Well, from time to time, a fridge might be transported from one point to another. For instance, if you purchase a new fridge freezer, it must be hauled from the appliance store to your home.
If a fridge is moved from one location to another, some components might be accidentally dislodged. Due to this, you have to let your fridge settle for a certain period before turning it on.
So, how long should you leave a fridge freezer to settle?
In today’s blog, we will give you some useful insight to help you set up your fridge easily after transportation.
Elements of Fridge Freezers
Going through various fridge or freezer components makes you understand how your fridge might be affected as you are moving it.
Fluid refrigerant– Available in liquid form, the fluid refrigerant regulates the temperature in the refrigeration system by cooling different parts of the fridge. Apart from that, the fluid refrigerant can change its form from fluid to gaseous form after circulating through a certain section.
Compressor– In most models, the compressor is usually fitted on the backside. It plays a crucial role in regulating the temperatures in a fridge.
Condenser– This part features a series of coils and is fitted on the backside of a fridge to regulate temperatures. The heat that is emitted from different parts of the fridge is transmitted to this part.
Evaporator– This part is fitted inside the body of a fridge. Not to mention, the evaporator is fitted close to the interior compartment, absorbing some of the heat energy that may be radiating from preserved foods.
Oil– Various fridges come with a specific oil that is quite effective in maintaining the compressor and minimizing excessive wear. If this oil is not effective, different parts of your fridge might become faulty after a certain period. Replacing various parts of a fridge freezer might be costly when compared to buying new compressor oil.
What Happens When a Fridge Is Moved?
If the appliance is being moved from one point to another, it might be held at a certain angle or a certain position. Moving a fridge between two different points can be done in multiple ways to achieve the same result. Since such appliances have a lot of weight, it might be rather challenging to transport them in an upright stance.
For instance, if you’re planning to carry this appliance up some stairs, it has to be held at a certain angle to fit perfectly on the staircase.
In such instances, the compressor oil inside this appliance may flow from the compressor to other parts of the fridge, settling on the wrong sections of the refrigerator unit. The result might be a system blockage.
Apart from that, the compressor oil might flow to other sections if the fridge is held at a horizontal position while it’s being transported from one point to another.
Furthermore, small movements might destabilize the compressor oil. However, large quantities of oil might not flow to other parts when the fridge is transported upright.
Why Should You Wait for the Fridge Freezer to Settle?
Well, to get effective results later on, you have to let the fridge sit for a certain time before you plug/connect it to an electrical power supply. Once you do this, the compressor oil will flow to its original spot. When doing this, the fridge should rest on a stable surface and should be totally upright.
The total amount of time that the oil may take to flow back to its original spot may differ from one refrigerator unit to another.
Switching the power on at the wrong time can damage different parts of your fridge freezer after one hour or two hours.
How Long Should You Leave a Fridge Freezer to Settle?
Some fridge freezers might come with an instruction manual that gives you insight into the total amount of time the fridge freezer requires to settle completely. On that note, fridge manufacturers should include multiple details in their manuals to guide you in installing a fridge freezer in your house.
While some instruction manuals from multiple fridge manufacturers might advise you to power your freezer system after two hours, you should let it sit for more than two hours. You should let the fridge sit for about 24 hours before connecting it to an electrical power source to get superb results. Plugging in fridge freezers after 24 hours minimizes the risk of any blockages.
However, if you plan to preserve food after moving your fridge freezer, you should let the new fridge freezer sit for about 8 hours before you connect/plug it into an electrical power source.
If you have perishable foodstuffs that you need to preserve as soon as possible, you should consider keeping them in another fridge. If you have no alternative, you can always power up your fridge after 4 hours of settling, but we recommend leaving it for as long as possible.
Moreover, while the backside of the freezer should be adjacent to a wall in an upright stance, it shouldn’t lay on the wall’s surface. Putting the backside on the surface of the wall can damage multiple parts of the fridge. The appliance should be laid carefully on a sturdy and flat surface to prevent different types of damage. Not to mention, the door of the fridge should be accessed from different sides.
Well, manuals may recommend leaving the appliance for a certain period so that it settles completely. However, you have to let it stand for as many hours as possible to get superb results. The last thing that you would want to encounter is a broken fridge that can’t preserve food.
Can a Warranty Cover the Fridge if It’s Turned on Early?
The short answer is that various fridge companies will offer you a warranty with various regulations. The company might not tell if the fridge was turned on at the right time or not. However, further analysis might show that the compressor oil is the cause of such defects.
Warranties have varying regulations, depending on the manufacturer of the fridge. While some might help you repair defects caused by the compressor oil, some might not cover such defects.
Apart from that, replacing and repairing multiple parts of a fridge that might have been damaged by the compressor oil can be hectic and time-consuming. To be on the safe side, you should let the fridge freezer sit for a certain time (a couple of hours), giving it enough time to settle completely.
After How Long Should You Store Your Food?
Once the oil flows back to its original spot and you have connected your fridge freezer to a power supply, you should wait for the temperature inside to cool down to store your food again. This can take at least four hours for some models.
We recommend keeping your food in cool boxes during this process so that it doesn’t go bad.
Wait for the Fridge Freezer to Settle
Well, you have to be quite patient while the oil settles back to its original spot. Whether your fridge takes five hours or eight hours to settle, you have to wait patiently. Let the appliance stand upright for the recommended period to allow the oil to flow back to its original spot.
You can wait for a day before connecting the power cord to the electrical power supply to get effective results. Plugging the cord at the wrong time may damage your refrigerator unit, which we want to avoid.
