Fridge/freezer - On Or Off?

[trixilator]

Going away for 3 weeks. Have run-down the contents of the fridge/freezer and question do I switch the thing off altogether or let it run while I'm away?
What do you think?
Thanks

[AlwaysConfused]

I'm leaving mine on this year, although the contents will be minimal. I thought I had fully defrosted the fridge/freezer before I turned it off last year when I went away for 2 1/2 weeks. I came back to a flooded kitchen.

[Zeuhl]

Is it a Beko?

http://www.itv.com/news/2013-03-01/nearly-138-000-beko-products-a-safety-risk-in-uk-homes/

[Maydup]

Fill carrier bags with loosely scrunched newspaper and fill your freezer with them. Leave it on. It uses minimum power and saves you coming home to puddles.

[VHG]

If you do turn it off leave the doors open or the inside will be all mouldy when you get back.

[Old_Geezer]

I couldn't be messing about with emptying the freezer and turning it off if I'm away for a few weeks. It wouldn't be an issue if I was there, I'd trust it wouldn't be if I was away.

[daffy654]

Empty it and turn it off. You may find if it was to cause a fire whilst you are away you would not be covered by your contents insurance if you left it plugged in.

[dennisb66]

If your FF is virtually empty then I would completely empty it and turn off.

[woofgang]

check your insurance and if it allows it (mine does for an absence of 3 weeks) then i would leave it on.

[gingejbee]

Is it common practice to empty freezers and unplug them before going away for a few weeks?
Surely, one of the reasons for having a freezer is that it's always full of food ready to eat? (When returning from holiday, for example).

[woofgang]

different insurance policies have different requirements for how long a home can be empty and remain insured and what must be done to the house to keep the insurance valid while it is empty. When my Mum died, we had to turn off the utilities when there was no one there and we someone had to sleep in the house at least one night in 30.

[gingejbee]

I would never have household insurance that required me to empty a full freezer before I go on holiday!

[Sparkles62]

I would agree with maydup and VHG.
If you are going to leave it on, then fill it with carriers of newspaper or bubble wrap.
We close our holiday home up from dec til feb, turn off fridge/freezer, defrost it, make sure it is dry, leave it open and put some newspaper under the front of it, just in case.
The main thing is to leave it open or you will come back to a mouldy smelly fridge.
ARe you going anwhere nice always seems such a stupid question, so where are you off to?