Why Can't You Lay Refrigerator Down??

I've been watching this thread and I always recommend to anyone who must lay a residential refrigerator on its side to determine where the compressor is and make sure it is at the lowest point when you lay the fridge on its side. To be safe you can let it sit upright for

TDD

You're right. That makes it all the worse.

I doubt very much this fridge is solid state or it would not have this warning on the box. And the OP would likely have told us.

You did notice "dorm sized" when I wrote about the solid state fridge? You pick those up and set them in your shopping cart then slide it into the back of your minivan. ^_^

TDD

Is it a GE?

That's funny, when they delivered my new side by side refrigerator, I looked in the semi box and ALL the refrigerators they had in the truck were on their side. I asked the guy about it and he said, that's they way they get them from the factory.

They seem to be concerned about interior shelves moving around as well as possible damage due to compressor oil sloshing around.

Isn't the OP"s fridge also dorm sized? Yes. At any rate, I didn't want to lose track of the OP's situation.

VEry interesting. So with GE, there is a difference with monogram, bottom-mount, compact, versus all the other models. And new compact are okay and even used if you take care of drain water!!

So that leaves Monogram and bottom mount which are somehow different from all the rest. And they must really be or they wouldn't go to the trouble of saying so.

Surely a friend has a pickup or SUV.

Using a wrench remove the bolts from the bottom of the compressor , because most of the connections are copper they are bendable. Very slowly turn the compressor to the back of the fridge thus causing the fluid to go to the b ottom of the canister. Then laying the refrigerator on it's back will not d amage anything! When you get home bend the compressor back to where it orig inally was and reinsert bots or leave it as it is and use it like a deep fr eeze cooler it will now sit on it's back and you may fill It with a lot more beverages than you would have been able to before!! " no te that you will have to buy some sort of pan if you leave ion it's back be cause the the compressor will condensate and drip water ' difference is tha t a refrigerator already has the drop pan

se most of the connections are copper they are bendable. Very slowly turn t he compressor to the back of the fridge thus causing the fluid to go to the bottom of the canister. Then laying the refrigerator on it's back will not damage anything! When you get home bend the compressor back to where it or iginally was and reinsert bots or leave it as it is and use it like a deep freeze cooler it will now sit on it's back and you may fill

note that you will have to buy some sort of pan if you leave ion it's back because the the compressor will condensate and drip water ' difference is t hat a refrigerator already has the drop pan

I was interested in making a refrigerator into a "deep freeze" cooler. Wou ld you recommend doing this for permanent use? It would be outside, so the drip pan would not be a problem. I was trying to attach a picture. It is nice with wood covering and lift doors.

I'm currently on third mini freezer so this post probably applies to small refrigerator as well as of late 2015. My first freezer was a GE, the second an Igloo, and the most recent an Avanti. It seems these China made boxes won't work if they are even transported at an angle. I have gone through three now that, despite the seemingly high odds against failure have all failed nonetheless. All three sound perfectly normal just no cold.

So why did I think the third time would be the charm? Stupid mistake! I should have researched it all first. So now it seems I won't be able to install a freezer in the basement at all because the entrances are just too small and the freezer would have to be tilted anyway to get it down there.

The local repair people won't touch these boxes; they consider these things to be disposable I guess.

Avanti CS will ship you a brand new freezer if you send them the receipt and the snipped off power cord. Trouble is, they consider this to be warranty coverage. So what happens to the defective freezer? You'll have to dispose of it yourself.

I believe you can lay a refrigerator on its side if you then allow it to sit upright for several hours, maybe a day, afterwards, before plugging it in. Did you do that?

If yours still didnt' work, maybe there is something different about it from the rest.

Because the compressor lubricating oil gets into the piston cylinder.

is that why you must wait a day, or why you cannot turn it on its side period?

What I've heard, if the oil gets into the piston, the valve break when the compressor is turned on.

Ideally, waiting a day allows the oil to drain back to the base of the compressor. Where it belogns.

Also, laying down an abandoned refrigerator might make it harder for a trapped child to get out of - due to weight of the door. No one here thought of that. ;)