How long after moving a fridge should you wait until plugging it in?
Asked by
Rv654321 (
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)
November 30th, 2010
I purchased a used fridge yesterday. I was really busy so I didnt have time to do any research before actually attempting to pick it up. Now I have read through several websites on the does & donts. The fridge was to large for us to transport vertically so we layed it on its back. (which now I read isn’t such a good idea) The drive was only about 5–10 minutes to my house. Once unloaded the fridge sat upright for a good 45 minutes before we plugged it in. Once connected it seemed to start up and everything lit up as it should. This morning I went to get a water I had left in there last night to find that it wasn’t cooling. Is this normal? I read on one site that sometimes it can take a few days before it starts cooling properly especially if it has been turned off for a while. I dont know if I should be worried we damaged it in transit or what could be the problem?
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Normally, a fridge should be left off for 24 hours once laid on its back. This allows for the proper distribution of the fluids within the fridge, such as the oil in the motor that keeps everything cool. That is what I have found out in my retail experience working at the accursed big orange box store, as well as my brother’s experiences at Lowe’s and Best Buy.I hope that everything works out for you. I would give it a day before I started to panic.
So if maybe I did plug it back in too early what are the consequences? Can it justbe shut off again and let sit for a while before its turned back on?
Well, no. It would be like turning your car upside down, having all fluids run the wrong way, then trying to start it up again before everything settles. IF everything didn’t settle, and the cooling level doesn’t return to where you think it should be, then it would be safe to assume that some damage was done. On a side note, what are your temperature gauges set at for the fridge and freezer? Anything below half way might almost feel like room temperature if you like really cool drinks.
They were set at the factory setting but I switched them to about ¾ before I left to work. So I guess ill find out if its still having problems when I get home…
Yea, factory setting suck. Let us know what you find out.
It might be safest to simply call in a repair person and let them handle it. It will probably cost around $50 or so. I have household insurance on my stuff, so we only pay a service call.
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