Let’s admit it, the refrigerator is undoubtedly one of the most hardworking equipment in every home. Can you imagine living in the times without one? Food spoiling, no cool water to drink, no freezer to keep meat fresher longer. A refrigerator is an essential appliance, and you don’t want a damaged fridge. No typical household can survive without a functioning refrigerator, imagine all the food your fridge can keep for days without rotting.
Have you experienced your fridge suddenly stop working? Huge headache. Sometimes it’s too late to realize how important something is until it’s broken. We shouldn’t take our appliances for granted. Imagine doing the research on what caused the damages, cost of repairs, or worse, you end up needing to buy a brand new refrigerator. We wouldn’t want that to happen, of course. That’s why we’re sharing with you common reasons for fridge damage and how to solve them.
Top 10 Causes of Fridge Damage
#1 Over Stuffing
No matter how big the space of our refrigerator is, they’re only meant to hold a certain amount of food. You can read your fridge’s user manual for more information on this. Never throw manuals away! They can help you in times of trouble. When you overstuff your fridge beyond its capacity, it puts extra weight on its compressor. This can cause your refrigerator’s motor compressor to break down. Compressors are costly to fix, especially past their warranty period.
#2 Old Model
Just like humans, appliances like the refrigerator break down due to old age. You can give it regular repairs and maintenance but its performance is compromised over the period of time.
#3 Free Running
We mentioned never to throw away your refrigerator manual. It usually has instructions to test drive or free run your unit for several hours before loading it with food, products and beverages. Running it empty makes your fridge ready to take on its capacity. So remember to do a free running of your unit to prevent risks of fridge repairs too early.
#4 Cooling Agent Leakage
Sometimes, there are accidents or mishaps that can cause the refrigerant or cooling agent to leak. This can cause your fridge to stop cooling. There is no other solution but to hire a professional refrigerator repair service to seal the opening and refill the lost refrigerant depending on your fridge’s brand and standard.
#5 Dirty Condenser Coils
If you let dirt, dust, and grime to accumulate on the coils, they won’t be able to regulate the temperature in your fridge correctly. If your fridge is not cooling properly, this can cause your food to spoil and be unsafe to eat. You can prevent this by just using a brush to clean the coils twice a year. They are usually located at the bottom or behind your fridge.
#6 Leaking Gaskets
Gaskets are the seals that line your fridge’s door. Wear and tear can cause it to become loose or even crack. If they’re damaged, your fridge won’t securely shut and cause your refrigerator to leak the cool air. If you spot a leak, contact a professional to replace them immediately.
#7 Frayed Cables
This is probably the easiest fridge problem to solve, as long as the repairman spots the location of the faulty cables right away. They just need to replace or repair the frayed cabling and your fridge would be up and running again.
#8 Not Replacing Your Water Filter
If your fridge has a water and ice dispenser, you should regularly replace its filter. Neglecting your filter prevents the refrigerator from blocking pollutants, dirt, sediments that can block your pipes. We advise replacing the filter every 6 months.
#9 Compressor Motor Problem
Compressor motors experience breaking down due to 2 reasons. Your fridge is either too old, or overstuffing (#1 and #2)
#10 No regular cleaning
No one likes a messy fridge. It’s not just because it is sticky or dirty, bacteria and viruses can live inside your refrigerator if you don’t clean it regularly. These will be harder to get rid of the longer the spill stays inside. We recommend cleaning your fridge every 2 weeks.
Conclusion
Prevention is always better than cure. That’s why it’s a great start to find out what causes refrigerator damages and how to prevent them. But in case your fridge is already experiencing problems, contact us right away so we can assess your case and send professional appliance repair service in your area.