A refrigerator is an essential appliance of our daily use. As it is with any appliance of our daily use, we often take the refrigerator for granted and do not devote enough time for its periodic maintenance. What follows is a refrigerator breakdown, which must be rectified to keep the food items refreshed and nourishing for storage. Also, maybe the refrigerator has just gotten old and need repairs. Although many people may prefer to call a professional refrigerator technician for the purpose, there are many others like you who would prefer to repair their refrigerators themselves. Refrigerator repair is not a difficult job at all and it can be easily done by the Do-It-Yourself manner. This article presents you with some important tips and suggestions on how to detect your refrigerator problem and repair it within no time.
Complexity level: Moderate
Time Required: 2-4 hours
Resources required:
- Spare parts
- Appliance model number, serial number and the name of the manufacturer so that you can find the original spare parts for replacement.
Instructions:
Malfunctioning ice-maker:
When the water supply to the ice chamber is completely or partially blocked for any reason, the refrigerator cannot solidify the ice properly. In order to repair this, you will have to remove the ice maker screws and reveal the water inlet tube. You may find that due to a valve malfunctioning, the water is freezing within the water inlet before it is reaching the ice chamber. All you have to do is to locate the saddle valve of the ice chamber and unclog it. The saddle valve has a small hole that often gets clogged. Once you have found the water inlet tube,locating the saddle valve wont be much of a problem. If that does not work, you may have to replace the water inlet tube. If you find that the water inlet tube is fine,then you will have to replace the inlet valve with an original spare part from a refrigerator shop.
Refrigerator leakage problem:
Refrigerator leakage is a common problem and is manifested by small puddles of water inside and also outside the refrigerator. There can be more than one reasons for this leak and you will have to detect the problem before you repair it. If it is due to a malfunctioning ice maker, the water will come from the back of the refrigerator. If the water is leaking from the sides, then perhaps there is problem with the gasket or the refrigerator door. What to do in case of a faulty icemaker has been discussed above. In case of a faulty gasket, you will have to clean the gasket with sponge. If the problem persists, then you will have to replace the leaking copper or plastic tubes with original spare parts. Sometimes this problem can occur due to tilted positioning of the refrigerator.In this case, you will have to rectify the tilt of the refrigerator and check out whether the problem still persists or not.
Refrigerator cooling problem:
Another common problem with a refrigerator is the refrigerator not cooling adequately. Like the water leakage problem, there can be several aspects to the cooling problem as well. You can start by checking the condenser fan because a malfunctioning condenser fan can create cooling problems. You may find the fan motor choked by dust or other trash particles like accumulation of fungus.You can clean the fan and see if it is working or not. If not,then you will have to purchase a replacement condenser fan and install it. Besides the condenser fan, the root of the cooling problem may also be in the thermostat coils. A symptom of the thermostat malfunctioning is the condenser running all the time. You can clean the thermostat coils, but if that does not work,then you will have to replace the thermostat coils as well.
Noisy Refrigerator operation:
Refrigerator noise is often produced from the attached compressor of the refrigerator. A noisy refrigerator can be repaired by replacing the condenser fan motor.
Refrigerator light problem:
There can also be problem with the refrigerator light. In that case, you just have to fit in a new light and check out the light switch of the refrigerator.
Frequently asked questions:
Why are there yellow stains at the back of the refrigerator unit?
The yellow stains come from Sodium Chromate, a greenish yellow chemical compound. This greenish yellow powder solution is found inside the cooling unit of the refrigerator. Sodium Chromate stains at the back of the refrigerator indicates a leak in the cooling unit.
Quick tips:
1. You should clean the condenser coils every six months with a vacuum or a sponge to enhance the life of the refrigerator.
2. You should always maintain at least two inches of air space behind the refrigerator and seven inches above it in order to not to block the air circulation flow emanating from the refrigerator.
3.You should not keep the refrigerator door open unnecessarily, because that disrupts the air circulation inside the refrigerator.
Things to watch out for:
1. You should always unplug the refrigerator before working on it in order to avoid a severe shock.
2. Even after unplugging the unit, you should next check out whether the system is equipped with a capacitor or not. This component is located at the housing on top of the motor. The capacitors store electricity even when the unit is unplugged. So you must always discharge the capacitor before working on the refrigerator, in order to avoid the possibility of a shock even when the freezer is unplugged.
