You can transport a fridge on its side - but only this way

Any domestic refrigerator or freezer can safely be transported lying down on its side, including French door and bottom mount fridges, but only if you lay it on the correct side. When you get to the other end you can safely turn the fridge back on 5 minutes after standing it upright.

You should absolutely never transport a fridge on its back. See my other video on that subject at    • Never transport a fridge on its back  

Numerous other web pages and videos provide opinions on the subject, but most are wrong, including ones by so-called fridge experts and even some by fridge manufacturers. Australia's usually reliable Choice Magazine even gets it wrong on their fridge transportation page!

This video provides the correct answer and backs it up with detailed proof, something no other web pages or videos do.

It has nothing to do with the refrigerant or gas in the compressor, or which side the door hinges are on, as many people think. It is all about the lubricating oil that is in the bottom of the compressor. You need to keep it inside the compressor and not allow it to enter the refrigeration pipes.

There are three pipes coming out of most compressors (the round black motor down the bottom at the back). One is a short stub that is used to fill the compressor with gas initially. Ignore it. There are two other pipes, a thick one and a thin one. The thick one is the inlet or suction pipe and is usually plain copper. The thin one is the outlet or discharge pipe and is usually steel (a fridge magnet sticks to it). It is normally painted black or grey.

In some fridges the two pipes come out the same side of the compressor. In others the pipes come out opposite sides. When you lay a fridge down, the side of the compressor from which the thick suction pipe emerges must point up. End of story. If there is a cover hiding the compressor, get a screwdriver and remove it so you can check.

The reason is because after the suction pipe goes through the wall of the compressor it just stops. It is open on the inside to allow the incoming gas to fill the inside of the compressor. If you face the suction pipe down the oil will pour straight into it.

The discharge pipe on the other hand is fully sealed inside and it is almost impossible for any oil to reach it. The gas gets sucked into the compression cylinder via a muffler that is designed to block oil. The muffler inlet is located directly adjacent to the end of the thick suction pipe. That means that if you transport a fridge with the thick suction pipe facing up then the inlet to both pipes will be at the top nowhere near the oil and no oil can enter either pipe.

If you lay a fridge on its back or on its side with the thick suction pipe facing down, the ends of both pipes will often be below the oil. Gravity will allow oil to enter the suction line. Any pressure differential in the system will also force oil through the muffler and into the discharge line.

Occasionally a fridge will have five pipes, a short stub, three thin pipes and one thick pipe. The same rule applies - keep the thick pipe facing up. The two extra thin pipes go in and back out at the bottom and are designed to help cool down the hot gas in the pipe.

With some pipe layouts the fridge can safely be transported on either side or on its back without causing problems, due to carefully designed loops or bends in the suction pipe. With other layouts and depending on how far along the pipe the oil runs, standing it up for a year before turning it back on may not save it. Following the above rule works with 100% of fridges.

Transporting a fridge standing upright will also keep the oil inside the compressor, but is not without risk. The fridge can easily topple over while being loaded or unloaded by inexperienced people. It is also not possible with many vehicles.

If the hinges are at the bottom when the fridge is laid down then use a couple of pieces of electrical tape to keep the doors closed. NEVER use sticky tape or brown packing tape. When you remove it the sticky residue stays behind and will likely still be there in 10 years time.

0:00 Introduction
0:20 Misinformation from fridge manufacturers
0:38 Oil is the issue
1:43 Thick pipe must face up
2:25 Why thick pipe must face up
3:15 Wrong claims by other websites and videos
3:33 Oil cannot enter discharge line under gravity
4:15 Oil in evaporator will destroy fridge
5:00 Cutting compressor open and internal pipework
5:55 Oil cannot slosh up into muffler
7:29 Pressure differential can exist inside
8:04 Pressure cannot force oil into discharge line if downwards
9:22 Pressure forces oil into both lines if suction line downwards
11:16 Oil cannot drain back to compressor from discharge line
11:43 Oil cannot drain back to compressor from suction line
12:07 Sucking oil from suction line is not harmless
13:33 Real test transporting fridge on its side
14:44 Unloading fridge from van
15:11 Proof fridge still works
15:51 Debunking other myths
16:30 Conclusion