To keep your refrigerator working in tip-top condition, you just need to spend 30 minutes on these easy maintenance measures. It is hard to believe, but almost 100 percent of refrigerator breakdowns will be avoided by six basic maintenance measures and those service calls will be reduced. Take these steps and you can forget about rotten food, wasted time waiting for individuals to fix and shelling out $70 an hour plus parts.
How to Prevent Refrigerator Repairs in Just 30 Minutes
5 Minutes – Clean your refrigerator’s condenser coils
On the back of the fridge or across the rim, condenser coils are located. These coils cool the refrigerant and condense it. They can’t release heat effectively when the coils are clogged with dirt and dust. The effect is that, using more energy and shortening the life of your fridge, your compressor operates harder and longer than it was intended to.
Unsnap the grille to reach the coils at the bottom of the refrigerator. You’ll have to roll the fridge out to get at them if your coils are situated on the back. With this easy cleaning step, you can remove more than 70% of service calls (Photos 1 and 2). Skip this chore and you’ll contribute to the retirement fund of your appliance repair technician.
Clean the coils with a brush and vacuum for coil washing. A brush for coil cleaning does a thorough job and can pay for itself quickly. To fit in tight spaces, the refrigerator coil brush is bendable. They can also be used to clean the coils of your dehumidifier and air conditioner.
5 Minutes – Clean your fridge’s condenser fan
Clean the condenser fan and the area around it, if the coils are located on the bottom of the refrigerator like ours. (Fridges with coils on the back do not have a fan.) To help cool them, the fan circulates air over the coils. Paper, dirt, dust and even mice may often get sucked into the fan and bring it to a full stop.
2 Minutes – Wipe the door gasket
Keeping your door gasket clean avoids a costly gasket repair bill ($100 to $200) and reduces air leaks. Your refrigerator’s syrup, jelly or some other sticky stuff that drips down the front sides will dry and glue the gasket to the frame. Your gasket can tear up the next time you open the door. Keep it clean and you’re going to get a good, tight seal in the fridge, holding the cold air where it belongs.
5 Minutes – Clear your freezer’s vents
These small refrigerator-free vents allow air to circulate in the freezer. Don’t block or let crumbs or twist ties get sucked in around the evaporator fan or close the drain tube. To help save energy, keep your freezer around three-quarters full to keep the air cool. But don’t pack it anymore because the air needs to circulate.
1 Minute – Set the fridge temp controls to the middle settings
This step will not necessarily prevent repairs, but it will extend the life of your refrigerator by allowing it to run more efficiently, which reduces your electricity bill. Your refrigerator has at least two temperature controls (except on manual defrost types, which have one). The one in the food compartment is a thermostat that turns the compressor on and off. The second one, for the freezer, is just an air baffle. The baffle lets cold air sink from the freezer to the food compartment. Closing the baffle makes the freezer cooler.
2 Minutes – Keep the drip openings clear
Drip openings allow the water that has melted from the defrost cycle to flow down to the pan where the compressor evaporates. Check your owner’s manual for the location of your refrigerator. On cyclic-defrost refrigerators, the channel directs the water to the tube in the food compartment.
Look for a small cap on the frost-free refrigerators under the crisp drawers that cover the hole, or an opening on the back of the freezer or refrigerator. If the drain opens, the water will build up under the crisper drawers and eventually leak out to the floor.
Your Fridge Still Needs Repair?
If you consistently performed all the steps above regularly and your fridge still breaks down, don’t worry. Just let Fix Repair handle all the work for you. We do same-day repairs efficiently and have the best technicians to fix your refrigerator in a jiffy. Reach out to us or give us a call and we’d gladly do the rest.
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