Making Careful Appliance Decisions

Being a homeowner means being responsible for every single appliance in your home. Every time your appliance breaks down you could purchase a new one, but this is going to cost you quite a bit of money over time. Making repairs is your best bet. If you aren't sure what you're doing, you should hire a professional appliance repair technician to help you. As a homeowner though, you should know how to do some minor repairs, especially to your refrigerator that keeps your food cold. See below for tips on how to repair your refrigerator.

Cleaning Your Refrigerator

Cleaning your refrigerator and cleaning out your refrigerator are two different things. Emptying out the leftovers or moldy food is one thing, but actually cleaning your refrigerator is something totally different. Give your refrigerator a good cleaning by wiping down the exterior and interior, including the door gasket, which can accumulate with dirt and dust. Wipe down the vent cover to remove dust. Pull out the refrigerator and pull out anything that could have fallen behind the refrigerator. Use a vacuum with attachment to clean dust off of the coils in the back of the refrigerator. Also remove anything inside that could  be blocking the vents in both the refrigerator and freezer.

Changing The Filter

If your refrigerator has a water/ice machine, it will have a filter that needs to be changed every six months. Pull out the old filter, toss it and replace it with a new one. You can purchase new filters at your local appliance store or parts supply store. Be sure to use only the appropriate filter made for your specific model.

Replacing The Gasket

The gasket around the door of your refrigerator helps to keep the cold air inside your refrigerator and freezer. If the gasket is broken, dry-rotted or sagging at all, it isn't going to do its job properly, which means you could have pockets of warm air in your appliance. This could cause your food to spoil. Replacing the gasket is important and should be done to prevent food loss. Pull the gasket back, then use a nut driver to remove the screws holding the gasket in place. Toss the old gasket and the old screws. Use a good cleaner such as TSP to remove oils and dirt/dust from the area, then add the new gasket. Start installing the new screws to hold the new gasket in place. Test that the gasket is working properly by placing a piece of paper in the door and closing it. Attempt to pull the paper out. If it pulls easily, you have a problem. If it's difficult to pull out the paper, your gasket is doing its job.

These are all repairs that every homeowner should know how to perform on your refrigerator. If you aren't sure about any of these repairs or you have other issues with your refrigerator that you aren't sure how to perform, hire a professional technician, such as from D& S  Appliance, for help