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Maintain your refrigerator

Discussion in 'Fred's House of Pancakes' started by edthefox5, Aug 12, 2012.

  1. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Ahh its that time of year again. I noticed my 5 year refrigerator is not cooling as well as it did a few months ago. That means the condenser is clogged!

    Take the back off the bottom of your newer refrigerator. You will see a little fan and that fan blows directly on the condenser which on newer refrigerators is a little black square box of very dense pipes.
    The CBOX.

    The dense nature of this condenser is perfect to get clogged with dust especially if you have pets or carpet in the house. The fan drags dust filled air in from the floor and then blows that dust filled air in the CBOX. Since its clogged with dust the CBOX cannot be cooled by the air from the fan and the unit struggles to provide cold air.
    Compressor runs alot longer.

    This quick & easy cleaning requires a very good vacuum and and an air compressor. Blow out the condenser with the air compressor while capturing the flying dust with the vac. Then vac out the back real good. While your there spin that little fan by hand and see how free it is.
    Any rough feeling and not spinning really freely and the fan is on its way out.
    Get the model or part number off that fan and google it and ebay it. There cheap.
    Common for that little cheapo fan bearing to fail. Some models have common fan failure.
    I was able to remove mine and lubricate the bearing. Some fans are impossible to get out.
    Loews sells' 3 in 1 oil specifically made for 1/3 HP ac motors.

    You just lowered your electric bill and extended the life of the compressor by years.
     
    #1 edthefox5, Aug 12, 2012
    xs650, bisco and tochatihu like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks ed!
     
    #2 bisco, Aug 12, 2012
  3. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    Thanks for the reminder. The new frig, one year old with a more compact set of coils, will not be as easy to clean as the previous unit.

    But while I was cleaning the large bottom horizontal coils of the old frig every year, I missed a smaller section of vertical coils right next to the fan. That did clog with twenty years of cat hair, and I believe it was a factor in last year's sudden summer failure.
     
    #3 fuzzy1, Aug 12, 2012
  4. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Yes its almost impossible to vac out without a powerful air compressor blowing it out the coil are so tight.. But well worth the effort.
    New compressors are not half as tough as they were in the old days.
     
    #4 edthefox5, Aug 12, 2012
  5. Stev0

    Stev0 Honorary Hong Kong Cavalier

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    It's a good idea to see if your neighbors are doing this, too. Call them and ask "Is your refrigerator running?"
     
    #5 Stev0, Aug 12, 2012
  6. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    You forgot the most important step.....unplug the fridge before doing any work!

    They sell coil brushes that work pretty good for brushing out those coils. I got one on Amazon for about $12, and a little in and out action and was all done. I needed to clean mine out after 2 or 3 years since the last cleaning was done.

    A damp cloth will help remove any dust from the small fan, also. I find mine somehow was sticky and the dust wouldn't just brush off too easily.

    Also make sure you remove and clean out any front exhaust areas, as if they get clogged that hot air builds up under the fridge.

    I didn't think about the fan, but mine is 5 years old now. I'm tempted to see if I can figure out how to remove it and order a new one as a precautionary measure. Sorta like how some of us change our 12V early as a preventative measure (got my Optima for that already, just need to find time to do it).
     
    #6 wick1ert, Aug 13, 2012
  7. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Coil brushes are good but they wouldn't get into my coil box. Its only got about 1/4 inch gap between all coils.
    And the motor should spin very very freely. Its a cheap little motor but some are impossible to get out without removing the whole base tray. Some can be taken apart and the back bearing oiled like mine.
     
    #7 edthefox5, Aug 13, 2012
  8. hyo silver

    hyo silver Awaaaaay

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    Something else to maintain on a fridge is the drip tube. Refrigeration works by removing the moisture from the air, and it has to go somewhere. Multicoloured mould tends to grow in the wet warmth, and will plug the tube over time. If you find your fridge is wet inside, or leaking on the floor, it's likely that you need to clear out the drain tube. I've found that a bicycle cable works perfectly for this.
     
    #8 hyo silver, Aug 14, 2012
  9. wick1ert

    wick1ert Senior Member

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    Could that be why the other day I heard what sounded like water dripping slowly but couldn't find where it was dripping from? It stopped shortly after, but I've never had water in the fridge or on the floor, so I'm not really sure where the tube is lol. Maybe I should try to find the manual, assuming I kept it.
     
    #9 wick1ert, Aug 14, 2012
  10. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    New units have a drip tube that just goes back to a little cup on a tray the entire assy is mounted too.
    this assy is mounted in the back on the bottom. A properly working unit should not have alot of water dripping out. If it does I would suspect its struggling to maintain cold.
    Roll the unit out and take the bottom back cover off and you'll see how clogged up everything is.
     
    #10 edthefox5, Aug 14, 2012
  11. Rae Vynn

    Rae Vynn Artist In Residence

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    I am blessed to be married to a former appliance repairman. And, yes, our fridge has had to have the drip tube unclogged, the coils cleared, and even the thermostat changed! That one required him to completely disembowel the fridge!

    He loves this stuff.
     
    #11 Rae Vynn, Aug 16, 2012
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