We
often take our refrigerators for granted although the seemingly magic, cooling machine
is a fairly recent invention. Less than a hundred years ago, we were still
using ice boxes to cool our pickles and drinks. Additionally, up until 1990,
refrigerators used the synthetic chemical Freon-12, but since Freon-12 damaged
the Ozone, it was replaced with the less harmful chemical, R-134a. Enough with
the history lesson, here are a few more tips to make your fridge do the most
for you. See our previous post on fridge temperature for even more information.
1. Use a Coil
Cleaning Brush
We already talked about condenser coils, but here is some extra
information on what they are and how to clean them. The condenser coils cool
the refrigerant (the previously mentioned chemical, r-134a), which in turn
cools the Fridge. The fan cools the condenser coils (not all fridges have a
fan), so if any of these parts are dirty, than they will not release heat or
function as well as they should. Using a coil brush, which you can buy for an
economical $5, Scrub and vacuum the condenser coils. You may have to remove a
grate or pull out your fridge to access the coils. Remember to unplug your
Fridge before doing any kind of work, even if you are just brushing the dirty
coils.
2. Space Check
Freezers get crowded. Sometimes you just can’t eat the ice-cream
as fast as you buy it. A full freezer is more effective at keeping cool than an
empty one, but, when things get too cramped and crowded, the air circulation
diminishes. When food starts to pile up around the vents, then the air return
will become clogged and use more energy to achieve less. Try to find the right
balance between overstuffed and under packed.
3. Use an odor
reducer
There are a few things that can help out with that old fridge smell.
The better known one is to keep an open container of baking soda in the back of
the fridge, but a few lesser known ones are a few charcoal briquettes, a bag of
coffee grinds, which masks instead of removes the smell, or a tool such as the
“Fridge-It,” which is made of activated charcoal (activated meaning it reacts
more easily). You can find a pack of 6 for under $20.
4. Check your Freezer Thermometer
We talked about the Refrigerator sweet spot between 35° and 38° Fahrenheit
and but your Freezer also has a sweet spot between 0° and 10° Fahrenheit, so
you should match your settings accordingly. You may have an air baffle in
addition to your temperature controls. The air baffle helps control the
temperature and will make the freezer colder if closed.
Is
your refrigerator, freezer, or ice maker not working at all? If you cannot
diagnose the problem you may need to have a repair technician come take a look.
Choosing the Right
Appliance Repair Technician is important to ensure your appliance gets
back to running in tip-top shape.
Occasionally,
refrigerators will need to have their control board replaced. If the
refrigerator part is no longer available for purchase, try CoreCentric
Solutions’ Return for Repair service to breathe new life back into your
old appliance! Our fast turnaround time of 24-48 hours gets your appliance back
working again in no time and saves you the hassle of purchasing a new
refrigerator. Call 1866-737-2244 for more information on our Return for Repair
service.
