Since the beginning of this blog we've mentioned how important your appliances are and how to care for them properly, but what about the most common appliance in your house, the refrigerator. Besides a few exceptions, everyone has a refrigerator at home. As important as it is, how many of us care for our fridges the way we should though? This week we'll be going into how to maintain and keep you fridges in good condition.
1. Check your door seals
The door seals on your refrigerator are important to not only keeping the cold in but also to keeping moisture out. If the seals fail, usually by cracking, splitting, or flattening, moisture can seep in and cause icing issues. We recommend you check the seals around both fridge and freezer doors at least every 2 months for any damage and to see if they are flat against your cabinet frame. If you see any damage or gaps, please call us to have them changed.
2. Clean your vents
Refrigerators need to be able to breathe. This is why the back of your fridge will have vents cut into either a metal or cardboard panel at the bottom of the cabinet. These vents provide air to and from the compresser and condenser coils. If these become blocked by dirt or debris it can cause overheating and easily damage the components in the lower compartment. Usually vacuuming and sweeping every 2-3 months is enough to keep this issue under control.
3. Watch what you put in the fridge
What you put in your fridge can be as important as cleaning the fridge. For instance, if you were to fill your fridge to capacity you could choke the air flow of the cabinet and severely reduce its capability to cool and at the same time severely increase how hard you fridge has to work, leading to parts failures. Just as dangerous to your parts is putting food in while its still hot. If you were to put hot food in your fridge, it forces the fridge to compensate for that rise in temperature and can overwork the compressor and coils. It's best to keep your fridge a little roomy and let your food cool to room temp before putting it away.
4. Get a digital thermometer
Obviously a rise of temperature in your fridge is cause for alarm. While a rise in temp could mean a part has failed it can just as easily mean your coils are dirty and need to be cleaned by a professional. That being said the sooner you know of any rises, the sooner a solution can be found. For that reason we recommend a digital thermometer for your fridge, usually on a top shelf on the outer edge. It's best to stay away from thermometers with dial readings as they can be unreliable.
5. If you suspect a problem call a professional
As we always say on this blog, if something seems off, please give us a call at (719)546-0442 to schedule service! If your fridge is leaving your veggies iced up or your ice creams getting soft in the freezer, let us know right away and save yourself from having to throw away spoiled food. We at Royal want to help you keep your appliances running smoothly. This month only we are offering 5% off any appliance work when you mention the blog and the weekly code. This week's code is COLD24. No longer valid after close of business Friday 4/26/2024.