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Do French door Refrigerators Have More Problems?

French door refrigerators are known for their sleek design, easy access to fresh food items, and plenty of attractive features.

Despite these, many homeowners have reported that the refrigerators keep developing problems, so they end up spending a lot of money on appliance repair.

Do French door refrigerators have more problems? If the fridge has a bottom mount freezer, it’s bound to have more problems. This is because the freezer is the most complicated part of the fridge, and when it’s mounted at the bottom, it brings about plenty of issues.

Other problems your French door fridge might be having

Other than the bottom mount freezer, your fridge can have plenty of other issues that include:

Less vertical storage

French door fridges feature closely stacked fresh food shelves that make it hard to store sodas and magnums of wine due to their limited space.

Some fridges try to salvage the situation by having split shelves where one section slides out of the way, allowing you to store taller items on the shelf below, but this is still a problem as you can’t store a large pot.

They go at a higher price.

In addition to having limited vertical space, they often go at a higher price, often due to the many features they come with. This means when you are looking to own one of the units, you have to part with a substantial amount of money.

External dispensers keep failing.

Many French door refrigerators come with a through-the-door ice and water dispenser that keeps failing, and this can burn a huge hole in your pocket.

They can be too large.

The refrigerator designers are all about designing units that are as large and feature-packed as possible, so if you live in an old home, the appliance might not be too large for your home, giving your house a weird look after installing them.

The refrigerators are also bulky, so when you install them in a small kitchen, the kitchen might appear swallowed up.

The units aren’t energy efficient.

Due to all the features on them, refrigerators consume more energy than other units in the market. This means when you own one, you always have a high energy bill at the end of every month.

Still interested in a French door refrigerator?

It’s no doubt that French door fridges have issues as you need to repair them more often and they cost more, but if you feel they are right for you, there is no reason you shouldn’t buy them.

When buying the pieces, ensure you are cautious. For example, ensure you buy a fridge with a freezer drawer that can pull all the way out. You can also opt for a fridge with two freezer drawers at the bottom, one on top of the other.

As mentioned, French door fridges are larger than other fridges, so before you head to the stores, ensure you have enough space to store them.

Where will you be using the fridge? In the kitchen or the utility area? Ensure the fridge you are looking to buy is compatible with this space.

When choosing where to store the fridge, remember that the fridge doors open on both sides, so store the fridge in an area that allows you to open the door from both sides.

You don’t want to spend your entire income paying your energy bill, do you? So you should pay close attention to the energy star rating of the appliance.

Although, you should expect the unit to consume more energy than a standard fridge, the difference shouldn’t be too much. For a great experience, ensure your fridge has a high energy star rating.

The final thing to do is to buy a unit that is pleasing to the eye. As mentioned, the fridge doesn’t come cheap, and you shouldn’t spend all of your money on an ugly appliance, so ensure the fridge you are looking to buy has a beautiful finish and is aesthetic to look at.

To settle on a given look, consider your home décor. Will the décor suit a matte texture, metallic color, or something different? It’s up to you to decide.

If not sure about the right unit to go for, ask a refrigerator repair Fairfax professional to help you out.

6 Signs Your Refrigerator Is Dying As Given By Refrigerator Repair Experts

While homeowners know they have to replace their refrigerator at a particular time, most of them don’t know the exact time to do it. So you will find them trying to salvage a dying horse. They will keep contacting a refrigerator repair professional, not realizing they are pouring money down the drain that they could have put to better use by simply buying a new appliance.

Do you have a hunch your refrigerator is on its deathbed? Here are signs your refrigerator is dying:

You can hear the motor.

Refrigerators are loud, but if you have never noticed its sound, but now you start hearing the motor, you have a problem. The temperature control board supplies voltage to the fan motors and compressors. If this part is malfunctioning, it could send continuous power making the fridge too cold. As a result, the motor runs continuously.

A motor that runs unnecessarily not only makes a lot of noise, it also increases your energy bills.

Your electricity bill keeps going up.

If your appliance has faulty components, you are bound to see your electricity bills go up. For example, if your fridge has a defective gasket, other components such as evaporator, fans, condenser, and thermostat have to work harder to compensate for it, which translates to high energy use.

If you haven’t installed a new appliance in your home and you have noticed your electricity bills going up, you should check whether you have a faulty part or there is food that has built up in the appliance. While it seems harmless, sticky food buildup can lead to tearing up of gaskets. To prevent the buildup, regularly clean your refrigerator with warm, soapy water.

It’s common for older appliances to consume more energy than newer models, but the consumption shouldn’t be too much that it doubles your energy bills.

Your refrigerator is sweating.

Your fridge will look like its sweating as a result of excess condensation, which is an indication of insufficient cooling capabilities. Carefully inspect the refrigerator. If the moisture is appearing on the exterior, check the door seal, and if faulty, replace it.

If the seal looks in good condition or the condensation is coming from the inside of the appliance, the appliance’s internal temperature isn’t cold enough to keep the food from spoiling, and it’s time to replace it.

The freezer is too cold.

Yes, the freezer can be too cold. The freezer is supposed to be precisely zero degrees, so if yours feels like it’s more than freezing, you have a problem. If you have an older appliance, this problem might be brought about by a cracked door seal that is allowing warm, moist air to enter.

If you do an inspection and find that’s not the reason for the low temperatures, you must be having a problem with the refrigerator defrost sensor, or your appliance might be on its way out.

Food keeps getting spoilt.

Does your food keep getting bad much faster than usual? It’s an indication your fridge might be faulty. Before you run into conclusions, check the temperature settings. A properly functioning appliance should have a temperature of between 37 and 41 degrees.

If the temperature is within a normal range, but you are still having this problem, check whether the door seals are tight and clean. Door seals keep cool air in the fridge and prevent warm air from getting in.

Cleaning the seals can keep the fridge working optimally and prevent it from getting spoilt. If you do your inspection and find out everything is in top working condition, but the food is still getting spoilt, chances are your appliance is too old, and it’s time to replace it.

The back of the fridge is too hot.

The back of the fridge should always feel warmer than the front as this is where the motor is located, but if it’s too hot to the touch, it’s a sign the fridge is overheating. The overheating can be brought about by plenty of factors such as: dirty condenser, coil problem, and ventilation system problems.

Appliance Repair Springfield experts recommend you clean the coils, and the fridge will start running more efficiently, which decreases the operating costs. If you do this and still the appliance is malfunctioning, it’s time to get a new unit.

Appliance Repair: 7 Reasons Your Fridge Isn’t Cooling Food

One of the major problems with refrigerators is failure to cool food. According to appliance repair professionals, the problem comes about due to many reasons that include:

Failure to plug in the refrigerator

you or someone else might have mistakenly unplugged the fridge. since there is no power reaching the refrigerator, it doesn’t cool food. Before you rush to a conclusion the appliance is faulty, check whether the refrigerator is properly plugged in. To fix the problem, you only need to plug in the appliance and continue cooling your food.

Improperly set thermostat

The fridge might also fail to cool food when the thermostat isn’t correctly set at the right temperature. If the appliance is plugged in but not working, check the thermostat. If you have a side-by-side freezer, the thermostat is most likely located at the back. On the other hand, if you have an over-under fridge, the thermostat is located under the refrigerator.

Locate the thermostat and check the temperature settings. You should then adjust it accordingly.

You have a problem with the compressor

From its name, the compressor compresses and pushes refrigerant vapor into the coils outside the refrigerator. The pressure and pushing create heat that forms hot gas that later cools and absorbs heat from the fridge and freezer.

If the freezer fan is running, but the fridge isn’t getting cold, the compressor might be the problem. The compressor is located behind the refrigerator and at the bottom. To access it, pull the refrigerator away from the wall.

To fix the problem, get a new compressor relay then test it with the current compressor. If the problem is with the compressor, you have to replace it. Connect the new appliance to the suction line, process line, and discharge line.

Problem with the evaporator fan

The evaporator fan blows cool air you feel when you open the refrigerator door. The fan pulls air across the evaporator coil, cools it, and then pushes it across the freezer and refrigerator. If the evaporator doesn’t work at the same time as the compressor, it won’t produce cool air.

The evaporator fan is located behind the freezer wall. You need to empty the contents of the freezer and shelving before you access it.

In most cases, if the fan isn’t working, you have a problem with the motor. Install a new motor then insert fan blades. You can do the work by yourself if you have the skills, but if you have never done it before, let an expert handle it.

Presence of a lot of food

If you have plenty of food boxes blocking the vents, cool air won’t circulate the fridge as well as it should. To fix the problem, organize the fridge or get rid of any food that could be blocking airflow and preventing the refrigerator from cooling.

This is easy to do, and you don’t even need a professional to help you out.

Problem with the condenser fan

The role of the condenser fan is to cool the compressor and condenser coils. In a properly functioning refrigerator, the fan should run when the compressor is running. If the fan isn’t working correctly, the refrigerator temperature can rise and overheat the compressor.

In most fridges, the condenser fan is located in the bottom cabinet. Only a few refrigerators will have condenser coils here instead of the fan.

For you to fix the problem, ensure the fan is spinning freely, and any objects are not obstructing it. If there are blocking materials, you have to replace the condenser fan motor. All you need to do is to buy a new motor from your local store and install it.

If you have the skills, you can install it by yourself, but if you have never done it before, ask a professional to help you out.

Failure of the air dumper to open and close properly

When the air damper doesn’t open or close properly, it impacts the temperature of the refrigerator. When the damper doesn’t open, cold air doesn’t travel from the freezer to the fridge hence making it warmer.

To fix the problem, remove the old air damper and replace it with a new one. You can remove it by yourself or hire a refrigerator repair Northern VA professional to help you out.