Do refrigerators need service?

[wahoowad]

I have a 12 year old GE refrigerator I bought new when I moved into this house. It has never given me any problem as far as keeping things cold or frozen. Ice maker always worked flawlessly too. Once in a blue moon I might clean out the disgusting amounts of lint that collect underneath and behind it. But I've noticed the compressor runs a lot on it, seems to run more than it does not run. Since it has always worked fine inside I figured it was just how it goes. After some recent heatpump work I have started to wonder if it might just need a freon charge and am so dumb I don't know if this is done for refrigerators.

 

[peakbagger]

Seriously consider replacing it rather than having it repaired. The efficiency of refrigerators has improved substantially over the last 10 years. A new Energy Star unit of equivalent size may use 1/3 to 1/2 as much power.

 

[wahoowad]

I'll check the door like you suggest. My observations of it running a lot are pretty consistent between warm weather and cold.

 

[SteveT]

The problem may be that the condenser coil is dirty. The coil should be brushed as well as vacuumed. Special purpose brushes are available; I have used the long handle lint brush that we use on the dryer exhaust with good success.

 

[Gooserider]

Usually cleaning and gasket maintainance are all that a fridge should require - if the freon starts leaking you have major problems...

As others have suggested, check door gaskets and for other symptoms of air leakage (areas of frost deposits, etc) and clean the coils thoroughly - if that doesn't help, look at replacement...

Gooserider

 

[pastera]

Clean the condensor coil very well and check the evaporator to see if it is actually defrosting - if it has an ice buildup the compressor will run a lot more.Installing a new defrost switch, timer or heater is economical IF you can do the work yourself.

Modern refrigerators are not setup to be recharged economically - if they need a recharge there is a leak that you probably won't be able to fix.


On a 12 year old unit if cleaning it doesn't work that is it just letting you know it is going to start eating at your wallet.

Aaron

 

[Highbeam]

I've run a kill-a-watt meter on a refrigerator and find that they just don't use that much juice. Don't replace the unit unless it actually fails and then pick an energy star model. The electric savings ill not justify the upgrade over a working appliance.

 

[flyingcow]

go to www.fixitnow.com pretty interesting site. deals with all kinds of appliances. Might help a little.

 

[wahoowad]

I don't have any frost buildup in the freezer - none anywhere at all. I know in the recent past I have seen the defrost unit kickon. No ice around the seals. No signs whatsoever of any degraded function other than I am just suspicious of the frequent running. I will pull the frigde out and look at cleaning the coils. I don't think I have cleaned back up inside the coils, just underneath and around the exterior.

 

[WES999]

One thing that may be helpful is to keep a thermometer in the fridge and freezer. You will know right away if something is wrong.
I had a problem a while ago, the fridge was not cooling, tuns out the defrost timer was bad.

 

[johnn]

Well I learned a little off your thread, thanks! I usually pay attention to details that maybe most around me dont notice, however every once in a while I feel somethings not working as in the past,,and then realize that I never really paid much attention in the first place and might just be faking myself out. Lately my schedule has changed and I am around to notice things more than usual. FWIW.

 

[rowerwet]

I clean the coils on my upsidedown fridge by hooking a hose to the blow side of my vacuum and putting the smallest nozzle (crevice tool) on the hose, this works great, you wouldn't believe the amount of dust that can get underneath a fridge, and they don't make it easy to clean due to the limited access from the front (mine has a snap off grill that covers a 2"X 24" slot). The condenser in mine has a folded shape to it so it takes a while to hit all the dirt (and a good flashlight), brushes won't get to all of it.

 

[Highbeam]

I clean the coils on my upsidedown fridge by hooking a hose to the blow side of my vacuum and putting the smallest nozzle (crevice tool) on the hose, this works great, you wouldn't believe the amount of dust that can get underneath a fridge, and they don't make it easy to clean due to the limited access from the front (mine has a snap off grill that covers a 2"X 24" slot). The condenser in mine has a folded shape to it so it takes a while to hit all the dirt (and a good flashlight), brushes won't get to all of it.

I just did this service on Friday. What I do is get behind the fridge and lean it back so that the wife can get good access to the underside coils and suck them out with the shopvac. An amazing amount of dust junk collects on those coils and on the fan assembly. I have yet to find any spilled goods inside the fridge when tipping it up like that.

 

[Metal]

Too bad they can't put a removable lint/dust filter on fridges similar to those on dryers that you could pull out and clean. This thread has me thinking it is time to stand on my head and clean the coils again.

 

[peakbagger]

An interesting point is that 5 year old Energy Star Maytag uses a lot less power than my 20 year old energy efficient GE. Its quite notcable how much less crus builds up on the coils of the Maytage than the prior unit. I attribute it to the compresser running less which means less air get blown over the coil , thus less buildup.

 

[wahoowad]

This problem has not gone away, and I've been too busy this summer to fool with it. I only seem to remember once the house has quieted down in the late evening, then I hear the darn thing and think "I gotta look at that tomorrow!" Then I forget.... So looking at it tonight is the goal. I feel like it has been adding about 25% to my power bill by runnng so much. I'm not noticing any other issues with the fridge - good cooling, no frost buildup, steady temps. I do see a lot of cat hair down there, but no more than at other times when it did not run so much. Will clean tonight and see what it does.

Anybody know if the cash for frigerators is gonna kick in soon? or if new appliances are earning tax credits?

 

[peakbagger]

From what I read, its going to be a rebate for purchasing an Energy Star rated appliance, probably $75 for a refrigerator. The money is being administered by the states and no need to scrap the old one. Should start in November in most areas.

 

[fbelec]

while your down there cleaning, make sure that the fan that moves the air across the coils is working, and while your at it clean the blades of the fan. dust builds on them and it doesn't move as much air. also when you here it shut down to turn on the defrost make sure you see water in the pan below fridge opposite the coils. if no water then it might not be defrosting.

 

[wahoowad]

I thoroughly cleaned the coils - had a lot of cat hair. Also cleaned it from behind and made sure to clean the fan. Still continues to run near all the time. Gonna call a repair guy I guess.

 

[wahoowad]

I had a small appliance repair shop make a house call to look at my refrigerator. He said it appeared to be running fine - only thing he thought it might be was that my cooling control knob was set to the coolest setting. He set it to mid-range and I think it is actually running less! I need to monitor it for a day or so before I declare success.

He left me with a $90 bill, which seems high given he didn't even pull the unit out and check behind it or clean the coils. Not sure how long he was here but it could not have been long. Does this seem like a reasonable charge?

 

[Dix]

We charge $100 for a service call on your TV. Last time I had a washer repairman it was $90.

He coulda put on more of a show, IMHO.

 

[fbelec]

thats a normal charge. he needs to cover his hour of time including drive time and pay for the truck gas oil advertising phone, you know the routine