Tipping a side-by-side fridge freezer?

[Ronnie Gibson]

I've got a large side-by-side fridge freezer in my kitchen. I'm going to put new vinyl flooring in the kitchen but can't take the fridge out of the kitchen.

At the moment my best plan is to move the fridge to the far end of the kitchen, roll out most of the vinyl, tip the fridge as much as is required to roll the vinyl part way under and then tip it the other way and continue unrolling the vinyl.

I know that if you put a fridge on it's back for transportation you're supposed to leave it for 48 hours before turning it on (to let the coolant settle or something). What I want to know is whether I can tip it, say 20-30 degrees, and plug it in again immediately without any problems.

Lifting the whole thing up to keep it horizontol is something I'd prefer to avoid - it's heavy.

Any ideas?

Ronnie

[Richard Faulkner]

In message , Ronnie Gibson writes

I've just had a fridge/freezer delivered, but it has to be stored at 1st floor level until the top floor is ready to take it. The shop told me to leave it for 6 hours after moving it to the top floor, as long as it was only tipped at the angle of the staircase, and not right on its back.

[Harry Bloomfield]

Ronnie Gibson wrote on 16/03/2005 :

I asked this question long ago and the answer seems to be that it is a function of both angle and time that it is tilted for. I would not be worried by such a small angle of tilt anyway....

For example.... Caravan fridges are often running and in use whilst being transported. These types of fridges work on exactly the same principle as domestic fridges, they are just just smaller.

[Andy Dingley]

They're not the same principle. Caravan fridges use heat (gas or electric) to power them, not a compressor. There's no compressor lubricating oil in the circuit, so there's nothing to disturb.

[Harry Bloomfield]

on 16/03/2005, Andy Dingley supposed :

My foot firmly in mouth ;-)

None the less, unless the angle from vertical is large and for a prolonged period, then the oil stays at the bottom in the compressor.

[Christian McArdle]

something). What I want

One trick that gets them working more quickly after disturbance is to turn them on for ten seconds and then off for a few minutes and repeat many times. This runs the compressor enough to distribute the oil, but without overheating the unlubricated bearings.

Given that it will only be tilted a little, just a bit of care turning it back on should be OK. Don't sue me for a new fridge if it mangles itself. Definitely at your own risk.

Christian.