlets-first-required.html

-- not an expert by any means

As Ron said, the other receptacle in your garage is likely protected by the same GFCI receptacle that you tried the first time. Personally, I would rewire the circuit so that the “downstream” receptacle is no longer protected (check for additional receptacles first) and replace the duplex receptacle with a single so that nothing else can be plugged into it. Yeah, the code requires GFCI protection in unfinished spaces but it’s not the worst sin.

GFCI is now required for all outlets in garages. If one insists on ignoring this requirement, in the interest of safety please run a separate grounding conductor from the refrigerator frame to some incontrovertible grounding point in the garage, such as the breaker box, or to a copper pipe that is part of the household grounding system and that has any non-conductive portions bypassed by conductors and clamps. Number 8 solid copper wire, as used for swimming pool bonding, should suffice. The violator should carefully evaluate whether there is any way a grounding failure in any relevant path could lead to a shock hazard. Redundancy in grounding is good paranoia. Use a multimeter to test potential differences between points that can be simultaneously touched. Don't assume that the floor is necessarily an insulator. Be religious in testing GFCIs that power the other garage circuits.

As an aside, I have to wonder at the circuit design used if it leaks current to the refrigerator frame. It has been a long time since AC/DC radios (with hot chassis) were built.

Thank you to all for your valuable and timely comments! ... Yes, code requires that all circuits in unfinished spaces, such as our garage and porch, must have GFCI protection. We're new to these things and understanding them slowly, the hard way. This thread from 12 years ago shows that fridge-GFCI questions have been around a long time. Primary lesson we have learned: use a licensed electrician for ANYthing related to this stuff. We will do that. Again thanks to all.

But it sounds as if you shouldn't put a refrigerator in the garage if you plan to put perishable things in it. Probably best for beer storage! Also, when people upgrade their refrigerators to newer, more efficient models, it does no good to keep using the old one!

In most cases, the nuisance tripping isn't caused by actual leakage current. It's an artifact of the way the motor is controlled, and the asymmetrical distortion that causes in the powerline waveform.

A contributor to the problem might be that the RCDs used in EU countries are much less touchy than US GFIs. IIRC, the trip current there is 30 ma, and I think this is also true for Australian and NZ RCDs. Our GFIs trip at 5 ma.

I'm grasping at straws a bit here, but you might try different brands of GFIs. Maybe one will be more resistant to nuisance tripping than others. If you find one, please post back to let us know what it is.

Connecting the fridge through a power conditioner might also help. If your fridge uses less than 600 Watts, you should be able to buy a suitable one for $100 or less.

Note that the only time "unfinished" has a bearing on GFCI requirements is when you are talking about basements. Garages ALWAYS require GFCI regardless of how nice they are. Garages, Kitchen Countertops, Bathrooms, Laundry Areas, Unfinished areas of basements, outside, and anywhere within 6' of a sink are pretty much the required areas.

That's because they are usually in Kitchens where such is not required. In Garages, they are. Garages are generally reserved for "Baptist" refrigerators.

An isolation transformer worked for me for running a VFD controlled motor on GFCI outlets. Sometimes shielded power cables will also help.

Ron, what's a "Baptist refrigerator?" Is it one with too much condensation where all the food gets wet? Is it one with a secret stash of beer? I've never heard the term.

The latter. It's a slang term for the fridge full of beer kept in the garage because we don't allow drinkin' in the house.

A little off subject, but I find it amusing that people replace their refrigerator with a more efficient one, then put the old one in the basement or garage and continue to use it!

The Tesla Owners Manual says that if you own one of it's cars it's okay to have a second refrigerator because you've demonstrated your commitment to climate change. Plus the garage refrigerator is hidden behind the bicycles so nobody will notice it anyway.

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><md>"The Tesla Owners Manual says that if you own one of it's cars it's okay to have a second refrigerator because you've demonstrated your commitment to climate change. Plus the garage refrigerator is hidden behind the bicycles so nobody will notice it"

What about deep freezers in the garage? Do they follow this same guideline that it’s not advised?

The garage GFI requirement is a problem for both refrigerators and freezers -- in fact anything that you need to have powered all the time, but don't check every day.

I plug a night light into another receptacle on the same breaker as my garage freezer, one where it catches my eye when I go in the service door. If it goes out, I know to check the freezer.

You can also buy power failure alarms -- just search online.

They also make nice wireless freezer/fridge alarms. Handy if you've got little ones who might leave the door ajar as well.