How long should I wait before plugging in a used refrigerator that was transported on its side?

Give it 24 hrs minimum. The compressor is supposed to compress GAS, not liquid refrigerant or the lubricating oil. Letting it sit for 24 hrs allows the liquids to drain into the compressor crankcase.

I had a side-by-side Montgomery Wards branded Amana refrigerator purchased from Montgomery Wards in 1978. That thing was still working when we sold our home earlier this year! It's been through four moves (on it's side). I used the 24 hr power off, upright rule with no problems. So, as far as an expert, I might qualify.

Plug it in and let it run for about 2-3 hrs before you move food into the refrigerator. That's about the length of time it takes to freeze an ice tray and cool the cabinet. Or you can put a thermometer in the refrigerator side and when the temperature reaches about 40 deg, it cool enough. Then fine tune the thermostat for proper cooling. Or you can just listen to the refrigerator. When it shuts off, it's cool. But use a thermostat to confirm that it is cooling properly. Gently used refrigerators may not be as gently used as advertised.

The idea of letting it sit in the upright position for 24 hours is very valid. While on it's side, it's not so much the refrigerant itself that is the problem, but the oil in the compressor. It will have gone into the refrigerant lines (at least to some extent) and will need that time to settle back into the compressor. The lubricating oil travels freely with the refrigerant under normal operating conditions, and it pretty much is *self leveling* in the compressor. What I mean by that is that it (each system) is designed to account for the oil that DOES leave the compressor under normal circumstances, but being on it's side is not *normal*, so the lack of oil will be significant. The refrigerant itself will have *equalized* already just by being off for so long, and IT won't be a problem.

It takes quite a few hours to get a refrigerator down to *operating* temperatures, but you can help it along by putting ice in it if you have it available from another source. Already frozen (or cooled) foods will also help, but they may go bad before they can help getting the temperature down enough, so I wouldn't do that unless it's something you were planning to throw out anyway. I generally put two thermometers inside when I first plug one in, one in the freezer and one in the refrigerated section. The freezer should come down to 0°F before being used amd the refrigerated section should be *about 36 to 40° before being used. The thermometers are the best way to tell *how long* it takes, but it's generally at least 6 hours, (sometimes more, sometimes less.)

Al

Just like most people on here advised you, you should wait a minimum of 24 hrs. before you plug back in your "new" fridge. Like it has been said all the refrigerant needs to make its way back down to the compressor which is located on the bottom of the fridge and if you don't wait long enough you can burn it up and need to go buy another one.

The best advice I can give you about when you can fill your fridge is that once you have your fridge plugged in fill a cup with water and stick it in the fridge. every couple of hours or so take a thermometer and stick it in the glass of water. when the water gets down to about 40 degrees or so, go ahead and stock your fridge. you can do the same thing in your freezer and wait until the water becomes frozen.

Hope this helps.

Used Side By Side Refrigerator

Used Upright Freezer

My refrigeration guys said that it is a minimum of 24 hours, but hey I would wait 36 hours, WHY? because the coolant or oils have been allowed to run up into the motor. (due to horizontal travel) And from what I remember , they said that the fluids must drain back down into the bottom. If the fluids have not had time to drain down, the motors will burn up. Then you would be back to square one - reviewing, and shopping for another unit. and dropping even more money, and feeling upset, and feeling unwise.

So in the meantime treat yourself, go out to eat at a new place, go grocery shopping , and find new delicious things to fill up the new frig. with. I hope that this helps you.

When you get the fridge to the location you want it....keep the fridge in the up-rite position for at least the same amount of time that the refrigerator was laying down to help any oil in the lines to drain back into the compressor before plugging it back in...after the few hours are over, then plug it in and have a cold drink :-)

Appliance guy i talked to today said you can plug them in right away - he's done it many times with no problems. This 24 hour idea is basically an old wives tail - only applied to refrigs many years ago.

A freezer was moved from a location to another , powered after about seven hours but didn't work. Can it still work again if left unplugged for 24hrs?

24 hours before you plug it in, 24 hour after that to add the food. Unless you prefer to speed up the cooling process by adding 20lbs of ice to either side on the top shelf. This will cool the internal temp and allow you to add your food in a few hours to the refrigerator section. It will also reduce the time required after plug in to attain freezing temps on the freezer side.