if you move a fridge/freezer from one house to another should you leave it 24hrs b4 switching on again?

Question

does this depend on its age/technology or is it an old wives tale?

Answer 1

This strictly depends on how old the unit is. If it is from the 50's etc. then I would say absolutely. If it is only 1-10 years old, you should be okay. If you lay it down on it's side or back for a short time (10 minutes to 2 hours) you should be okay. You can plug it in. Your house will NOT blow up. And to help the refrigerator cool off faster, you can put food into it that is already cold. If it was laying down for an excessive length of time, then let it sit for 12-24 hours. When I install refrigerators, I sometimes have to use a service van and I lay it down on its back. I get to the customer's home and bring it in and plug it right in no problems.

Answer 2

This has nothing to do with age or an old wives tail. You should leave the unit unplugged for a period of 12-24 hours. This will cause (2) things to happen. First, the freezer will defrost so be prepared to empty the condensate tray (usually found on the bottom of the unit) and second, it allows the oil in the refrigeration system to settle back into the compressor where it belongs.

Moving the unit if done completely upright, I would allow 12 hours for the oil to settle. If the unit was laid on its side for any length of time, 24 hours.

By plugging the unit in prematurely, you risk a condition called "slugging" the compressor. A refrigerant compressor is meant to compress a gas only.....if for some reason it brings back liquid (either refrigerant or oil), you risk breaking one of the internal valves. Do yourself a favor and let it sit.
Newt

Answer 3

Moving A Fridge

Answer 4

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RE:
if you move a fridge/freezer from one house to another should you leave it 24hrs b4 switching on again?
does this depend on its age/technology or is it an old wives tale?

Answer 5

I've been in the refrigeration business for forty years and nothing seems to generate more wives tales and discussion unless its sex politics or religion. After opening dozens of failed compressors over the years to satisfy my own curiosity I've come to some conclusions. If you move a refrigerator on its side there is an "ever so slight" chance oil and liquid freon can "slug" (lock) the compressor. If this happens I've been able to free the compressor by momentarily reversing the motor rotation. So when it's convenient let it sit for a day to be safe. The more damaging and costly result of moving a fridge on its side is that the internal mounting springs can come loose resulting in a noisy premature compressor failure. RScott

Answer 6

As long as you have not put it on its side, 4-6 hours is enough. If you have, leaving it in the upright position for 24hrs is not a bad idea. This is to allow the liquified gas to settle back in the compressor.

Answer 7

I have moved a few times i just tape the doors up leaving food inside as can be left unplugged 4 a day if not opened, i then plug it in in new house and use as normal, am moving again in couple of weeks and will be doing the same then. good luck

Answer 8

Age or technology have nothing to do with it. It all depends on whether or not you had it on its side and how long it was unplugged for. If it was on its side, you should only have to leave it upright and unplugged for at least 8 hours. This is in order to let the freon evenly distribute. Otherwise you should be fine.

Answer 9

Whatever the refrigerator or freezer needs to protect it's compressor against damage is automatically provided by the manufacturer in the design. So plug it in whenever you want to and just wait for it to do it's thing automatically. The same is true for newer (modern) air conditioner or heat pump compressors.

Answer 10

Only if its been turned on its side or top. Its a great opportunity too to give it a good cleaning, A sock full of charcoal placed in the refer will get rid of the stale, musty smells if it has any.