Should You Plug Your Refrigerator Into A Power Strip?

Most of the power-hungry electrical appliances in your house are connected to permanent outlets. Like refrigerators for example. Most of the time these outlets are their own circuits and also have their own breakers.

These features keep your appliances safe when there is a voltage surge or power surge. They also prevent short circuits, overheating and other dangers. Now you might have no access to a permanent outlet or the outlet is too far away. In these situations where do you plug your refrigerator?

You might be wondering “Can I plug a refrigerator into a power strip?” In this article, we will be answering exactly that. So, let’s get to it.

Refrigerator and Power Strips

Household refrigerators are rated for 100 to 250 watts of power consumption. However, depending on the type of fridge, the size, seasons and other factors, it can vary. If you want to learn more, see here.

Now a standard power strip can handle 1800 watts to 3600 watts of power. So, according to this, we can say that you can easily run a refrigerator with a power strip. But there are a few things you should consider.

Overloading Power Strips

You will see most electricians and refrigerator companies tell you not to run your fridge via a power strip. It is because of safety reasons mainly. A power strip houses multiple outlets and the more things you plug the heavier the load gets. So, a power strip has a chance of overloading.

Overloading a power strip means malfunction and even fire. So, it is always recommended that you use power strips for devices that run on low power. A refrigerator does not run on low power. It is one of the appliances in a home that draws much power and if it is old even more.

No Protection from Power Surges

There are also other safety concerns that you must keep in mind, like power surges. Most of the standard power strips do not have good protection for power surges.

So, if there is a short circuit it will not protect your precious appliances. It is not the same for the dedicated outlets that you have in your kitchen. These outlets are designed for your refrigerator. They tend to be grounded outlets and have their own circuit. This means your fridge gets access to uninterrupted power and will be safe.

Accidental Disconnections

Power strips are never used for single appliances. They are mostly accessible to everyone and anyone can plug and unplug connections. That might not seem much but for refrigerators, it means rotten food and financial loss.

Refrigerators need uninterrupted connections. If you notice you will see refrigerator outlets are situated behind them and blocked by the refrigerator itself. It is done to tackle disconnections. Now someone can disconnect the connection of your refrigerator to charge their phones. Even you might do it and forget to connect it back.

By the time you notice something is wrong, it might be too late. Using a power strip means, the connection might also get loose accidentally. It is more disastrous if it is a freezer. Freezers are used to store foods for emergencies and winter. So, can you plug a freezer into a power strip? You obviously can but you should not.

Heavy Duty Power Strips for Refrigerator

Power strips for refrigerators are not actually bad if they meet the power criteria, are surge-protected and are used solely for selected appliances. So, if you have no options and a power strip is the only way, you can purchase a Heavy Duty Power Strip for Refrigerator.

There are a number of options you can choose from and we will be listing some of them for your convenience. They can be purchased from your nearest store or Amazon.

1. Tripp Lite IBAR2-6D 2 Outlet Isobar Power Strip Surge Protector
2. Tripp Lite Isobar Power Strip Surge Protector
3. TRIPP LITE CH-9101012-NA 6 Outlet Power Strip Surge Protector
4. Ortis Double Outlet Voltage Protector for Home Appliances
5. CCEI Heavy Duty Power Strip Surge Protector for Appliances

Conclusion

The daily electrical appliances in our homes help us live a comfortable life. So, when it comes to maintaining appliances like refrigerators, we are very careful.

They are also a big investment.

Now if you are at the end of the article, you understand what can happen if you plug your refrigerator into a power strip. Even so, you can use power strips for your refrigerators but with caution.