Do You Just Plug in a Wine Fridge? (Must Read Tips)

So the big day has arrived and your new wine fridge is being delivered. The life of your wines is about to change for the better and you can’t wait to fill your new wine fridge with your treasured wine collection.

But how easy is it to install the wine cooler? Is it just as simple as plugging your wine fridge in?

Listen to this post here:

Do You Just Plug a Wine Fridge In?

Yes, all you need to do with a wine fridge is plug it into a standard power socket and they're ready to go.

It's really that easy! But there is a warning...

With all transit or house moves your wine fridge will need a little bit of time to settle into its new home, as compressor gases need to settle after transportation when they get rattles around due to movement. 

• We recommend leaving your wine cooler to rest for 12-24 hours before turning it on. 

Be patient, once you’ve plugged it into a power source don’t switch it on straight away. The 12 -24 hour period before switching the power on allows the gasses to settle and the wine fridge will operate just fine.

If you were to switch on the wine fridge straight away after substantial movement this could damage the internal workings of the wine fridges which wouldn't be covered by your manufacturer warranty.

How long do you have to wait before you get to turn your new wine fridge on?

How Long Before Plugging In a Wine Fridge?

You can plug your wine fridge in to a plug socket / outlet almost straight away, and we recommend doing this so you can confirm that your fridge is within a good distance from a power supply and the cord is long enough - usually power cables on wine fridges are 1 - 1.5 metres long.

Just don't actually turn the power ON before the 12 - 24 hour resting period is up. When in doubt, always check the manual for any specific requirements. 

The coolant, and the gases inside, need time to settle before they're good to go, so allow them some time to get used to their new environment. 

Does a Wine Fridge Need a Special Outlet?

The good news is that most wine fridges are designed to work with the power outlets you have fitted as standard in your home and won’t require anything special or additional to be added for them to function perfectly:

• In the US the standard power voltage is 110-120 volts 
• In the UK & most of the EU the standard power voltage is 220-240 volts.
• The power source needs to provide the correct voltage and amperage for the wine fridge. If it isn't suitable for the power outlet available the plug probably won't fit into the socket anyway!

Just double check your outlet has the right voltage and amps required (you should be able to find this information in the fridge’s manual) and then you’re good to go!

But is it really that easy?

Can a wine fridge fit into a normal UK plug socket?

Can You Plug a Fridge into a Normal UK Socket?

Wine fridges aren’t here to trick you or catch you out, you can plug a wine fridge straight into your regular UK home socket as any wine fridge designed for UK use will be fitted with the correct UK 3 pin plug (or worst case come with an EU to UK adapter supplied)!

So when looking at areas in your home to put your wine fridge, always keep the power supply in mind and try to put your wine fridge as close to one as possible.

But what if you want to put your fridge somewhere else that’s not near a power supply, can you use an extension cord?

Related: Can You Put a Wine Fridge in a Cabinet?

Can I Plug a Wine Fridge into an Extension Cord / Power Strip?

In theory you can use an extension cord or a power strip to plug your wine fridge in but try to avoid doing so unless absolutely necessary.

Most manufacturer warranties won’t cover you if you use an extended power supply for your wine fridge and you want to make sure you’re covered just in case!

A better solution to use if the power cable of the wine fridge isn't long enough to reach a power outlet is to hire a qualified electrician to fit an extended power cable / power plug to the appliance. As long as its a locally qualified electrician the manufacturer should honour any warranty in place after the work is done.*

*Unless you're a qualified electrician we don't recommend undertaking this task yourself.

So always try to plug straight into the power socket on the wall when you can.

Before You Go... 

So there you have it.

Everything you need to know about plugging your wine fridge in.

Just remember to leave your wine fridge for a couple of hours before turning it on and to avoid using extension cords wherever possible.

We hope this provides you with all the answers on can you just plug in a wine fridge.

You can browse more posts on Wine Storage here

Expert Wine Storage can help you find a luxury wine fridge to store your precious wine collection.