Should you leave them to stand after moving them?

I was recently asked about the correct thing to do when moving a fridge or freezer. Is it true that you’re supposed to leave your appliance to stand for some time before you switch it on again? I’m well aware of the advice but I really didn’t know whether it was based on any facts or was just an old wives’ tale. There’s certainly plenty of conflicting information on the Internet, ranging from scary assertions that your fridge will definitely blow up to outright dismissal as an urban legend.

So I decided to ask our friends at Appliances Online as they deliver thousands of them throughout the UK. They’ve been in touch with some of the manufacturers and there does seem to be a consensus that if you’ve moved a fridge or freezer, and particularly if it’s been laid on its side during transit, then it is best to leave it to stand for a few hours before switching it on. That will give the oil in the compressor and the coolant gas time to settle.

However, at eSpares we’ve never had any customer reports of fridges or freezers stopping working because they’ve been switched on immediately after transportation. And it seems unlikely that you will have an issue if you turn your fridge on straight away. But it’s probably best to be on the safe side.