Preventing a Refrigerator service call will not only save you money(we all like saving money) it will also add life to your Refrigerator. Not only is setting up a refrigerator call time consuming it also cost a lot of money to have a refrigerator service man come out to the house.
Were here to help save the day and your pocketbook. Preventative maintenance can go a long way in preventing the refrigerator service man from coming out.
I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “clean your condenser coils” If you haven’t, I’m here to say it..clean your condenser coils. Cleaning them will not only keep the refrigerator service man away but it will also keep that refrigerator sitting in the kitchen a lot longer.
What happens when you don’t bother to keep the condenser coils clean? Well, the refrigerator not only has to labor harder, the refrigerator will use way more electric then it was designed to. When this happens the electric bill goes up along with the possibilities of the refrigerator going out from working harder then it was designed to.
The heat transfer happens at the coils. The freon system is pulling warmth out of the food and air inside from you opening the doors and trying to push that “heat” out of the coils. When you have excessive dirt/lint build up on the condenser coils that heat can not transfer correctly and the machine will have to run a lot longer to draw that warmth out of the food and air inside.
On most side by side refrigerators the condenser coils are located behind the toe kick on the bottom. On built in refrigerators such as, Sub Zero, Kitchen aid, Ge monogram, and Dacor the condenser coils will most likely be on the top. Now Sub Zero refrigerators can have coils on the bottom or top depending the model. Not sure where your coils are? Use the “Appliance Repair Forum” link at the top of this page or the “Contact Us” link on the bottom right of this page and one of us would be happy to help you find yours.
Using a condenser coil brush is going to be the best bet to get your refrigerator coils clean thus keeping the refrigerator service man away! This small brush is actually designed to fit in the tight space behind the toe kick. The way that seems to work the best for me is to get the vacuum out and leave it running next to the coils while I’m cleaning them. Doing this prevents the dirt and dust from flying all over the place while I’m cleaning the refrigerator condenser coils.
This is something that should be done once a year or more especially more if you have animals in the house. Animal hair sticks to the coils and then the dirt and dust sticks to the hair and the build up on the coils happens quicker. If you do have animals in the house, you may need to clean the coils every six months to keep the refrigerator service man at bay..
