Thread: Unpowered Refrigerator

In article
<[email protected]>,
phaeton <[email protected]> wrote:

> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?

Replacing a kitchen light shouldn't take much time at all. I would be
surprised if your refrigerator couldn't keep its contents cool during
such a short period of time. Figuring out a specific amount of time
depends on the quality of the refrigerator and the temperature in the
room where the refrigerator is kept. You can get a good set of
guidelines by contacting the company who made your refrigerator. If the
power in your kitchen is going to be off overnight, then simply run a
heavy extension cord between your refrigerator and a power outlet that
will not be cut off while the work in your kitchen is in progress.

"phaeton" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>

Minimum of 12 hours, probably closer to 24 if you keep the door closed.

On Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:24:01 -0800 (PST), phaeton
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
>of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
>refrigerator).

Is the maintenance guy you or someone who knows what they're doing?
All you have to do is turn the switch off unless there's old cloth
wiring that needs to be repaired or pig tailed.

>About how much time will need to pass before you
>should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?

Keep the door closed and you'll get 12-24 hours. But replacing a
fixture shouldn't take more than an hour. Probably more like 20
minutes.

Lou

On Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:24:01 -0800 (PST), phaeton <[email protected]>
wrote:

-->Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
-->of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
-->refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
-->should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
-->
-->
-->:-)
-->
-->-J

about eight hours, 12 for the frozen stuff ....or you could cook it all and
invite us all over

Cool, thanks everyone. I was figuring i'd have at least 2-3 hours.

It wasn't me replacing it- it was the apartment maintenance guy. I
wasn't home when he did it, so I don't know how long the power was
off. I was guessing it might have taken him an hour tops. Judging by
all the clocks I had to set, It appears that he killed power to the
whole apartment.

Whoops.


Having a light that will stay on longer than 2 minutes before the
ballast gives out is great, but this one is much smaller and not as
bright. Boo..

-J

phaeton wrote:
> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>
>
> :-)
>
> -J

How retarded is your maintenance guy?

1) No power is required to be "cut" to replace a light.

2) You let the power be cut to replace a light? How retarded are you?

3) You have a retarded maintenance guy?

phaeton wrote:
>
> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>
> :-)
>
> -J

Uhm, to replace a light bulb - not more than five minutes. Afterwards,
I'd begin to wonder!

Uh, to replace a light fixture, after thirty minutes, I'd very much
begin to wonder!

-- Mind, this "replacement" be for a 'simple' light fixture that does
not exceed any current building codes, but perhaps some unanticipated
problem(s) may be encountered. So, such roadblocks may present
potential significant structural or code problem(s) and could need
remedies that don't meet the budgetary qualifications <VBG>. IOW, SOL!

Sky, who is not an engineer of any sort(s)!

P.S. In no way should the above comment(s) be taken seriously!

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

On Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:24:01 -0800 (PST), phaeton
<[email protected]> wrote:

>Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
>of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
>refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
>should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>
Do you plan to leave the refrigerator door open while the light is
being replaced? If not, remember: don't open the door and everything
will be fine. You'll survive.

--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

sf wrote:
>
> On Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:24:01 -0800 (PST), phaeton
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> >of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> >refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> >should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
> >
> Do you plan to leave the refrigerator door open while the light is
> being replaced? If not, remember: don't open the door and everything
> will be fine. You'll survive.
>
> --
> I love cooking with wine.
> Sometimes I even put it in the food.

It was the light in the ceiling that had to be replaced, or so the OP
stated. The fridge really had nothing to do with the light fixture.
That's the funny part <g>.

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

phaeton wrote:
>
> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>
> :-)
>
> -J

Er, it's up to the 'resident' to know the fridge isn't operating in its
normal condition. I meant to mention that in my other replies (my bad).

Sky

--
Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

phaeton wrote:
> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>

A lot longer than it takes to change a light fixture.

"Sky" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> sf wrote:
>>
>> On Tue, 3 Nov 2009 19:24:01 -0800 (PST), phaeton
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
>> >of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
>> >refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
>> >should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>> >
>> Do you plan to leave the refrigerator door open while the light is
>> being replaced? If not, remember: don't open the door and everything
>> will be fine. You'll survive.
>>
>
> It was the light in the ceiling that had to be replaced, or so the OP
> stated. The fridge really had nothing to do with the light fixture.
> That's the funny part <g>.
>
> Sky
>

I had the overhead light fixtures replaced in my kitchen a few weeks ago.
They were the old 1980's type fluorescent fixtures and the ballasts had gone
bad. (Sometimes the lights would come on, sometimes they wouldn't;
sometimes one side would come on, sometimes the other side. Place your
bets!) The electrician didn't have to cut off the electricity to install
the new fixtures.

Jill

In article
<[email protected]>,
phaeton <[email protected]> wrote:

> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>
>
> :-)
>
> -J

Assuming you're smart enough to not open the door of the fridge AT ALL
(put tape across it ‹ you'd be amazed at how likely you'll be to open
the fridge without even thinking about what you're doing), 4-6 hours,
according to this:
http://www.extension.umn.edu/extensi...food-safe.html

I think that's on the light side, myself. I wouldn't worry about it for
8-12 hours. DON'T OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR. AT ALL.

If the electrician can't do the job in 8 hours, you need a different
electrician. "-)
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009

In article <4af18a46$0$1615$9a6e19ea@[email protected]>,
Dave Smith <[email protected]> wrote:

> phaeton wrote:
> > Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
> > of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
> > refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
> > should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
> >
>
> A lot longer than it takes to change a light fixture.

Good answer!
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
http://web.me.com/barbschaller - Who Said Chickens Have Fingers?
10-30-2009

Melba's Jammin' <[email protected]> wrote in news:barbschaller-
[email protected]:

> In article
> <[email protected]>,
> phaeton <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Let's say a maintenance guy is replacing the the light in the ceiling
>> of your kitchen. He cuts power to the kitchen (including the
>> refrigerator). About how much time will need to pass before you
>> should consider tossing out the contents of the fridge?
>>
>>
>> :-)
>>
>> -J
>
> Assuming you're smart enough to not open the door of the fridge AT ALL
> (put tape across it ‹ you'd be amazed at how likely you'll be to open
> the fridge without even thinking about what you're doing), 4-6 hours,
> according to this:
> http://www.extension.umn.edu/extensi...food-safe.html
>
> I think that's on the light side, myself. I wouldn't worry about it for
> 8-12 hours. DON'T OPEN THE REFRIGERATOR. AT ALL.
>
> If the electrician can't do the job in 8 hours, you need a different
> electrician. "-)



Do you *really* have to answer every troll that comes up with some lame
assed question???

Go pickle some gherkins or something.



--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


If we are not meant to eat animals,
why are they made of meat?

jmcquown wrote:

>> It was the light in the ceiling that had to be replaced, or so the OP
>> stated. The fridge really had nothing to do with the light fixture.
>> That's the funny part <g>.
>>
>> Sky
>>
>
> I had the overhead light fixtures replaced in my kitchen a few weeks
> ago. They were the old 1980's type fluorescent fixtures and the ballasts
> had gone bad. (Sometimes the lights would come on, sometimes they
> wouldn't; sometimes one side would come on, sometimes the other side.
> Place your bets!) The electrician didn't have to cut off the
> electricity to install the new fixtures.


Did you use a qualified electrician? In theory, it is possible to change
a fixture without pulling the fuse or breaker on a circuit and just
turning the light switch to "off", but you would have to assume that the
wiring was done absolutely to code. There should be no live feed.
However, sometimes installers cross wires and put the live feed on the
terminal that should be the ground wire in which case grabbing old of a
ground wire could lead to a nasty surprise. I don't think that I would
want an electrician working in my house who did not shut off off the
power to the circuit he was working on. Perhaps your kitchen had
separate circuits for the light fixture and the fridge <?>.

On Wed, 4 Nov 2009 09:38:48 -0500, "jmcquown" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>I had the overhead light fixtures replaced in my kitchen a few weeks ago.
>They were the old 1980's type fluorescent fixtures and the ballasts had gone
>bad.

If that was the first time it happened those things were rugged.
Ballasts usually go in about 5 years.

>(Sometimes the lights would come on, sometimes they wouldn't;
>sometimes one side would come on, sometimes the other side. Place your
>bets!) The electrician didn't have to cut off the electricity to install
>the new fixtures.

The ones that have given themselves a good shock or two tend to turn
off all the electricity. They don't want to take any chances.
They're either the people who haven't invested a few dollars into a
small tool that will tell them if there's any juice there.... or
someone has walked in and flipped the switch on while they're working
with bare wires. You can't be too careful when there are other people
around to mess things up.


--
I love cooking with wine.
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Dave Smith wrote:
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>>> It was the light in the ceiling that had to be replaced, or so the OP
>>> stated. The fridge really had nothing to do with the light fixture.
>>> That's the funny part <g>.
>>>
>>> Sky
>>>
>>
>> I had the overhead light fixtures replaced in my kitchen a few weeks
>> ago. They were the old 1980's type fluorescent fixtures and the
>> ballasts had gone bad. (Sometimes the lights would come on, sometimes
>> they wouldn't; sometimes one side would come on, sometimes the other
>> side. Place your bets!) The electrician didn't have to cut off the
>> electricity to install the new fixtures.
>
>
> Did you use a qualified electrician? In theory, it is possible to change
> a fixture without pulling the fuse or breaker on a circuit and just
> turning the light switch to "off", but you would have to assume that the
> wiring was done absolutely to code. There should be no live feed.
> However, sometimes installers cross wires and put the live feed on the
> terminal that should be the ground wire in which case grabbing old of a
> ground wire could lead to a nasty surprise. I don't think that I would
> want an electrician working in my house who did not shut off off the
> power to the circuit he was working on. Perhaps your kitchen had
> separate circuits for the light fixture and the fridge <?>.

Nor would I want an electrician working in my home who wouldn't use his
ohm meter to check the circuit, even if he threw the breaker for that
area. Most will just use the meter to ensure the circuit is dead when
they turn it off at the wall switch, saves them time is the main reason.

Having been an electrician at one point in my checkered career I always
put the meter to the wires, just in case some idiot didn't wire to the
National Electric Code, NFPA 70.

"Dave Smith" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:4af1984f$0$1628$[email protected] ...
> jmcquown wrote:
>
>>> It was the light in the ceiling that had to be replaced, or so the OP
>>> stated. The fridge really had nothing to do with the light fixture.
>>> That's the funny part <g>.
>>>
>>> Sky
>>>
>>
>> I had the overhead light fixtures replaced in my kitchen a few weeks ago.
>> They were the old 1980's type fluorescent fixtures and the ballasts had
>> gone bad. (Sometimes the lights would come on, sometimes they wouldn't;
>> sometimes one side would come on, sometimes the other side. Place your
>> bets!) The electrician didn't have to cut off the electricity to install
>> the new fixtures.
>
>
> Did you use a qualified electrician? In theory, it is possible to change a
> fixture without pulling the fuse or breaker on a circuit and just turning
> the light switch to "off", but you would have to assume that the wiring
> was done absolutely to code. There should be no live feed. However,
> sometimes installers cross wires and put the live feed on the terminal
> that should be the ground wire in which case grabbing old of a ground wire
> could lead to a nasty surprise. I don't think that I would want an
> electrician working in my house who did not shut off off the power to the
> circuit he was working on. Perhaps your kitchen had separate circuits for
> the light fixture and the fridge <?>.

>
Yes, he was a qualified (licensed) electrician. He said there was no need
to cut the power to the entire kitchen to replace those fixtures. But as to
the OP's original question, I doubt it took any time at all to replace the
fixtures so why worry about the contents of the fridge?

Jill