If you want to know how important the fridge is to our daily lives, look at yours right now and judge how well you can prepare anything to eat without it. The modern refrigerator is a marvel of modern engineering but is still a machine at the end of the day. And machines can and will run into problems.
Of course, the ideal approach is to make sure your fridge is well maintained. Fridge repair in places like Salt Lake City can be surprisingly in demand, especially during the hot months, so finding and eliminating problem areas is a must for any homeowner.
If you’re looking for some common signs of your fridge acting up, read on to find some.
It’s not cooling things
A fridge that isn’t cold is probably one of the most frustrating things you can deal with if only because that’s supposed to be the only job your fridge should do. But this problem is common and fortunately, there’s usually only one culprit: your compressor.
The compressor is the heart of any fridge. It works by compressing the coolant that your refrigerator uses to freeze the insides and distributes them through the evaporator and condenser coils. While major problems with your compressor require professional fixing, sometimes, it’s just an issue of keeping it clean and lubricated.
It’s freezing things a little too well
On the other hand, the opposite problem can also happen: you open your freezer and get immediately greeted with a block of ice. This can be a weird issue since so many freezers come with a self-defrosting system. The cause of this problem may be a little bit surprising, though.
Whenever you open your freezer door, you disturb the temperature inside it with a little humidity. The more you open it (or the longer you leave it open), you let more moisture from outside enter the fridge, which it will then immediately freeze into ice. Simply keeping your fridge door closed can solve this issue.
It’s leaking water
Finally, one of the trickier issues is when your fridge starts leaking water. Not only is this a potential hazard given all the electrical components your fridge is near to, but it can also cause it to work overtime, shooting up your electricity bill. You’ll need to get your elbows a little greasy for this one, as the culprit is most likely somewhere in the back. If you think you can’t handle the job yourself, call a professional to do it for you.
Specifically, water leaks happen when the defrost drain is blocked with something, such as debris from food clogging up the drain hose. To fix this, you need to either flush the drain from the inside using warm water in a small funnel or use a pipe cleaner to remove the clog.
Remember that if you’re unsure, always ask for an expert’s help. A professional has the experience, knowledge, and skills necessary to do the job in the right manner and avoid a reoccurrence in the future.
