I'm moving into my place in August,( but pay rent now), and my landlord wants me to hookup the electricity now because he says its bad to have the fridge without power for two months. Is it? I dont want to pay when Im not leaving there. What do you think?
2007-05-22 18:21:53 · 7 answers · asked by lorena a 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
oops I meant living not leaving.
2007-05-22 18:23:08 · update #1
Here's the real story. Almost all apartments have a commercial account set up with the utility companies so that when someone moves out and has the utility "turned off", what really happens is that the meter is read and then the utility is put in the apartment complex's name and then they are responsible for the bill after that. They do this for a couple of reasons such as they need power to turn the unit, if it's winter, the pipes won't freeze, etc.
Most all electric companies have a minimum charge each month for use of the meter even if no electric is being used. Now take the number of units in your new apt. community, and multiply it by the number of vacants and it can really add up. Then most companies either own or manage several apartment complexes, sometimes even thousands.
So when I worked in apartments, every month when the utility bills came in, managers would catch a lot of flak over reducing them. I'm sure the manager knows that opening the door to a fridge when you turn it off will not cause any damage, but they need to reduce their cost for that unit.
2007-05-22 22:12:03 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
I will say that if you are going to have the power turned on be sure to turn off all major appliances that you will not be using such as the hot water heater. This way you will only be paying for the refrigerator electrical use only. If you choose to leave the power off ensure that the refrigerator doors are propped open and place a box of baking soda inside both compartments. This will prevent mildew/odor by absorbing all of the moisture. Prior to doing this ensure fridge has been cleaned thoroughly and all visible moisture has been dried with a towel or something.
2007-05-22 19:43:07 · answer #2 · answered by Holbert 1 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I don't see an issue with it.
The only thing I can think of that its like a lawnmower left in your garage for the winter. If you use it all summer long it works fine, but after storing it for the winter it may not start in the spring.
Reguardless if your renting the place, you should have the power on at all times and if anything leave a light on to show someone lives there.
If its your refridgerator, then leave it disconnected, if its the land lords, then I would do as he asks as not to cause an issue.
Keep in mind if you leave it unplugged and it breaks after you move in he is going to make your responcible for the repair because you did not do as he said.
Plug it in, and when it goes bad he can pay for the repair :)
2007-05-22 18:29:49 · answer #3 · answered by metrodish 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
If you don't mind cleaning it out when you move in, it's not a problem. How long do you think the refrigerator was unplugged when it sat in a warehouse after being shipped from the manufacturer, sat on a showroom floor and spent time in a box before it was initially installed?
2007-05-22 19:04:13 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hi, If you clean the refrigerator real well and make sure it is dry and the freezer dry you can unplug it. The trick though is to prop the door open so that if some moisture remains it will not mildew.
2007-05-22 18:27:40 · answer #5 · answered by sweetiepie 2 · 4⤊ 0⤋
I agree with sweetiepie! You don't want to leave the fridge unplugged and closed, it starts to stink (even if there is nothing in there). Prop the doors open!
2007-05-22 18:32:14 · answer #6 · answered by Kathy H 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
As long as there is no food or perishable items not a problem.
2007-05-22 18:34:40 · answer #7 · answered by Michael M 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋