Housewife MacGyver: Handyman Help for the Fridge/Freezer

Is your refrigerator running?

Better go catch it!

Sorry, I just couldn't resist. On that note, here's part two of our Handyman Help mini series. (Catch part one about your dishwasher here.)


Save Your Refrigerator/Freezer Compressor!
Over time, dirt, lint, hair, and food can begin to build up behind your refrigerator. If nothing is done it can overwork your refrigerator, causing your compressor to go out (along with other problems).

To prevent this, vacuum the vents and around your fridge regularly (yearly or every 6 months if you have inside pets). Pull the fridge away from the wall and vacuum the cover over the bottom part of the fridge:

Remove the kick plate from the front of the fridge and vacuum there and underneath the fridge as well.


A Water Dispenser That Doesn't Dispense
If you have a water dispenser in your refrigerator and it stops working, replace the water filter before calling an appliance repairman. This is located down by the kick plate or in the refrigerator section usually. Check your user's manual to be sure.


About the author: Steve Newcomb has been an appliance repairman for 3 years now, in addition to attending school and raising a wonderful family with his wife, Meredin. He works on most brands of appliances (except Subzero, Wolf, or Viking), both in and out of warranty, for Utah clients from Springville to Salt Lake (and beyond, with an additional travel fee). Mention that you saw Steve here on just Lu when you call and receive $10 off your first service call (typically $75 for the original service call plus a return visit to install parts, as necessary). Steve also offers a 30-day work warranty. Contact Steve at (801)472-2515 to set up an appointment.

Yuck... I hate cleaning around the fridge! But I hate paying for unnecessary repairs even more :) I guess I'll curb my gag reflex and make my husband vacuum around the fridge once a year... ;) 

But let's come clean here... how often do you clean your fridge, inside and/or out? I only thoroughly clean ours quarterly... or when we move to a new place...

This post is part of the Housewife MacGyver series on just Lu. Read more about Housewife MacGyver and see all the posts in the series here.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Insanity/Nesting has set in this week, and I just spent a good part of the morning cleaning out our fridge. It was pretty nasty. I think I've only done it once before since we moved in (so twice in 1.5 years). I didn't touch the freezer though - not looking forward to that.

We make the boy's pull out their fridge and clean behind every month as part of their cleaning check. I'm glad I'm not them!!

Gwen @ Gwenny Penny said...

The only time I've ever cleaned behind a refrigerator was when I was replacing it :) Need to add that to the vacuuming list. Another great tip :)

Unknown said...

My Miele refrigerator had been acting funky and I was thinking, urrrg how much of a pain is this going to be. I was not sure what was wrong with it because the light was on and unit was clicking. I found Bergen Refrigeration Inc. through Yelp and would like the HIGHLY recommend them too. As far as I know, it is mom-and-pop business, but they run it with corporate professionalism... service is on a high level. The operator does his job very well. The repair man who came to fix it as ON TIME. He diagnosed the refrigerator problem quickly and charged what I thought was a very fair price. Bergen Refrigeration Inc is very punctual, reliable and affordable.
http://www.bergenrefrigeration.com/commercial_refrigeration_maintenance.htm

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...
 
Blogging tips