Malfunctioning of a refrigerator means that it will be performing much less than its usual standards. When this happens, it is essential that you know about some simple refrigerator repair and maintenance tips that can help you address the issues quickly and effectively. Getting your refrigerator repaired quickly and having its serviced regularly is very important and can help prevent the issues from developing into much larger problems. Even though some of the refrigeration repair and maintenance issues might require that you hire a trained technician, most of the repairs can be completed easily at home.
It is essential that you know about some simple troubleshooting of the refrigerator and how to make some minor adjustments to boost the performance of your refrigerator. Here is a look at the most common symptom which should alert you that your refrigerator requires some repair or maintenance.
Leaking
When your refrigerator starts to leak, you should know that this is an issue that calls for serious attention and the sooner it is dealt with, the better. Immediate attention helps a lot in preventing exacerbated problems that could arise such as the leaking water damaging your floor. If you spot water just outside your refrigerator on the floor, the first thing you should do is to check your condensing defrost tray which is found just underneath the fridge. In case you find that the defrost tray is not level, tilted or it is damaged, this might allow water leakage to the floor.
In case the water leakage is actually in the refrigerator itself and not the floor, chances are high that the humidity control could have malfunctioned. For refrigerators with water/ ice dispensers, it is essential that you check for leaks in the water lines. If you are still not able to solve the problem and the leakage still continues, it would be prudent that you call a professional to check out the problem.
Temperature instability
One of the biggest problems that your refrigerator can develop and which must be dealt with immediately is temperature instability. If you realize that your refrigerator is too cold to the extent of making your food freeze or too warm to preserve your food, the first place you should turn your attention to is the temperature control dial. Try to adjust the temperature setting first and if the issue is not resolved, check out the condenser coils which are found on the back side of the refrigerator.
There are times that these coils will occasionally get coated with some debris and dust and this hinders your refrigerator from efficient cooling. If the temperature instability issue still persists even after you have cleaned the coils, the problem could be with its internal thermostat settings. Unfortunately, repairing this is something that you might not be able to do if you don’t have the right skills and you might want to get in touch with a qualified refrigerator repair and maintenance technician.
Excessive noise
It is normal for your refrigerator to produce some noise in the course of its operation. However, excessive knocking, backing or even groaning noises are not usual and this is an indicator that something is not alright with your refrigerator. Check your refrigerator and try to see if you will be able to spot exactly where that noise could be coming from. In most cases, you might hear a rattling or banging noise coming from your refrigerator’s back side and the issue could mostly be a loose compressor or fan.
For sound that is originating at the front parts of your refrigerator or the underneath, you might want to consider loosening the screws which are holding your condensing defrost tray and the problem might stop. A sputtering noise is also very common with some refrigerators and this can happen when your unit is going into the defrost mode. Where the issue is not resolved by adjusting loose components of the refrigerator or the source of these sounds can’t be determined, it makes sense that you call a refrigerator repair service in your local town and have it checked out right away.
Failure to run
This happens too common whereby you find that your unit is not running after powering it on. In most cases, the failure to run could be coming from a power issue. You can easily try to fix this by checking if the power cord has been plugged properly and ensure that the outlet is in a good working condition. If the problem isn’t fixed by this, check your refrigerator cabinet to see if the light is on or not. If it is not on, this should tell you that your unit is not getting power and chances are high that the power cord could be the problem. But if the light in the cabinet is actually on but the unit won’t just cool, chances are high that the issue could be the cold control or the condenser and you might want to get professional help with this.
All these troubleshooting tips will truly go a long way in helping you fix common refrigerator issues that could be compromising the performance of your unit. However, it so happens that you are unable to determine what could be causing the malfunction exactly or the issue isn’t resolved with some minor adjustment. In such a case, the best things you can do rather than struggling with the unit and possibly worsen the problem is calling a professional refrigerator repair service and have the problem checked out.
Even though there are advantages that come with fixing the problem yourself such as saving you some money, the truth of the matter is that refrigerator repairs and maintenance can be complex. Doing the job yourself also puts you at a risk of suffering personal injury or even inflicting damage on your property due to some faulty amateur repair and maintenance work. If you are in doubt of anything, let the pros do the job of restoring your unit in a good working order.