Moving a fridge

[crossy67]

I am going to be moving a large commercial fridge in a couple of days, the restaurant is open and functioning so we will be needing to get the new fridge up and running asap. Is this thing of leaving them to settle an old wives tale or true? Any HVAC engineers able to confirm or dismiss this please.

Ta all.

[mph1977]

if the fridge can stay relatively upright throughout the move it shouldn;t need long to settle (i.e. refirgerant drain back to the reservoir)

[crossy67]

It's going to have to be taken on its side up a flight of stairs. Really looking forward to it, it's a 2m x 1.4m stainless fridge unit and it's very heavy.

[Pothole]

Leave for 2 hours minimum, more if you can. Why rush and risk damage?

[crossy67]

A couple of hours is no problem, we can probably spare 12 without too much hardship. I was a bit confused as to how a gas would need to separate, it looks like that's bull but the compressor has oil in it what would need to settle if it leaves the sump.

[226bhp]

Not that it's of much help, but to prove it's not an old wives tale it still says on the instruction manuals to leave them standing for x amount of hours after moving. I'd say 12 was fine.

[anonymous-user]

I have actually blown a fridge up by moving it (tipping on its back) and then plugging it in straight away. It went POP! Luckily it was an old spare fridge.

Having said that, I have moved a few fridges since, and 12 hours to sit should be OK.

[beko1987]

I had our old crappy one in the back of my car for 5 weeks before I stuck it on facebook for a tenner and got rid of the bd thing, SWMBO knows the new owners and they left it 3 hours and plugged it in and it was fine. HAd been living in my mums garage for 2 years before that, although upright

Was on its side in my car, probably did 3k, well travelled fridge. Was a cheap POS one though

[illmonkey]

Lifting one down to my cellar it went on it's side and when in place it got plugged straight in. It didn't go bang, but when on 2degress, it doesn't seem that cold. Could this be why, or would it either work or not?