Should refrigerator be unplugged when leaving for extended length of time?
 

Should kitchen refrigerator be unplugged when leaving house for an extended length of time? My friend and I have differing options. Thanks!

If you do that, leave the doors blocked open.

What do you consider an extended period of time? Normally, I’d just leave it running.

I think you can leave it off if you cleaned it thoroughly so no bacteria mold will grow which would take a lot, or if it was never used like as in a new house.

Seems like the answer is mixed. If you leave it on I would set at the warmest possible temp. Be sure water is turned off and the ice maker is turned off. I think this would be my uneducated recommendation.

I would leave it on.

We prefer to come back to some food in the house so move most items into the freezer section and leave it on.

Running cost is probably less than replacing the items you would otherwise throw/give away.

Extended, like for months, I would turn it off and leave the doors open. Short term like a few weeks, I would leave it running.

Note that a refrigerator only costs about 7 dollars per month to operate, and even less when you don't open the doors. I don't see the point in unplugging it.

We decided to leave ours on for the 6 months we are away. Figured it would not cost much to just do it with it being closed the entire time. AC is on anyway so we don’t see it.

I turn the water off, so you need to turn the ice maker off. Otherwise, rest of the refrigerator is running

We're snowbirds and while we're in The Villages, we leave the one up north plugged in and running. When we go north, we empty the one we have in The Villages, unplug it and block the doors open (that is essential). The reason why is that about 5 years ago, while we were up north, lightening struck a neighbors house down here and took out the refrigerator. When we got back it stunk to high heaven, even though we had almost nothing in it (just condiments). Had to get a new one. Too much lightning down here, and the "whole house" surge protector doesn't work if it strikes nearby. Not much lightning up north in the winter.

IMO depends how much food you have in it? If I had very little and I was going to be gone like two months or more I would turn it off, clean it out and let it completely defrost. Yes, even though refrigerator considered frost free but it don’t completely defrost due to lot more complicated than the ones that lasted for ever in 50’s. But, most of problems today with cooling or ice maker malfunctioning due to defrosting problem from electronic malfunction, bad seal causing frost build up, small leak causing ice build up and mechanical problems. And of course this would be good time to clean the cooling coils, fan at bottom, any mess in drain pan, and floor under the refrigerator.

We don’t, plus we try to keep the freezer full so that a couple day power outage doesn’t melt all the food. If the refrigerator fails, we’ll we’re just out of luck.

I have read in the past although I don't know about new refrigerators that mechanically speaking it is better to keep it plugged in and running so that the rubber the belts for years the motors continue to operate. my two cents

Yes not a problem. Just leave the doors open a little to avoid mildew.