Just like you would with any other home appliance, you will want to get as many years out of a fridge freezer as possible and in order to do so, you need to keep it well maintained. Just by giving it a clean, defrosting it and taking heed of some of our other tips below, you will be able to extend the lifespan of your fridge freezer by many months and years.
Vacuum the Condenser Coils
If the condenser coils on the back of your fridge pick up dust quickly, as they are known to, it could lead to a reduction in the lifespan of your fridge freezer. When these coils are covered in dust it leads to them having to work harder and thus use more energy.
You should make it a monthly chore to vacuum off these coils if you wish to give your fridge freezer the best chance of a long life.
Defrost Regularly
Whether you have a fridge freezer that has an auto-defrost function or one that requires manual defrosting, you should ensure that it is done on a regular basis. A good way to determine if a fridge freezer needs to be defrosted is if the frost in the freezer is approaching a thickness of about a quarter of an inch.
If you allow that thickness to increase much more than that, you are putting increased pressure on the fridge freezer to work optimally and it will start to use more energy.
Check Door Seals
The core function of the deals that you will see on the doors of your fridge and freezer is to keep the cold air inside separate from the warmer outside. Should those seals ever crack, they will need to be replaced as soon as possible. A good way to check if a seal is working as it should be is to regularly test it by trying to slide a piece of paper under it – if this can be done, it is time to have the seal replaced.
Clean Your Fridge Freezer Regularly
Although it can sometimes be a bit of a chore to empty your fridge freezer to give it a clean, this really should be done at least once a month. Perhaps try and time the cleaning a day before your monthly, bi-weekly or weekly food shopping trip down to the supermarket. All it takes is a bit of soap and water in the main, although you could use a refrigerator cleaner for the tougher to clean areas.
Store Food in Separate Containers
You might not think it but by storing the food in your fridge freezer in separate containers, you will be saving on the energy it is using to keep it at the desired temperature. The reason why this works is that there will be a reduction in the accumulation of moisture within the fridge freezer which means it does not have to work as hard.
Just by performing the above on as frequent a basis as possible, you will give your fridge freezer a much better chance of enjoying a long life in your home.
