Getting up from the sofa can feel like a big inconvenience. That’s why I recently went ahead and bought a mini fridge. However, sitting in my recliner, I thought, can you put a mini fridge on carpet?
Since, like many people, we only have carpet flooring in our living room, I thought this might cause a problem. So I did a little research to find out.
Keep reading to find out more.
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Can You Put A Mini Fridge On the Carpet?
Yes, you can put a mini fridge on the carpet. However, it’s not recommended as it can affect the fridges’ performance. This is because a carpet will hold heat and block the airflow, leading your mini fridge to overheat.
Therefore, leaving a gap between the floor and the bottom of your fridge is advisable. In this case, the best thing to do is to ensure that you place your fridge on hardwood, plastic, or tiled flooring.
Where Should You Not Put A Mini Fridge?
Considering refrigerators regularly get hot and emit heat, you need to consider where you’re placing your refrigerator unit without blocking ventilation.
Let’s explore some of the don’ts when deciding where to place your mini fridge:
- Don’t place your mini fridge near a heat source
- Don’t place your fridge on its side.
- Don’t block any ventilation.
Do Not Place Your Fridge Near Heat Sources
Firstly, I recommend not placing a mini fridge anywhere near another heat source, such as a cooker or radiator, as this can result in the compressor overheating and becoming damaged.
Do Not Place Your Mini Fridge On Its Side
Always keep your refrigerator upright should you need to move it, as your refrigerator uses liquid coolants which pass through the pipes, known as compressor oil.
Therefore, placing a fridge on its side will cause the compressor oil to flow into the cooling pipes.
If, for whatever reason, you need to lay your refrigerator on its side, allow it to sit upright for an hour or so before turning it on, allowing the oil to drain back into the compressor.
Do Not Block A Fridges’ Ventilation
When deciding where to place your mini fridge, ensure not to block ventilation. Blocking the ventilation can cause it to struggle to lose heat and cause the compressor to overheat. This leads to more severe problems, which can be costly.
What If You Have Nowhere Else To Put Your Mini Fridge?
Considering many people live in smaller spaces. There may be no choice but to sit your mini fridge on the carpet.
Thankfully, there are a few workarounds that I’ve found for you to consider to stay safe and ensure your mini fridge continues to function as intended.
Leave A Gap Under Your Refrigerator
As mentioned above, placing your mini fridge or refrigerator unit on carpeting can lead to several problems. The biggest one is the restriction of the cooling system, causing overheating.
However, another problem is that your carpet can prevent your refrigerator door from fully closing, leaving it ajar.
Although this doesn’t seem like it could cause a problem, leaving the fridge door open can result in your cooling system working much harder than it needs to, using up excess energy and increasing your electricity bill.
It can also cause your fridge to leak, which in itself causes damage to your carpet.
Purchase A Mini Fridge With Rear Cooling Units
Problems can occur when placing refrigerators on a carpet when their cooling systems are at the bottom of the unit. Therefore, we recommend purchasing a mini fridge with a cooling system at the back to ensure proper airflow.
Regularly Maintain Your Fridge
If you decide that there’s no other way than to place your refrigerator on a carpeted floor, you’ll need to ensure that you’re taking all the correct precautions to ensure that it does not leak.
This includes ensuring that your refrigerator is constantly running correctly and efficiently and keeping on top of any factors that may hamper performance.
A couple of the main areas to check are:
- Fridge Temperature: Is the temperature set too low or too high? A warmer setting can cause ice to defrost, causing a leak.
- Prevent Overcrowding: Overcrowding your fridge can affect how the air can circulate throughout the unit, making the unit work harder to maintain its temperature.
- Clean Refrigerator Condenser Coils: If you’ve never cleaned your refrigerator condenser coils, you will likely find them covered in dust and dirt. This causes problems as it prevents the refrigerant which runs through these coils from losing heat efficiently. This should typically be done every 6-8 months.
Protective Plastic Sheets
Suppose you want to take extra precautions to protect your carpeting from a leaky refrigerator. You should lay a protective sheet under the fridge to catch any unwanted residue.
A plastic sheet may be the best solution, as this will help catch any leaky fluids and provide a flat base for your fridge to sit on.
Conclusion
So, can a mini fridge sit on the carpet? We wouldn’t advise it. However, if you cannot avoid doing so, we hope we’ve provided enough information to do so safely.
