Moving and not sure how to get your refrigerator home without scratching or breaking it? The solution is to read the instruction manual and follow all the shipping instructions exactly. If the manual is missing or you can’t follow its recommendations through the vehicle intended for transportation, then read our article carefully. There you will find tips by High Stream Moving on how to transport your refrigerator correctly.

How To Prepare Your Fridge For Transportation

When we move to a new place of residence, we have to pack things, run, fuss, and remember whether we took everything. What if something gets lost, broken, or broken on the way? To prevent such unpleasant events, make a plan for the move. Sort things (dishes, books, textiles, furniture, appliances), pack them, and secure them inside the truck.

The refrigerator is best packed in the factory box, otherwise cardboard, thick paper, or special bubble wrap will do. Transporting a refrigerating unit without packing is by no means possible. Before the appliances get to the warehouse stores, the manufacturers take care of reliable and safe packaging of new refrigerators.

If you need to move a refrigerator that is already in use, prepare the unit in advance. Usually, this process is begun one day before transportation.

You will need to do the following:

1. Remove food from the freezer and refrigerator compartment;
2. Turn off and completely defrost your refrigerator;
3. Clean the inside and outside with a lukewarm soapy solution;
4. remove all the shelves and drawers and wrap them in the paper;
5. Remove excess moisture and dry it inside.

To safely transport the refrigerator, the compressor must be secured with special bolts or rope, otherwise from the jolting, it can simply fly out of place. Attach the wire carefully with tape to the compressor. If you purchased a non-standard model that does not fit freely in the opening, remove the door or remove the door handle.

Secure the doors of the cooling unit with painter’s tape, string, or tie straps so that they do not accidentally open and tear off during removal from the room or transportation.

Loading/unloading is carried out with great care, never hold the door handle of your refrigerator. It is not safe, it may come off.

Tip: Do not ignore the above steps, as failure to do at least one of them may cause your refrigerator to break down.

How To Transport A Fridge In A Horizontal Position

Below you can find the variants of self-transport of the refrigerating appliances:

• Firstly, you can call the specialists who will do everything for you: they will pack it properly, take it out of the house or apartment, move it and take it to a new place;
• Secondly, you can pack yourself and order a truck with the necessary height of the sides;
• Thirdly, transport the refrigerator by yourself.

That is why there is a reasonable question: how to move the fridge lying flat? Especially since not everyone has cars that allow vertical transportation. It all depends on which side to put the unit on.

• The back of the refrigerator, including the cooling grill, is poorly protected from various damages during transportation. Under the unit’s weight, the grid and insulation can also fail. In addition, pipe breaks can occur, as well as incorrect distribution of freon and oil in the system. This is why experts do not allow the refrigerator to be placed horizontally.
• It is forbidden to put the refrigerator on the door. In outdated models, a protruding handle prevents this. It is not allowed to do this because the door fasteners can break, and there is a high probability of oil mixing with freon.
• It is possible to transport your refrigerator only on one side, only in this case you can hope that the oil will not get into the pipes of the circuit and will remain in the container, and when the unit is set in an upright position, it will drain back.

If transporting the refrigerator lying on its side, the side where the discharge tube is located should be on top. It is most often the same as the side where the door fasteners are located.

How Long After Transportation Can Your Refrigerator Be Turned On?

The trouble-free operation of your refrigerator is not only affected by its proper transportation, but also by the temperature of the ambient air. We offer you a list of the most important requirements for transporting your refrigerator:

• If the refrigerator has a drip system, you can transport it only after it is completely defrosted. A refrigerator with a no-frost system does not need to be defrosted, just unplug it and wash it inside.
• If it is warm outside, the time for the equipment to rest after transportation should be four hours, and if it is cold, it should be about eight hours;
• If the refrigerator is transported horizontally, then in warm weather it must stand for eight hours, in cold weather for half a day, and ideally for 24 hours.