How long should a fridge run when first plugged in ?

Suppose you have brought a new fridge at your house, or your old one after maintenance or you have moved it to another place and you don’t know yet, that how long should a fridge run when first plugged in, or plugged in again after plugging out. However, if it is still an old one that has been maintained, you do need to know how long it takes to get cold again. Because the situations are different for both of the times as for a new fridge and a repaired one. Therefore, if you have any query similar to this, then you are most welcome to this blog post.

How long should a fridge run when first plugged in?

I can still remember when I brought my new fridge and I was too excited to get a drink of cold water from it. But at that time, I didn’t know how much time I’d had to wait for it and I was also looking for the same question as you are. Therefore, I do know that we all have a lot of queries in our minds when we bring something new into our house for the first time in our life. But as I was worried, or looking for, I won’t let you be, because I have got a very precise and accurate answer for it. So, hold on a little, and let’s find out together.

How long does it take for a new fridge to get cold:

It depends on many different factors, like the size of the fridge, model, brand, type, indoor-outdoor temperature conditions, and a lot more, that we’ll discuss later. But a normal fridge can take up to 3 to 24 hours to get cold completely. However, usually, if you have brought a new fridge, it will get cold within 3 to 4 hours even on the setting of the thermostat from 4 or 5. But for the first time, it would be better if you’d set it to the 7.

How long should a refrigerator run before putting food in

For this particular situation, just wait for the temperature down inside your brand-new refrigerator for 4 to 5 hours, and don’t put hot foods, groceries, or other edibles inside it until it has enough cooling.

How long should a fridge run when it is moved or repaired

What if you have moved your fridge from one place to another and plugged it out or there might be an issue with it that you have solved after getting it repaired? So, how long does it take to get cold in these situations? Well, if you have moved it to another place, plug it in again and leave it alone for at least 2 to 6 hours and it will again depend on the condition of the place and its ambient temperature. However, when you’ve brought it after maintenance, you should consider it a new one if all the issues have been removed. And at that time, it will take up to 4 hours on a normal thermostat setting of 4 to 5 for making efficient cooling inside it.How long should a fridge run when first plugged in

Factors that decide how long should a fridge run before shutting off

Whatever the condition it would be, the refrigerator’s cooling always depends on many factors. And by knowing about these factors, I can guarantee you that you can make your fridge get cold faster than usual. So, let’s have a look at them.

Fridge Indoor temperature:

Is your fridge taking longer for getting cold even if the thermostat is on the highest cooling level? If it is, you might be curious to know what is the matter behind this.

Well, it depends on the type of things that you’ve placed inside your refrigerator. Like if you place some hot warm foods inside it, the fridge will take more time for making enough cooling and chilling them. Moreover, stuffing also affects fridge cooling.

So, for making your fridge getting cold faster, adequately place the items in it within the available space. This will save your time and electricity.

Fridge Ambient Temperature:

A place where the fridge is plugged in and running can also affect its cooling. Because sometimes the fridge doesn’t get that enough cool environment for getting cold air and producing more cooling inside it. This means the ambient temperature of the fridge is higher.

In that case, try to put your fridge at a place where it must be exposed to the outer or natural air. Some portable fridges are best in this way. Because you can place them a little bit away from the wall, or before a window as this will make it consume more fresh air for faster and effective cooling.

Fridge internal light:

For most of the refrigerators, when the door gets closed their internal light also turns off with it. However, if it doesn’t, it will keep lightening inside and will make the environment hot that will affect your fridge cooling. So, make sure that it is working effectively.

Fridge lose and damaged door gaskets:

Sometimes when you open the fridge door and turn it close it doesn’t close properly because of its damaged gaskets. In that case, the cooling will start getting out from the fridge even without your knowledge. This will take much time for your refrigerator to get cold because its cooling won’t be gathered inside it. So, you need to make sure that you have closed the door properly after opening it as this will also save your time and electricity.

Moreover, try to open its door only when suitable and you have an urge to get something from your fridge. However, don’t open it without intentions because, in this way, you’ll cause your fridge to lose cooling.

Other factors:

Fridge cooling depends on some other factors too as I said above. Like its size, its type, its working capacity, and the brand from where it belongs. Most of the fridges are very good at cooling even in the first shot but most of them take longer than usual. However, when you purchase a new one of any type and any brand, try to confirm the main details about it from its provider or get a user manual. This will make you use it completely.

Final saying:

I hope that I have made myself very clear about How long a fridge should run when first plugged in. However, the best suggestion to you is to wait, wait for at least 3 to 6 hours after you have placed your fridge inside your kitchen because this will make it settle its fluid that might get disturbed during taking it home. After this time, plug it in and again wait for 4 to 8 hours as this will start cooling. So, if you have liked this information and also consider asking or add something, feel free to comment because I would love to read and respond. Good luck!

Some frequently asked questions regarding this:

How long should a fridge run before shutting off?

Before it goes to the defrost cycle, a fridge should run for at least 6 to 8 hours. This will make it work efficiently and gather some cooling. However, the cooling depends on many factors on which the fridge works like indoor outdoor temperature, light, door gaskets, etc.

What do I need to do if my refrigerator keeps running and it doesn’t turn off?

Most of the fridges have an automatic function as when they get maximum cooling, they turn off automatically. But in case if your specific one keeps running all the time then you should keep in mind those above described cooling factors. Moreover, you need to apply the following steps for turning it to normal working

  • Change door gaskets and check indoor lightening
  • Check the defrost timer and set it to normal
  • Also, check out the defrost heater

However, it would be better to call for an operator.

How many hours does a refrigerator run per day?

The automatic ones can be plugged in all the time and they only consume electricity a great deal when they are making cooling. However, it doesn’t matter if it is plugged in for a whole day because with its automatic turning on and off functions, it won’t bother you.

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