When it comes to home necessities, refrigerators are top-priority devices for homebuyers to get when they move in. They may be bulky machines, but they ensure food and drink items are fresh and cool all the time.
So imagine what would happen if your fridge stops cooling, and all your favorite foods and ingredients go bad?
Before you think of entirely replacing your fridge, check for these six things and see if your can fix your machine and resume its cooling job:
See If Your Fridge is Powered
Your fridge may not be cooling because it’s not connected to a power source. Check if your fridge is plugged to its outlet. Avoid using extension cords as these may interfere with the power needed for your fridge to run smoothly.
If neither of these work, your outlet’s fuse could be worn out and replaced immediately to avoid fires.
Check If Your Door Gasket is Fine
Your fridge’s gasket, the rubber lining around the door’s edges, is what keeps the refrigerator sealed and ensures that the cold air stays inside at all times. Think of it as a lock that keeps homes safe from intruders. It’s also similar to insulation systems that a handful of Pag-IBIG foreclosed houses have to keep their residents warm or cool, depending on the season.
If your refrigerator won’t close properly, your gasket is most likely worn out and needs to be replaced. Otherwise, humidity may enter your fridge, spoil your food, or break your device due to the inconsistent temperature and unsealed doors.
Check Your Condenser and Evaporator Coils
Typical refrigerators have condenser and evaporator coils located either under or at the back of the machine. Condenser coils may gather dust and debris over time, resulting in a blockage that halts the cooling process of your refrigerator. Look for these coils and vacuum the dust away. You may also use special refrigerator coil brushes for a gentler and thorough cleaning. Your fridge should start getting cold again.
For your evaporator coils, check whether they are covered in frost. If so, empty the fridge, unplug it, and let it thaw for one to two days. Your fridge should reboot and be able to keep your food and beverage cold once again.
See If Your Evaporator Fan is Working
Aside from relying on its evaporator coils, your fridge also depends on its evaporator fan. This fan is usually located at the back of the refrigerator. It draws out cool air from the coils to circulate the freezer, fridge body, and crisper. Should your evaporator fan be broken, it’s time to replace it with a new one.
If you have kids, chances are they may have tinkered with the buttons and settings of your fridge. If you notice that your thermostat reads too hot, adjust the temperature back to its original state.
If your fridge begins cooling again, then you might have to child-proof your fridge to keep your thermostat from breaking and food from going bad.
Take Excess Items Out The Fridge
Sometimes, your fridge doesn’t cool properly because of the blockage of cold air. If your refrigerator is full of items, chances are some are blocking the cold air released by the evaporator fan. Leaving your refrigerator like this exhausts your fan, coils, and electricity needed to keep your items cool. You might even break your fridge if you don’t clear out your fridge.
Do a little spring cleaning in your refrigerator and take out excess items. You’ll notice foods that most likely went bad days or weeks ago. Throw all spoiled and expired food away. Return all the fresh food and beverages and enjoy a fully functional fridge once more.
Call For Professional Help
If neither of the tips above didn’t work, it’s best to call for professional help. Your fridge is most likely broken and may need extensive repairs or a total replacement. It could also mean that your fridge has finally breathed its last breath, especially if it is an old and obsolete unit. For hi-tech refrigerators, their computer systems may have encountered an error and need resetting from the experts to work again.
Refrigerators are wonderful inventions that make our lives easier and better. Like most machines, they’ll wear out over time since new technology arises every day. But taking care of your fridge and knowing these seven remedies when they stop cooling, you’ll prolong the life of your fridge and enjoy fresh food all the time.
Hello, I'm Ping Joven welcome to Pinoy Desserts the home of Filipino Dessert Recipes, I love sweets and I love to share my goodies with my family and friends. I’ve spent so much time in our kitchen even though I don’t have formal cooking education, but I cook and bake a lot. I have a large collection of cookbooks. I love watching Foodnetwork Channel & YouTube cooking videos it helps me develop my skills. To my fellow home cooks and home-bakers we should keep doing what we love and enjoy being creative in the kitchen. I also love taking photos of my food but, I’m not a good photographer, so I just hope and pray that my food will make you hungry, so you won’t notice my bad composition LOL. And lastly, please have mercy on my poor writing skills, English subject has always giving me a headache and as I compose this bio I can feel a migraine starts to kick in LOL.
Thanks for visiting, have a nice day and may the blessings chase you today!
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