Transporting a refrigerator

[Tom]

Myth or fact.  I've always been told that refrigerators have to be moved standing up.  So.....you always use a open truck bed to move them.   

[oldbike54]

 They can be laid down , but need to be stood upright for several hours after before starting . Has to do with the oil in the refrigerant .

 Dusty

[Bud]

They can be laid down , but need to be stood upright for several hours after before starting . Has to do with the oil in the refrigerant .

 Dusty

:1:

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Several years ago I bought a full size stand up refrigerator and took it home in my sidecar.  I took the body off and put down a piece of plywood and stood the refrigerator on that.  Being a lifetime sailor, I did it on with ropes and took it home.
  People stared as if they had never seen a sidecar before.
 Yes I posted a photo of this on the site some years ago. 

[Gliderjohn]

just don't do like our "highly professional" Sears delivery service. Recently we bought a side by side fridge and a mattress set. When they arrived they said they had a bit of a problem, as in when they met a semi the load was so poorly secured that the fridge fell down in the bed obviously damaging the doors on the fridge possible other damage and tearing a hole in the corner of the box spring and mattress. Their first suggestion was "we can get replacement doors in a few days and you will not see the tears the bed set after you have bedspread on it.
As you might guess the conversation kind of went down hill from there.  :roll eyes:
GliderJohn

[fotoguzzi]

I love google images.

[Arizona Wayne]

I'm a qualified refrigeration tech who has replaced many compressors in them + anything else they ever needed.   Anyone who tells you you don't need to keep a refrigerator upright when moving is ignorant.   
The oil in a compressor is at the bottom of it.  If you lay it on it's side the oil is going to migrate into either the low side or high side sealed lines it's attached to.   Like your car engine this is never supposed to happen.   If the high side(smallest) line get's plugged up with oil you then have a complete restriction which means the compressor oil is not where it's supposed to be to lubricate and you then have a blockage of Freon wich means your compressor(pump that circulates the freon) is plugged up and you will get an increase in pressure until either the system fails or it will cost you more $ than you are willing to pay to clear the blockage.  Your sealed system will have to be evacuated, need a new drier and will take 3-4 hours.   Now if someone is stupid enough to lay a refer/freezer on it's side and after setting it upright again, waits 1 hour before turning it on, they MAY get lucky and have it still operable.  The other thing is your compressor inside is suspended on springs that are never supposed to be leaned horizontal.   If they are the compressor inside the shell looses it's alignment on the springs and from that point on when the compressor turns off, you will here it clunk against the shell since it's no longer suspended properly inside.  Sooner or later you compressor will die from this alone.     So gingerly move your  refer/freezer or you will be shortening it's life span. 

[oldbike54]

 Odd , I've stood on a loading dock and watched refrigerators being unloaded , they were stacked in the trailer on their sides .

 Dusty

[Rough Edge racing]

Odd , I've stood on a loading dock and watched refrigerators being unloaded , they were stacked in the trailer on their sides .

 Dusty

 GE Appliances has this to say about laying a fridge on it's side....Personally,I have moved a few older ones on their side with no problems...One time I ordered a brand new one from a local store, they delivered it,set it up......three hours later it failed ....Maybe they were ignorant and laid it down?

       http://products.geappliances.com/appliance/gea-support-search-content?contentId=16603

[mojoe]

always transported on side and left them a minimum of 12hrs standing up before switching on and not had a duff one yet!!

[twowheeladdict]

Just like propane bottles, always upright. 

Can someone possibly get away with not doing things correctly?  Obviously so, but how many bought a used refrigerator, got it home and it died and they figured the previous owner sold them a dud even though it was working and cold before they transported it on its side.

[Farmer Dan]

Being the only person in our family to own a truck and trailer I have hauled more than my share of refrigerators.  I always lay them down on their side (not the hinge side) when traveling and let them stand 24 hours before plugging them in.  I have not lost one yet new or used. (knock on wood).

[flynguzzi]

24hrs is a minimum time before plugging it in, period! These are too expensive to short cut using any quicker time.
 

[Tom]

From the GE website.

"Important: If it has been necessary to transport the refrigerator on its side, it should be stood upright for an equal amount of time as it was on its side before plugging it in. If on its side for more than a day, leave standing for 24 hours before running. (If laying on its side just briefly to service, clean or adjust, just a few minutes of stand time will be enough."

[ohiorider]

Brings back memories of when I lived just north of Pittsburgh.  I was riding my BMW K100RS north on I-79.  I noticed that the rear doors on a truck in front of me had swung open, so I backed off several car lengths.  Surprise!  A refrigerator rolled out of the open door, hit the pavement at 60+mph, and skidded along the highway until it exited via the shoulder amid a shower of plastic pieces.

End of story.

Bob

[Triple Jim]

I'm with Wayne.  I had an office refrigerator become inoperable after transporting it on its side, back when I was a kid.  Waiting 24 hours didn't help.

But I have read specific instructions about transporting them on a specific side, having to do with compressor input side, output side, etc..  A couple years ago I followed those instructions and had no problem.  I did have to open the back of the unit so I could see the compressor and figure out which side was which.  Reading Wayne's post, I assume the instructions said to lay the unit on the side that kept the compressor output up.

[Arizona Wayne]

I heard of 1 customer who bought a small chest freezer, put it in the bed of their PU but didn't tie it down............... .on the way home a semi-truck driving the other way drove by them on the 2 lane road and the wind turbulence literally lifted their new freezer up, out of their PU bed and you know what happened to it from that point.    Live and learn. 

1 day I saw a neighbor cleaning/hosing his garage chest freezer in the driveway with it laying on it's side.    I freaked out and told him what he was doing was a NO NO.  I told him to get it upright and maybe if he was lucky and let it sit for an hour it would still operate OK.  Apparently his Freon compressor lines were in the right location for what he was doing and he dodged a bullet.  If you don't know how a refrigeration system operates it's easy to make a mistake like this.    Most people don't have a clue.

[Tom H]

Never gave it much thought on how you "should" move a fridge.

Thanks for the info!
Tom

[twowheeladdict]

I heard of 1 customer who bought a small chest freezer, put it in the bed of their PU but didn't tie it down............... .on the way home a semi-truck driving the other way drove by them on the 2 lane road and the wind turbulence literally lifted their new freezer up, out of their PU bed and you know what happened to it from that point.    Live and learn. 

The same is true for transporting anything.  I always tie down for the unexpected, not the optimum drive home.  Sure, you can just strap down the front of a bike and haul it home.  If you wreck, the bike may add insult to injury.  I've seen guys load up a tractor on a trailer and just chain down the front axle.  They say the tractor is heavy enough that it won't go anywhere.  Sure, as long as you stay on the road and don't slam on the brakes.  A lot of hazards out there on the road.

[Chuck in Indiana]

I pulled in behind a beater pickup with a garden tractor in the bed. No tailgate, but a 1 inch tie down strap across the back. It was uphill, and I thought.. "Uh oh. If he gets on the gas, I'm going to eat that garden tractor.." and moved over between lanes. Got a glare from the driver beside me. When the light changed, naturally, he got on the gas and that sucker blew through the strap and did a twisting one and a half.. You can't fix stupid..

[guzzi ride]

Damn... I thought this was a Norge thread.

[Tom]

It is.     Just for the record I've always transported appliances in the upright position. 

[yogidozer]

Refrigerator Perry

[cruzziguzzi]

A lot - most - all(?) of the old ones had an over-flow jar that REALLY wanted to be upright when transporting since jiggling while on any other plane could lead to the fittings working loose only to be found out about later.

These jars were mounted very strangely to ensure quite operation.

Keep that in mind if you buy a vintage one.


Todd.

[Randown]

I'm a qualified refrigeration tech who has replaced many compressors in them + anything else they ever needed.   
   Anyone who tells you you don't need to keep a refrigerator upright when moving is ignorant.
The oil in a compressor is at the bottom of it.  If you lay it on it's side the oil is going to migrate into either the low side or high side sealed lines it's attached to.   Like your car engine this is never supposed to happen.   If the high side(smallest) line get's plugged up with oil you then have a complete restriction which means the compressor oil is not where it's supposed to be to lubricate and you then have a blockage of Freon wich means your compressor(pump that circulates the freon) is plugged up and you will get an increase in pressure until either the system fails or it will cost you more $ than you are willing to pay to clear the blockage.  Your sealed system will have to be evacuated, need a new drier and will take 3-4 hours.   Now if someone is stupid enough to lay a refer/freezer on it's side and after setting it upright again, waits 1 hour before turning it on, they MAY get lucky and have it still operable.  The other thing is your compressor inside is suspended on springs that are never supposed to be leaned horizontal.   If they are the compressor inside the shell looses it's alignment on the springs and from that point on when the compressor turns off, you will here it clunk against the shell since it's no longer suspended properly inside.  Sooner or later you compressor will die from this alone.     So gingerly move your  refer/freezer or you will be shortening it's life span. 

But what about the mfrs who say you CAN lay them on their side? Do we believe the horses mouth or an internet post?

FWIW there's 3 types of hermetically sealed (welded close) compressors used in residential refrigeration;

Reciprocating - oil in the shell is typically common to the low pressure side (bigger tube).

Scroll - oil in the shell is typically common to the high pressure side (smaller tube, though it is opposite for AC applications)

Rotary - oil in the shell is common to the high pressure side (smaller tube, going to condenser).

Lay them on a side to prevent oil draining out of the compressor sump via the tube that is common to it & you're golden.

If you made an error it doesn't mean your refrigerator is doomed, just stand it up or otherwise position it to facilitate oil return back into your compressor, follow the mfr recommendations. Allow enough time, colder weather means thicker oil which may take longer.

Not exactly a refrigeration tech so consider this another semi-factual internet post. 

[Yeahoo Whoyah]

Wow great responses, especially Refrigerator Perry and the sidewase Buick Roadmaster which makes the refrigerator it’s hauling vertical. Keep ‘em coming!

[Guzzi Gal]

For the twenty years I worked at Circuit City, we told customers that side transportation was strongly discouraged, and we wouldn’t assist in loading one that way.  If they still choose to do so, it was noted on their ticket (receipt), and they were told that the unit must be upright for a minimum of 24 hours before plunging in.

We also had a few poorly secured goodies (different large items) that didn’t survive the trip home.  We loaded it, and they secured it with twine or nothing, so it wasn’t Circus Sh!tty’s responsibility.  Some tried to claim we DID load, so we showed the the security footage.

[normzone]

No tailgate, but a 1 inch tie down strap across the back. ....  that sucker blew through the strap and did a twisting one and a half.. You can't fix stupid..

I have hauled a fair variety of odd things, some professionally, some less so (couch on top of a blanket on top of my Camry, for example).

But I have never failed to engage in freight bondage - I'll macrame something onto my vehicle if need be. I want my loads to pass the CHP eyeball test - they may not like the way it looks but there's no way it's going anywhere except where I drive it to.

Came upon a small traffic jam one day - two chagrined fellows sitting on the tailgate of their truck on the side of the freeway, and a CHP officer nonchalantly shoving a refrigerator over to them (on it's back) across five lanes with his push bars.  That probably voided the warranty.

[Guzzi Gal]

 :1:

freight bondage

Excellent terminology!

[yogidozer]

look at this thread, you can tell it's winter!