On Fri, 12 Apr 2013 09:02:34 -0400, (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.

I've moved many refrigerators by laying them down but only just long
enough to move them from one house to another, rarely for more then 30
to 40 minutes. I always make sure I lay them down with the compressor
on the "down" side when it's on it's side. I have never had a problem
and I typically plug them back in within an hour of delivery. I'm
sure that the warning is true if you were going to lay it down and
leave it on it's side for quite a while, like hours and hours or
longer.