Not 24 Hours: How Long Should You Wait Before Plugging In A Refrigerator?

There are a lot of unwritten rules people live by that go unquestioned. Take your shoes off at the door, don't tell someone they look tired, and ask before you pet a dog. Another one? Wait 24 hours before plugging in your fridge. However, you don't need to wait 24 hours; depending on the situation, you may be able to wait less. 

If you're renovating your kitchen, getting your fridge fixed, or installing a new fridge (which comes with plenty of surprising mistakes), you'll need to unplug your fridge at some point — and then plug it back in. The reason some people advise you to wait 24 hours is to allow the refrigerant and compressor oil to settle properly. Some say it also prevents compressor damage. But not everyone is in agreement. Samsung states that you can plug its fridges back in after two to three hours if they were transported upright, and wait at least four hours if they were transported on their sides. Other sources say four to six hours is sufficient.

As you can see, there's a bit of a discrepancy regarding how long you have to wait before plugging in a fridge. That's because several factors affect how long you have to wait. The first? The type of refrigerator you have. A fridge with a standard compressor can be plugged in after four hours. However, side-by-side and French-door fridges with dual evaporators and multiple zones could take 24 hours.

You should also consider the duration of the move — the longer the journey, the longer you may need to wait. You can plug the fridge in after four hours if it was a local move, but a cross-country trip could require 24 hours because the compressor and coolant may tilt and mix during transport. As Samsung stated, it also matters how the fridge was positioned during transport, since lying sideways can cause the coolant and oil to settle in the wrong places, making the compressor work extra hard. If you take proper care of your newly installed fridge, it can last up to 12 years.