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Decide Whether to Repair or Replace Your Refrigerator

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Among all the home appliances, refrigerators are the one of those that is taken for granted. It is because of the fact that refrigerators are the most reliable and durable appliance. It is not extraordinary to get years of trouble-free service from a refrigerator. Eventually, every appliance needs repair or replacement. But the reliability of refrigerators makes it difficult for homeowners take decision at the right time.

Repair or replace your refrigerator

It is not easy to choose between refrigerator repair and replacement. The decision of whether or not to replace an old refrigerator depends on multiple things, including the condition, impact on the environment and your own personal requirements.

How to Decide When to Replace a Refrigerator?

Age: How old is your refrigerator? In general, refrigerators have 10 to 20 years of life span. No matter which brand of refrigerator you are using, it will not work with the same efficiency after 20 years. If your refrigerator is less than 15 years old, and it is showing problems, then consider appliance repair. But if it is more than 18 years old and not working properly, opt for replacement.

Type of Refrigerator: Some refrigerator types are more complex and expensive to repair than others. Built-in refrigerators are easy to repair while refrigerators with bottom freezers are expensive to repair. Thus, if your refrigerator is making you pay expensive repair bills, then it is better to replace it.

Energy Efficiency: Energy Efficiency is important thing associated with the electronic appliances. In case, your refrigerator is consuming a lot of energy and hiking your electricity bill, then it is better to replace it with new energy efficient refrigerator. Do remember to check the energy star rating whenever you purchase your next electronic appliance. Electronic engineering is progressing at rapid pace. The newer appliance you purchase, the more energy efficiency you get. Energy efficient appliances are expensive but they provide long-term benefits.

Condition: Condition of refrigerator depends on usage. If you have used your refrigerator properly, then your appliance may provide some more years of services. On the other hand, if you haven’t paid any attention over appliance maintenance, you may need early replacement.

So, these are some beaming signals that say that you need a refrigerator replacement. You can also discuss this matter with appliance repair technician before actually replacing it. You may get some good advice.

 

How to Know a Good Refrigerator

If your fridge is old and you are tired of hiring a refrigerator repair professional, the best way to fix the problem is to get a new appliance. Of course, when buying a refrigerator, you must get a good one.

How do you know that you are buying a good refrigerator? There are several things you can look out for. These things include:

Size of the fridge

You want a fridge that will adequately fit your kitchen. Before you head to the stores or place your order, measure the space you want to place the unit. Pay attention to the area’s depth, width, and height when calculating.

You also should consider your storage needs. If you have a large family, you will need a large unit, but a small appliance will get the work done if you live alone.

If buying the appliance online, carefully compare the specifications given in the descriptions with your measurements and place the order only after you have ascertained that the new unit will fit your space.

The efficiency of the fridge

If you have had your old fridge for a long, you must have noticed that it consumed a lot of energy, right? You don’t want your new unit to do the same, do you?

To ensure this doesn’t happen, buy an energy-efficient appliance.

Besides ensuring that the unit is suitable for your needs and space, ensure that the appliance has a high-energy star rating. While at it, pay attention to the annual energy consumption and always go for a unit with low consumption, often quoted in kilowatt-hours (kWh).

Certain brands are known to be more energy efficient than others so take your time to buy one with a good reputation. The brand might be a little expensive, but it will save you a lot of money.

Reputable brand

As mentioned, you should always buy a fridge made by a reputable brand. This way, you not only have a highly efficient unit but a unit that will also last for a long time.

To tell whether a brand is worth it, check the customer ratings. After all, they are the ones that have already used the appliance, right?

It’s rare to even for the best brand to have a perfect 5-star rating, but you should pay attention to several positive and negative reviews. Of course, you should go for a brand with more positive ratings than negative ones.

When you come across a brand with perfect ratings, you should be wary of it, as chances are it’s cheating. This is because it’s rare for even the company to make the best appliance to please everyone. There is always someone that doesn’t like what they do.

Besides the brand having high-quality appliances, it also should provide warranty and service at a local service center. This way, you are sure you are covered in an accident and can quickly fix your unit in your local store.

The right type

There are many brands to buy from in the same way you can purchase many types of fridges. Of course, for the refrigerator you are looking to buy to be the right one, it has to be of the correct type.

The different types of fridges in the market are bottom freezer, top freezer, side-by-side, compact, French door, built, and so on.

We all have different tastes, and all you need to do is to choose the one that is best for you.

Aesthetics

Besides the functional fridge, it also needs to be good-looking for it to be the right one to buy. The appliance should also have several attractive features, such as automatic defrosting.

You may need to visit different stores and compare various devices to buy the best appliance. If there is something that you are doubtful of, get the input of a commercial appliance repair Fairfax professional.

Guide to Running your Fridge Optimally

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When you have a furnace, you want it to run all the time optimally, don’t you? Thankfully, there are several things you can do to make this possible. Which are these things? Here they are as given by refrigerator repair professionals:

Don’t run an empty fridge

You might argue that an empty fridge will spend little energy. After all, there is nothing inside, right? Well, this isn’t how it works. When you run your fridge while empty, you give the cold air a hard time moving from one side of the fridge to the other, so you often end up with a highly inefficient refrigerator.

If you don’t have any food in the fridge, it’s wise to turn it off. If there is some food, fill the empty spaces with water bottles that will aid in the transfer of the cold air.

The same way you should avoid running your fridge empty is the same way you should avoid running it when overfilled.

You might argue that if running an empty fridge is bad, then it should be okay to run an overfilled one. Well, that’s not the case.

Studies show that your appliance has reduced energy efficiency when you run your fridge when it has overfilled. This is due to blocked air vents, forgotten foods, and other issues.

Don’t stock your fridge more than it can handle to stay safe. Experts even recommend that you keep your fridge two-thirds full, as it tends to function at its best at this capacity.

Don’t pre-cut your fruits and vegetables before storing them in the fridge

Most people recommend that you wash and cut your fruits and vegetables before you keep them in your fridge to encourage healthy snacking, but this isn’t an excellent way to do it.

This is because chopped-up pieces deteriorate too fast as more surface area is exposed.

The right way to go about it is only to wash and cut the fruits and vegetables when you are ready to eat them.

Don’t store milk in the door.

If you visit refrigerators in most homes, you will find that most homeowners store their milk in the door and often on the top shelf.

Unfortunately, this isn’t the best place to store it. This is because the location is one of the warmest spots in the fridge, and since milk is liable to spoil, it easily gets spoilt here.

The best place to store your milk is on the middle shelf. What makes the area attractive is that it enjoys consistent temperatures.

The same thing applies to eggs.

The best items to store on the fridge door are salt and vinegar.

Store meat on the lower shelf

Homeowners store milk on the door the same way they store meat on the upper shelves, which is wrong. While the meat won’t get spoilt here, chances are high that it will drip onto other foods, and you don’t want this.

To avoid this, always store your meat on the top shelf. It will even be better if you can place a tray under the meat on the lowest shelf to contain any leaks that might happen.

Having a tray also makes it extremely easy to clean any spillages.

Use trays in your fridge

You might have heard that you should use bins, trays, and baskets in your home; they come in handy when it comes to keeping your home organized.

The same way it’s visually pleasing to see your pantry shelves compartmentalized with bins, and lazy Susans are the same way your fridge looks good and stays organized when you take advantage of these organization tools.

As mentioned above, you should have a tray to hold your meat on the top shelf. You also should have a bin to carry the condiments that don’t fit into the door. It also doesn’t hurt to have a colander to hold oranges and other fruits you might be having.

Fix even the most minor problems

When you notice a problem, even the most minor one, such as a change in the noise made by your fridge, don’t ignore it. Instead, get in touch with an experienced appliance repair Springfield professional and fix it as soon as possible.

How Can I Make My Refrigerator Better?

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The refrigerator is one of the most hardworking appliances at home, and you should make yours function efficiently and better so that you get ultra cold food and save money on your energy bills. How do you make your fridge function better? There are plenty of ways as given by appliance repair professionals.

These ways include:

Keep the temperatures at 37 degrees Fahrenheit

To keep your appliance functioning optimally and protect the food from spoiling, keep your refrigerator temperature at 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

This calls you to regularly test the temperature of your appliance and set it accordingly.

To test the temperature of your appliance, place a thermometer in a glass of water and check the next day.

The freezer should always be at zero degrees Fahrenheit and to test the temperature, you need to place the thermometer between the frozen foods and then check the temperature after 8 hours.

To save even more money, set the fridge temperature to as high as 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer at 5 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove items from the top of the fridge.

The top of the fridge might seem like an ideal place to store the cereal boxes and other junk, but it isn’t. The reason for this is that placing items here increases the chances of heat getting blocked from escaping, and as a consequence, the compressor works harder than it should; hence you always have a high electric bill at the end of the month.

An overworking appliance also has a short lifespan, so when you repeatedly place items on your fridge, you increase the chances of the appliance breaking down and have to buy a new one.

Ensure that the door has a good seal

One way to ensure that your fridge is in perfect working order and saving you as much money as possible you need to keep the door closed at all times.

You should note that you can close the door, and still, the cold air escapes, forcing you to pay a high monthly bill. To ensure this doesn’t happen, inspect your door and ensure that it has a good seal. One way to make this possible is to close the door on a piece of paper or dollar bill.

If you cannot do this, adjust the refrigerator gasket or replace it to prevent the cold air from escaping.

Turn off the anti-Sweat heater.

Most refrigerators manufactured after 1993 come with a switch that allows you to choose between exterior energy-saving and moisture-reducing modes.

When you set your fridge to exterior moisture reducing mode, the heater kicks on to keep the condensation off the outside of the refrigerator.

Setting the fridge to energy-saving mode saves 5-10% of energy.

Turn off the anti-sweat heater to save energy and keep your appliance functioning better.

You should note that a newer fridge might have automatic moisture control that eliminates the exterior condensation without needing a heater.

Clean the condenser coils

The condenser coils play a crucial role in keeping the fridge’s insides cool. Unfortunately, over time, they collect a lot of dust, and if you don’t clean them, you damage your unit.

By cleaning the coils, you put less stress on the condenser, consequently extending the life of your fridge.

You can clean the coils yourself but for the best results, let an expert help you.

To avoid injuries, remember to unplug the appliance. Also, use a good quality vacuum or brush to do the cleaning.

Keep the fridge properly organized.

You might have the impression that properly organizing the fridge is just part of good housekeeping, but this isn’t the case as it also plays a vital role in determining how effectively and efficiently the fridge functions.

Besides having an easy time finding the food you need in a properly organized fridge, the condenser works less hard to get the temperature back to the set level, which means a reduced energy bill.

Refrigerator repair Northern VA professionals recommend you remove items from your fridge, remove the items that have expired, then organize the refrigerator according to your preferences.

In addition to keeping your fridge organized, make it a habit to keep it full most of the time.

Why Can’t You Lay A Refrigerator Down?

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If you are looking to move a refrigerator, you must have heard that you shouldn’t lay it down. If this is the first time you are doing it, you must be thinking, why can’t you lay a refrigerator down? Well, there are plenty of reasons you shouldn’t do it as given by appliance repair professionals.

The theory is that the fluid in the fridge can cause air (gas) lock that prevents the fluid from moving around the system, and the lack of fluid damages the compressor. The fluid gets into the compressor in a liquid state and causes a hydraulic lock in some cases.

Even without considering the inner workings of the fridge, there are simple reasons why you shouldn’t lay the refrigerator down on its back. Even if you have already removed all the food and drinks inside, there is still the issue of drawers, shelves, and doors.

Most of the refrigerator shelves are made of glass, which can easily break due to shifting when moving it.

Refrigerator doors are built with a slight vacuum seal, which isn’t enough to keep the doors closed during the move. This increases the risk of the door opening and getting damaged.

How to move a fridge

To avoid damaging your fridge during the move, plan to move the refrigerator properly. How do you do it? Here is how to go about it:

Unplug the refrigerator

Begin with unplugging the fridge so that it doesn’t hurt you. After unplugging, fold the plug properly, so it doesn’t drag on when transporting it. Folding the plug also prevents it from getting damaged or damaging the other parts of the fridge.

Keep the fridge empty.

The other thing you should do is remove all the items from the refrigerator. Besides adding weight to the fridge, the food items will most likely get spoilt before getting to your destination, so you should remove them.

Don’t stop at removing the food items—also remove other items such as bottles and cans so that the fridge is as light as possible.

Defrost the fridge

Removing all the items in the fridge isn’t enough—you also need to defrost it so that no water spills out during the move.

To defrost the appliance, you need to unplug it from the power source and let it stay that way for hours until there is no frost left.

Defrosting takes time, so you should give your appliance enough time. To ensure that you aren’t in a hurry and all the water drains out before moving, unplug the fridge a day or hours before making a move.

After it has completed defrosting, clean all the leftover food particles, water, and other stuff from the insides of the fridge. This is to prevent the items from reaching areas where they shouldn’t.

Move the shelves out.

When you transport the fridge with the shelves in place, there is the risk of them moving and causing damage. You don’t want this, do you? Remove them from the fridge and carry them separately to ensure that it doesn’t happen. If you don’t want to remove them or feel safer in the refrigerator, use tape to secure them to their respective positions.

Keep the door shut

Since you can’t stand next to the fridge to ensure that the fridge door remains shut the entire time, you should use tape to hold it securely in one place.

Load the fridge properly

Now that everything is securely held in place, the next thing to do is load it in the truck. You might try to load it on your own as it’s empty, but don’t, as chances are it’s already too heavy for you. A good way to go about it is to ask a friend to help you in loading.

To avoid the complications mentioned above, try to keep the fridge as vertical as possible.

Secure the fridge

Finally, once the unit is on the truck, secure it. To prevent it from coming into contact with the truck, refrigerator repair Fairfax professionals recommend you place a sizeable blanket over the fridge. This will protect the refrigerator from dings and dents that could deface the appliance.

Is It OK To Put Magnets On A Refrigerator?

Most homeowners with stainless steel door fridges have little magnets on their refrigerators meant to decorate the fridge or pass a message.

They bring convenience but is it ok to put magnets on a refrigerator? One popular myth is that the magnets will affect the functioning of the refrigerator, but is this true?

According to refrigerator repair professionals, the magnets used to attach photos or notes on the fridge don’t have a lot of force or power to damage the refrigerator, so it’s okay to have them on your appliance.

While this is the case, you can harm your appliance when you mishandle the magnets. For example, if you are too rough when attaching or removing the magnets from the refrigerator, there is the risk of scratching the refrigerator surface.

Some women have long nails that can scratch the refrigerator surface as they are placing and removing the magnets.

If you want to retain the new look of the fridge, you should avoid using regular magnets. Instead, use plastic or vinyl coated magnets that would scratch the surface.

If you can’t find these magnets, use plastic suction cups with hooks in them and use them to hold up the notes, photos, or anything else that you might want to display on your fridge.

Other refrigerator myths

Besides the myth that magnets are harmful to the fridge, there are plenty of others you should be aware of. They include:

You don’t need a thermometer if the dial is working

While the dial comes in handy at helping you set the temperature in the fridge, it doesn’t mean that the figures shown in the dial are the real temperature in the refrigerator.

Plenty of factors can affect the internal temperature of your appliance, and the only sure-fire way to know the exact temperature inside is to use a thermometer. The ideal cool temperature inside the fridge is 3 and 4 degrees Celsius.

You can place anything anywhere in the refrigerator

If you have been researching about refrigerators, you know that you should place certain items in specific areas of the fridge. For example, you should place the meat and other highly perishable items in the freezer.

The reason for this is because the temperature in the fridge isn’t equal throughout. Certain areas, such as the fridge doors, are warmer, and you should place juice, water, beer, and other items that can withstand high temperatures here.

For your items not to go bad, you need to store them in the right compartments. If you aren’t sure how to go about it, here is a guide to help you out.

You can lock the cold air inside even with the power out

You must have heard that you don’t have to worry even if the power goes out, as the food will be safe as long as you don’t open the fridge and freezer doors. Well, this isn’t true.

If the power is out for less than four hours, most of the food will be okay, but even then, it’s safe to toss the dairy, meat, and leftovers as bacteria might have already started growing on them.

Veggies, bread, hard cheese, and fresh fruits should be alright.

You can keep leftovers in the fridge for as long as you want

The refrigerator is meant to extend the lifespan of the food you put there, but not keep it fresh forever. A good rule of thumb is to keep the leftovers in the fridge for a maximum of four days. If you can’t remember the last time you made the food or had it delivered, it’s time to toss it.

The produce bin doesn’t need cleaning.

Since the produce bin only carries fruits and vegetables, some people believe that it doesn’t get dirty and should not be cleaned.

Appliance repair Springfield professionals advise against it. When you store fresh fruits and vegetables, after some time, you are bound to have some bacteria growing there, and there is the risk of cross-contamination in your refrigerator.

To avoid this, make it a habit to clean the produce bins before loading a fresh batch of fruits or vegetables.

What Is The Proper Way To Take Care Of A Refrigerator?

The refrigerator is most probably one of the essential household appliances at your home. Also, it is one of the most expensive home appliances. So why wouldn’t you take proper care of it?

When your refrigerator fails, it can mess up your day.

If you take good care of your fridge, it will run efficiently and last longer, so you don’t need to worry about repairing or replacement costs soon.

Are you wondering what is the proper way to take care of a refrigerator? Well, there are plenty of ways to go about it. Here are some of them as given by appliance repair professionals:

Set the right temperature

Keeping your refrigerator at a temperature between 30-45 degrees Fahrenheit will allow the internal environment to stay consistent, preserving your food quality. Maintaining the right temperature will also ensure that your food stays longer and better.  If you set your refrigerator’s temperature very low, it will have to run more to cool at a lower temperature; you will just be adding an extra run on the compressor that does not need to be there.

Clean out the inside

Food residue, frost or dirt can seem to take over your refrigerator after some time. If you are opening your refrigerator frequently, which is normal to most people, you might spill or forget to close the door. Especially kids forget to close the door and do not clean after themselves in case of spills.

It would help if you cleaned out the inside of your refrigerator two times a year. Do not buy any food to refrigerate the day you plan to clean your refrigerator. Allow the inside to defrost and then dry it up. After cleaning the inside of your refrigerator, look for a fridge aid to help deodorize and keep your refrigerator fresh.

Ensure the doors seal tightly

When most people take something from the refrigerator, they just shut the door and think they have fully closed it. You might often get back to the refrigerator and find its door slightly open, meaning the gasket has an issue. A gasket is a piece of rubber found on the edge of the refrigerator door to ensure the temperature stays consistent. Clean the gaskets twice a year using baking soda and water to clean any dirt or food residue. If necessary, you can seek help from professionals to replace the gasket.

Clean off cooler fan and condenser coils

Cleaning the condenser coils and the cooler fan is one of the most crucial things to maintain your refrigerator.  When dust or dirt cover the coils,this will reduce the energy efficiency. The compressor will run hotter than it would with clean coils. The extra strain on the compressor will reduce its lifespan, causing you stress to replace it.

You should remove the grate at the bottom of your refrigerator and clean it using a brush at least once a year. Condenser coils help in removing heat from freezers and refrigerators. Ensure you have unplugged your refrigerator from the power socket before you start cleaning.

Using a brush, remove all the dirt from the cooler fan, coil, and everything else around there. Use special brushes that help to make cleaning cooler fan and condenser coils easier. Check the manufacturer’s specific cleaning instructions manual in case you have any questions.

Keep your refrigerator full

The more food you have in your fridge, the better your appliance will maintain the proper temperatures. Keeping your refrigerator empty allows warm air to get inside the refrigerator every time you open it. Hence reduce efficiency. Keeping your refrigerator full will reduce the overall maintenance costs and usage of your refrigerator. Even if you mostly eat outside, at least fill your refrigerator with drinks.

Avoid putting warm food in your refrigerator

Always allow food leftovers to cool down before putting them in your refrigerator. This helps to reduce the amount of warm air inside the fridge and save some run time on the compressor.

Bottom-line

Your refrigerator is one of the most expensive appliances at your home so you should take proper care of it.  Ensure you set the correct temperatures on your refrigerator, clean the condenser coils and cooler fans to ensure your refrigerator operates efficiently. In addition, ensure your fridge is always full and avoid placing warm food in your fridge to avoid warm air getting inside. When you notice even a minor problem, don’t ignore it. Instead, get in touch with a refrigerator repair Alexandria expert to look into it.

Should I Turn Off Refrigerator When Not In Use?

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If you are going on vacation for a month or more, you can’t keep your electric appliances running. One of the questions you must be asking is, should I turn off the refrigerator when not in use?

The answer to this question is a definitive yes. Appliance repair professionals recommend you turn off the fridge and unplug it at the wall.

The obvious reason you should shut the fridge is to save power. You don’t want to keep receiving high energy bills you aren’t consuming, are you?

The other reason you should shut the appliance is because you don’t want to keep worrying about what is going on at home.

Although, they are good servants, most appliances are ticking time bombs especially when they run unsupervised. They can fall, catch on fire, among many other things.

When you shut your appliance, you have peace of mind that none of your units can start a fire in your absence.

Besides shutting and disconnecting the fridge, there are several other things you should do when you will be gone for extended periods. Some of these things include:

Defrost and clean the appliance

If you don’t properly clean the fridge before storage, you will create a lot of mess that the fridge will be unusable by the time you are retrieving it from storage.

One major concern is mold that often starts from the food debris and spreads to the other parts of the fridge. There is also the pests concern. Ants and rodents can be attracted to even the smallest food pieces so when you don’t properly clean the fridge, these pests can get into your appliance and cause damage to the electrical components.

To defrost the fridge, remove all the food items and unplug the fridge. This will trigger the defrosting process and you should keep the refrigerator doors open so that moisture can escape from the fridge.

To avoid flooding your floor, strategically place a towel to catch the dripping water.

For peace of mind that the fridge is completely dry, defrost it at least a week before you leave for your vacation.

As the fridge is defrosting, you should clean both the insides and back of it.

Take out the drawers, shelves, and other removable parts of the appliance. Clean and soak these parts with mildly soapy water. For best results, ensure the water is warm. Avoid scalding hot water as it can damage the cold plastic or glass.

Using a mixture of baking soda and water, scrub away any materials that might have built up inside the fridge and freezer compartments.

As much as you want the fridge to be spotless, don’t use chlorine bleach, ammonia, or any other abrasive cleaning solutions as they can crack or even discolor the plastic and stainless steel.

Once the insides of the fridge are clean, turn your attention to the outside. Dust the coils using a brush attachment or run a vacuum cleaner. You can also use a dry cloth.

Store the fridge in an upright position

If you will be moving the fridge from its usual place, use a dolly or hand truck to move it. As a rule of thumb don’t move the fridge while laying on its side.

When you store it, ensure that it’s not in a slanting position—it should always be in a straight position.

The reason for this is to ensure that you come home to a properly functioning compressor.

Keep the fridge dry

The last thing you want is to reverse all the hard work you have put into cleaning and defrosting your appliance.

To ensure that your fridge remains dry and no moisture gets inside, remove the doors on both the fridge and freezer compartments.

According to refrigerator repair Springfield professionals, when you do this, you ensure no seal forms so your appliance is free from molds.

If you don’t want to go through the trouble of removing the doors, wedge an object between the door and the compartment frame so that the door remains open.

When choosing the wedging object, ensure that the object is tough and won’t bend or get indented over time hence close the door and cause the damaging seal to form.

Can You Repair A Refrigerator? Appliance Repair Professionals Have Their Say

If you have a faulty refrigerator, you must be wondering, can a fridge be repaired? If you are one of the people asking this question, appliance repair professionals report that yes, you can repair a refrigerator.

While this is the case, you shouldn’t just go ahead and hire a repairman as you might be wasting your money. Before you do it, you should consider plenty of factors that include:

Factors to consider before hiring a repair professional

Age of the fridge: If you have had your refrigerator for more than a decade, you will be wasting money as it will be too expensive to repair it. This is because old appliances keep on failing, and you have to keep on fixing it. A never-ending money pit, you might say.

Spares for old appliances are also difficult to locate, not to mention the cost of maintaining the appliance. If your appliance is old, you should simply replace it.

Cost of repair: The other factor you should pay attention to is the cost of hiring the repair professional. If your fridge is not from a popular brand or is inbuilt, it will be expensive to repair compared to one from a popular brand.

Before you ask a repair technician to repair the appliance, first compare the price of fixing it and that of getting a new one.

Energy efficiency: How efficient is the appliance you are looking to repair? If you have had it for a long time, the chances are that it’s old and inefficient. Therefore, it’s contributing significantly to your home’s energy bill.

If you can improve the efficiency of the appliance, well and good, but if you can’t, you are better off simply replacing it.

What if you don’t have money to hire an AC repair professional?

If you don’t have the money to hire a repair technician, try fixing it by yourself. Some of the problems that you can easily fix include:

Failure of the freezer to switch on: The fridge will fail to turn on if you haven’t used it for a long time. When this happens, the first thing to check is the power. Is it on? Is the appliance properly connected to the socket?

Properly functioning freezers should be properly connected directly to the socket. If an extension lead connects your appliance, it could provoke a problem.

Failure of the internal freezer light to come on: The light inside the fridge can stop working due to many reasons: the light bulb might be blown, the lamp may have gotten loose, among many other issues. You need to find out why the light isn’t working and fix it.

Failure of the fridge door to close properly: In most cases, the fridge will fail to close properly if it’s not level on the ground. Here you simply need to level the fridge.

The door will also fail to close correctly if you have placed too much weight on the door shelves.

Check the condition of the fridge and fix it appropriately. While at it, also check the door seals for wear and tear and replace them if necessary.

Taking care of the refrigerator

To avoid having to repair the appliance, you should take good care of it. Some of the things you should do include:

Defrost the freezer regularly: Defrosting gets rid of excess ice. Before you defrost it, remove any foods that might be there. You should then unplug it from the power source and let the ice melt away. To speed up the ice melting, use a blow dryer or place a bowl of steaming water in the unit.

Clean the fridge: Another thing you should do is to clean the appliance regularly. Most people pay attention only to the exterior, but you should also pay attention to the interior too. At least once a week, remove all the food material and using warm soapy water, wipe all the interior surfaces.

To avoid damaging the surfaces, refrigerator repair Alexandria professionals advise against using harsh chemicals such as bleach. Stick with dishwashing liquid and natural cleaners.

Maintain the right temperature: Finally, you should maintain your refrigerator at the right temperature. As a rule of thumb, ensure that the freezer is -18° Celsius. To avoid damage, regularly check the temperature and be alert for any spoilt food.

Refrigerator Repair: 8 Tricks To Keep The Refrigerator At Peak Performance

According to refrigerator repair professionals, the fridge doesn’t fail to function optimally due to major problems. It’s often due to improper use of the appliance and other minor issues. Would you like to know how to keep your fridge at peak performance? Here are a few things you should do:

Declutter the refrigerator

Even at a time like this when almost the entire world is in lockdown, don’t overfill the fridge. It’s often said that an empty refrigerator is bad, but an overfilled one is worse.

It’s tempting to fill every inch of the appliance but don’t do this as it brings about plenty of problems: you might forget some food and it goes bad, the air vents might get blocked, you might impede airflow, or even reduce the efficiency of the appliance.

Just as you should avoid overfilling the refrigerator, you also should avoid keeping it empty—stock in a few water bottles which when chilled, help the appliance maintain cool temperatures. The best place to have your appliance is two-thirds full.

Don’t just toss things in

When you are restocking or cleaning the refrigerator, don’t just toss things in. Put items that go together. For example, keep peanut butter and jelly, eggs and milk, deli meats and cheeses.

If you aren’t sure about how you should pair the items, think about your eating habits.

Separate the fruits and vegetables

You can keep the vegetables in perforated plastic bags then place them in the fridge’s crisper drawer. In storage, keep a close eye on ethylene producing fruits as they will make your other vegetables decompose faster.

Some of these fruits that you should be cautious about include: passion fruit, mangoes, kiwis, pears, apples, and stone fruits.

Fruits known to be sensitive to ethylene include: carrots, broccoli, lettuce, avocados, cucumbers, avocado, and eggplant.

You must have heard that you should cut the fruits and vegetables before storing them in the refrigerator to encourage healthy snacking. This is a lie. Enough data is supporting that chopped up produce deteriorates faster as more surface area is exposed.

The best way of going about it is only washing the fruits and vegetables when you are ready to consume them.

Give the pantry products a new home

Did you know the pantry products you place on the shelves can be much better in the fridge? Maple syrup, soy, nut butters, soy sauce, nut milk, nut flours, and whole grains can give you better results when you store them in the chilled environment.

Take the milk out of the door

The refrigerator’s warmest parts are inside the door and at the top shelf. Since milk is highly perishable, you should place it on the middle shelf. Here it enjoys consistent temperatures, so the bacteria don’t act too much.

If your refrigerator has dedicated spots for dairy and meats, take advantage of them.

Other than milk, you also shouldn’t store eggs in the egg compartment of your door.

The best things to store on the door are condiments rich in vinegar and salt.

Place meat and fish at the bottom

The bottom drawer is the coldest part of the refrigerator, making it the ideal place to keep uncooked meat and fish. To keep the meat away from other foods to prevent cross-contamination, store the meat in a crisper drawer.

Inspect the door seals

Loose door seals allow air to seep out, wasting energy and causing the refrigerator to work harder than it should. At least twice a year, inspect the door seals for food residues that might have accumulated there and remove them.

You also should find out whether the seals are broken. If they are, replace them. When undertaking the replacement, go for high-quality sealing products that will last the test of time.

Clean the refrigerator

You not only want the fridge to look good, but also to function at optimum levels. Cleaning also keeps appliance repair Springfield professionals at bay. When it comes to cleaning, don’t just clean the outside of the appliance. Also, pay attention to the inside of the unit.

At least once a week, remove all the food in the fridge and clean the insides. While you are at it, also inspect the coils and clean them if necessary.