Click Image to enlarge.
It’s hard to believe, but
six simple
maintenance steps will prevent almost 100 percent of refrigerator breakdowns
and eliminate those service calls. Take these steps and you can forget spoiled
food, lost time waiting for repair people and shelling out $70 an hour plus
parts for the repair itself. In this story, we’ll show you how to keep your
fridge humming and trouble-free. And we’ll also tell you what to check if a
problem does occur.
One Clean the
condenser coils (5 minutes)
1 UNSNAP the grille at the bottom of the
refrigerator to access the coils. If your coils are located on the back, you’ll
have to roll the fridge out to get at them.
2 CLEAN the coils with a special coil cleaning
brush to loosen the dirt and dust. Vacuum the coils as you brush. Be careful
not to bend the fan blades. A gentle brushing will do the
job.
You can eliminate more
than 70 percent of service calls with this simple cleaning step (Photos 1 and
2). Skip this chore and you’ll be contributing to your appliance
repairman’s retirement fund. Not to mention handing over $5 to $10 a month
extra to your utility company because the fridge isn’t running efficiently. Do
it twice a year or more often if you have shedding pets. Their fur clogs up the
coils fast.
SOME
REFRIGERATORS have the coils on the back of the unit. Brush and vacuum these
coils in the same manner as coils found under a
refrigerator.
Condenser coils are located on the back of the
fridge or across the bottom. These coils cool and condense the refrigerant.
When the coils are clogged with dirt and dust, they can’t efficiently release
heat. The result is your compressor works harder and longer than it was
designed to, using more energy and shortening the life of your fridge. Clean
the coils with a coil cleaning brush and vacuum. A coil cleaning brush ($6)
does a thorough job and will easily pay for itself (look for one at appliance
parts stores). The brush is bendable to fit in tight areas. They can be used
for cleaning your dehumidifier and air conditioner coils
too.
Two Clean the
condenser fan (5 minutes)
Click Image to enlarge.
1 ACCESS the condenser fan by rolling the fridge
away from the wall and removing the lower back cover with a screwdriver.
Replace the cover when you’re finished. It’s essential for good air
circulation.
2 CLEAN the fan blades with the brush and vacuum
so air can move freely across them. Also clean the shaft by vacuuming the
crease where the blade meets the motor. Don’t lubricate the shaft; oil will
attract dirt and cause problems.
If the coils are located on the bottom of the fridge like
ours, clean the condenser fan and the area around it. (Fridges with coils on
the back don’t have a fan.) The fan circulates air across the coils to help
cool them. At times, paper, dirt, dust and even mice can get sucked into the
fan and bring it to a complete stop.
Photos
1 and 2 show you how to clean the fan. Yours could be in a different
area, but it’s always next to the compressor. Most refrigerators will have a
diagram on the back or folded up under the front grille showing the location of
the major parts. While you’re under there, wipe out the drip pan, a flat pan
that collects water from the defrost cycle and allows it to
evaporate.
Three Wipe down
the door gasket (2 minutes)
Prevent an expensive
gasket repair bill ($100 to $200) and cut down air leaks by keeping your door
gasket clean. Syrup, jelly or any other sticky stuff dripping down the front
sides of your refrigerator can dry and glue the gasket to the frame. The next
time you open the door, your gasket can tear. Keep it clean and you’ll get a
nice, tight seal, keeping the cool air where it belongs, in the
fridge.
Tip
To prevent wear, lubricate the door handle side
of the gasket by sprinkling baby powder on a cloth and wiping it down once a
month.
WIPE the door gasket regularly with warm water
and a sponge. Don’t use detergent—it can damage the
gasket.
Three types of refrigerators–what’s the difference?
All refrigerators work on the same principle of cycling
refrigerant through two sets of coils. The evaporator coils do the cooling, and
the condenser coils release accumulated heat. Where fridges primarily differ is
in how they defrost.
A manual
defrost is the oldest and simplest type. As the name implies, you
defrost these by turning them off and letting all the ice melt. The water then
drips into a pan or runs into the fridge where you wipe it
up.
Cycle defrost
refrigerators have an evaporator plate in the refrigerator section
that warms after each running cycle to eliminate frost buildup. But you have to
defrost the freezer manually by turning a dial to the defrost mode. The water
in most models flows into a channel in the back (photo, p. 62)
and then down through a tube to a drip tray under the fridge.
The frost-free
refrigerator, the most common today, uses a heater to melt ice on
the evaporator coils. The heater is turned on by a timer and automatically
shuts off. An evaporator fan distributes the cold air through the freezer. Many
models have an opening under the crisper drawers to draw water to the drip tray
underneath.
Four Clear the
freezer vents (5 minutes)
These little vents on
frost-free fridges allow air to circulate in the freezer (see right). Don’t block them or let
crumbs or twist ties get sucked in around the evaporator fan or clog the drain
tube. To help save energy,
keep your freezer about
three-quarters full to retain cold air. But don’t pack it any fuller—the air
needs to circulate.
Click Image to enlarge.
CLEAR food packages away from the vent openings
and clean the air return so crumbs and twist ties don’t clog
them.
Five Set the
temperature controls to the middle settings (1 minute)
Click Image to enlarge.
SET the temperature controls to the middle
settings. Make any adjustments according to a refrigerator thermometer (photo
below). The optimum setting for your fridge is between 38 and 42 degrees F; the
freezer, between 0 and 10 degrees.
Click Image to enlarge.
This step won’t
necessarily prevent a repair, but it’ll extend the life of your fridge by
allowing it to run more efficiently, which reduces your electric bill. Your
fridge has at least two temperature controls (except on manual defrost types,
which have one). The one for the food compartment is a thermostat that turns
the compressor on and off. The second, for the freezer, is just an air baffle.
The baffle lets cold air from the freezer sink into the food compartment.
Closing the baffle makes the freezer colder.
Three ways to get the smell out
-
Charcoal briquettes absorb the odor just like a filter in
a range hood.
-
Crumpled newspaper. The ink absorbs the
odor.
-
Baking soda is the old standby. Leave an open box in the
fridge and replace it every three months for continuous
deodorizing.
Six Clear and
clean the drip openings (2 minutes)
Drip openings allow water that has melted from the
defrost cycle to flow down to a pan located by the compressor, where it
evaporates. Check your owner’s manual for the location on your fridge. On cycle
defrost fridges, a channel directs the water to a tube in the food compartment
(see
photo below).
On frost-free types, look for a small cap under the crisper drawers that covers
a hole, or an opening in the back of the freezer or refrigerator. If the drain
opening clogs, water will build up under the crisper drawers and eventually
pour out onto the floor.
If the tube clogs, see
“You Can Fix It,” Feb. ’01, p. 20, for a how-to on clearing it. To order a
copy, see p. 90.
LOCATE the drip opening and wipe it out, being
careful not to press any debris down into the hole. Suck out crumbs with a
vacuum.
Troubleshooting
Service specialists will be the first to admit: A ton of
their callers don’t require repair service at all. The solutions are so easy
they don’t even require a toolbox. Before you pick up the phone, check the
following list. It just might save you $70 and a bit of
embarrassment.
Got power?
-
Check the circuit breaker or fuse box to be sure power’s
coming to the outlet.
-
Is the cord plugged in tight? Wiggle it around a little.
A worn receptacle could let the plug fall out just enough for the connection to
fail.
-
Plug a light or any other electrical device into the
outlet to see if it works. If it doesn’t, you’ve got an electrical problem, not
a refrigerator problem.
-
Check for a loose, worn or frayed power cord. Rodents
often chew through a wire. Sometimes cords loosen when the fridge is
moved.
What if you have power but poor cooling?
Your
fridge is running all the time but the food’s still warm.
-
Vacuum the coils (Photos 1 and 2, p. 55). Dirty coils
can eventually cause the overload protector on the compressor to shut the
fridge down. It’ll automatically come back on when the compressor cools, but by
then your food is usually warm.
-
Is the condenser fan jammed? (This applies only to
fridges with the coils on the bottom.) Remove any obstacles and clean it
thoroughly (see
Photos 1 and 2, p.
56). Unplug the fridge and turn it a few times and see if it comes
on. If it’s still not working, you’ll have to replace it. For step-by-step
instructions, see “The Fix It Yourself Manual” by Reader’s Digest ($34.96 plus
$4.48 shipping). Call (800) 491-7504 or look for it at a local
library.
-
Is the light turning off when the door’s closed? That
little light bulb can raise the temperature in the fridge substantially. To
check it, close the door and use a butter knife to pull the gasket slightly
away from the frame. If light shines out, the switch is bad or slightly out of
alignment. Until you fix the switch, loosen the light bulb so it goes
out.
-
Look for ice buildup (frost-free fridges only) bulging on
the inside walls or the floor of the freezer. Manually defrost the freezer by
unplugging it. It’s only a temporary fix, so call for
service.
Art Direction • DAVID
FARR
Photography • RAMON
MORENO
Consultants • COSTAS STAVROU,
NICOLLET APPLIANCE REPAIR, and RON ZEIEN, JR’s
APPLIANCES
