tansporting a fridge/freezer

[banjowizard]

Is it o.k. to transport a fridge/freezer on its side? I have had conflicting information from the internet and friends.

Thanks.

[sddsddean]

I used to deliver white goods and they were regularly transported on their sides. The big double door fridges came from the USA, so spent several weeks in a container on their sides. The secret is not to transport it on its back (so you don't damage the pipework and vanes etc on the back). When it arrives at its destination, stand it right way up for at least 2 hours, to allow all the refridgerent to drain back down to the compressor. You should have no problems.

[inicholson]

I recently bought a fridge freezer. I transported it on it's side and it's fine. They do recommend that you leave it to stand for 12 hours before turning it on

[banjowizard]

thanks for the fast replies!

[dmsjps]

Don't know about the transporting bit, but when my last fridge packed up I took it to the council depot and abandoned it, spent loads on a new one, then was told that when a fridge stops working, before you give up on it you should turn it over and leave it for a day or two, then turn it back the right way and leave it again and when you switch it back on, it often comes back to life. Don't know if that's true either, but I wish I'd tried it because that fridge was much better than the new one I got.

[ICEMANSAV]

They are ok on their side but leave stood upright for 24 hours if possible as the oil that will run into the condenser will require time to get back into the compressor sump. Running the fridge without its oil will pack up the compressor eventually.

[richfo]

The reason you should be careful about laying them down is because the oil from the motor seeps in to the pipes. If you do not allow it to settle for 24 hours the oil gets pupmed around the system when it is turned back on. Sometimes this can block the whole system permanently. It is better to tape the doors shut and lay on its front as the pipes usually come out either side of the motor. The thin pipe is the high pressure pipe (normally on the right) and is the worst side to lay it on.