A good quality refrigerator doesn’t come cheap; therefore, the last thing you want is having to buy a new appliance every few years. The good news is that there are several things you can do to extend the refrigerator’s life. Some of these things, as given by refrigerator repair professionals include:
Keep it clean
Everything begins here. Just like your car, your refrigerator won’t last for long if you don’t clean it regularly. Begin with the insides. At least once a month, clean the insides of the fridge with warm soapy water.
Is your refrigerator giving off bad smells? Get rid of them by placing a bowl filled with vinegar and lime on the inside. The purpose of the products is to absorb the bad smell.
You also should pay attention to the outsides of the refrigerator. The most common area that gets dirty is behind the appliance. To keep it clean, clean it 2-3 times a year. If you have pets, clean it more often.
The purpose of giving more attention to behind the fridge is because this is where coils are located. When the coils are dirty, they lead to inefficient cooling, which puts a lot of stress on the compressor that works harder than it should.
The best appliance to use to clean the coils is a vacuum cleaner.
It’s also common for the door seals to get dirty and greasy. If you haven’t cleaned them for a long time, use soapy water and clean piece of cloth to clean them.
Does your refrigerator have a drip pan? Clean it thorough every two weeks.
You also should defrost the refrigerator. Most of the modern fridges have an auto-defrost option, but if yours doesn’t, do it manually once every few months.
Don’t put hot foods in the refrigerator
While the refrigerator is meant to keep the foods cool, you shouldn’t put hot items in it. This is because the items make the fridge work too hard, which not only results in the appliance consuming a lot of energy, it also lowers its lifespan.
For you to give your refrigerator a long life, let the foods first cool down to the room temperature before putting it in the fridge.
Don’t overfill the refrigerator. Also, don’t let it run empty
When you allow the refrigerator to run empty, you save a lot of money on cooling, right? Wrong! Refrigerator experts report that an empty fridge wears out faster; hence, you should ensure there is always something in the refrigerator.
So even when you are leaving for vacation, have a few items in the fridge. For example, you can place water bottles in the fridge.
Just as you shouldn’t leave the fridge empty, you also shouldn’t overfill it. When you stock too many items in the refrigerator, you block smooth and efficient air circulation.
When air doesn’t circulate as well as it’s supposed to, the compressor works too hard which not only translates to high energy bills at the end of the month, it also reduces the lifespan of the appliance.
When storing items in the fridge, store items that allow air to flow freely without putting a lot of stress on the compressor.
Keep the refrigerator away from heat
Dishwashers, ovens, and other heat-producing appliances make the refrigerator compressor work harder than it should, so you spend a lot of money on the refrigerator and at the same time, shorten the lifespan of the appliance.
For your appliance to last for a long time, keep it in an area where it’s not exposed to high temperatures. This calls for you to keep it away from the appliances mentioned above. You also should ensure that it’s not exposed to direct sunlight.
When making the purchase, go for a fridge with a reflective surface as it will reflect heat.
Undertake regular inspections
Have you ever hired an appliance repair Fairfax professional to inspect your fridge? If you are like other homeowners, you haven’t, which is wrong. At least once a year, even if your appliance is functioning correctly, ask an appliance technician to inspect your fridge.
During the inspection, the professional will identify issues with the unit that you should fix before they get worse.
