Refrigerator Tips and Tricks: How to Fix Common Fridge Problems
Proceed with Caution! With all of the refrigerator tips and tricks below, please keep in mind safety precautions. Electricity, condensation (moisture), metal and you are a hazardous combination. Proceed carefully and use best safety practices with putting the refrigerator tips and tricks to use.
Failure to Clean the Condenser. This component must be able to vent heat into the ambient air around the refrigerator or freezer. If it is clogged with house dust or animal fur for example, it will reduce the efficiency of the unit at best, cause excessive dripping from the top of the inside of the unit, onto food, or worse, cause components to overheat and perhaps be damaged beyond repair. Your owner’s manual probably recommends cleaning the condenser on a regular basis.
Refrigerator Door Not Closing. If your refrigerator door isn’t closing properly, it can cause the interior light to stay on and that will affect cooling. A defective door switch can do the same thing. Here is a way to test the door seal: open the door and place a dollar bill between the seal and the body of the box, then close the door. Is the dollar bill easy to pull out or does it fall out on its own? If it falls down on its own, you may have a sealing problem. Another sure sign of this is frost around the area where the door seals. That indicates warm air is getting into the box. When this warm air mixes with the cold air, it forms frost. Also, make sure that nothing in the box is obstructing the door from closing completely.
Weird Fan Noises. If you hear weird noises coming from your fan, or you hear no fan sounds at all, this could be reason to investigate. Remove the fan motor cover and inspect. If the blades are not moving, it could be because they are stuck on the sides or the back. Carefully remove the blade component with handle grips and gently adjust the off kilter blade. Replace and test.
Weird or No Compressor Noises. Not to be confused with the fan, your refrigerator’s compressor makes a deeper humming sound. If you don’t hear this sound, or if it rattles or screeches, you may want to look at it. If no sound emits, it could be the result of a power supply issue. A voltmeter should measure 120 volts AC. No power? The culprit could be the thermostat. If the voltmeter sensed the correct voltage, check the relay. First, make sure you unplug the unit. Find the start relay on the compressor and remove it. Test each of the three compressor terminals with the voltmeter. Correct reading? It’s probably time to buy a new refrigerator. If not, a replacement replay may do the trick. Better yet, call us and we’ll tell you exactly where the problem lies!
One Response
My refrigerator has been having a hard time keeping cool. Until reading this article, I didn’t think that this problem could be caused by my fridge door not sealing properly. Thank you for letting me know I can test this by using a dollar bill. Along with following your tips, I’ll need to find a good appliance service to help me fix those things on my fridge that need replacing.