The refrigerator is a major appliance which has largely impacted how efficiently modern kitchens are run.  They have made keeping food a great deal easier for chefs, cooks, and housewives.  There are some quite simple maintenance steps which can keep them running smoothly for years to come, more often than not keeping them from failing.  Probably the easiest piece of maintenance is in cleaning your refrigerator condenser coils at least once every year.

While the evaporator coils sits nearer to the space which needs to be cooled and in fact cools the interior of the fridge down, the condenser coils on a refrigerator take the heat which has been created and disperses it as ambient heat.  Since the condenser coil is exposed to the ambient air on the refrigerator, it requires regular cleaning.  Thus if dust and debris are clogging the coils, it is likely your Fredricksburg fridge will not cool properly and end up spoiling some very delicious meals.

Steps to Cleaning Refrigerator Condenser Coils

  • Pull the refrigerator away from the wall.  Disconnect the refrigerator from the power-strip on the wall. Disconnect the water line if it is not long enough to give you space to work.  Locate the condenser coils. Older fridges will have the coils back mounted while newer fridges place them on the bottom, either inside the front toe plate or inside the back panel.  Remove the panel and locate the condenser coils.
  • Vacuum the coils using a brush attachment in order to get the dust and debris that tends to stick to the coils.
  • Vacuum the condenser fan. Cleaning it will help it to more efficiently move air across the coils, as it was designed to do.
  • For hard to reach places, use a narrow paintbrush or toothbrush to remove the attached dust and then vacuum it away.
  • Replace the back panel (if necessary), plug the refrigerator back into the power supply as well as the water line.  Slide the fridge back into place, ensuring that water and power lines are not kinked or crushed and will run properly.

Cleaning your refrigerator condenser coils can lengthen the lifespan of your refrigerator and keep it from breaking down as often.  Utilizing this simple but proper bit of maintenance will ensure that you get everything you need out of your refrigerator just as it should be, whether cooled or frozen.  So keep that fridge cold and clean the condenser coils annually!

For any refrigerator repair in the Fredricksburg area, give All Time Services a call today!