On Apr 12, 1:15*pm, harry wrote:
On Apr 12, 2:02*pm, (MICHELLE H.) wrote:





Is it true that laying a refrigerator down on it's side ruins it and/or
voids any warranty? I read something about how when you lay it on the
side, that oil and coolant get up into the coils. Other people say you
CAN lay it on the side, as long as you leave it unplugged for a few
hours after getting home and standing it up.

Also, I am not talking about a full size fridge. We are thinking of
getting one of those small "college dorm" type of refrigerators to put
in our basement to keep some extra water bottles, soda cans, beer cans,
etc. nice and cold, because in the Summer we go through alot of
beverages.

Our local "P.C. Richard" store has a nice "Avanti" 3.3. cubic foot for
sale right now for $124. That's pretty cheap considering that Wally-Mart
has the same size "Black and Decker" for $168, and Target has a smaller
3.1 cubic foot one for $139.

Anyway, on the box it specifically says "Do NOT lay refrigerator down on
it's side! KEEP UPRIGHT AT ALL TIMES!!". The problem is, we don't have a
truck, so laying it flat on the seat would be the only option of getting
it home in our small Chevy Cavalier!!!! Would laying it flat for a 20
minute drive home, really damage the fridge? It's to tall to stand it up
on the seat, so without spending extra money to rent a truck, or pay for
delivery, laying it down in the car is the only way to get it home.

There are two reasons. One is the one you stated which is sometimes
fixed by leaving it up right for an hour or two on some designs. On
others the oil can get into the cylinder of the compressor and cause a
hydraulic lock.
There are lots of different sorts on compressor, *that's the problem

The other is that some compressors are spring mounted (for silent
running) and the compressor can fall off the springs.
Especially if it's on it's back/side and jolted about in transport.

The compressor is inside the metal lump low down at the back.

So best not to tip it over, it may or may not be OK, no-one can say
for sure.

get friend with larger vehicle to do hauling