The refrigerator is the heart of the kitchen, and a sudden breakdown means spoiled food and an unplanned bill. A few minutes of care now and then keeps it running longer and prevents many of the repairs we see every week from San Francisco to San Jose. Here are five tips from our technicians, with a few Bay Area specifics.
Tip 1. Keep the coils clean
The condenser coil sheds the heat the refrigerator pulls out of the food. On most models it sits at the bottom behind a grille; on built-ins like Sub-Zero it’s at the top, above the doors. Dust and pet hair on the coil make the compressor run longer and hotter. Vacuum the coil and the condenser fan with a brush attachment every three or four months. If your refrigerator is in a garage, check it before the September heat arrives, when a South Bay garage can get hotter than the refrigerator was designed for.
Tip 2. Make sure the door seals
If the door doesn’t close tightly, cold air escapes and the refrigerator runs longer to hold temperature. Close the door on a dollar bill: if it slides out easily, the gasket isn’t sealing at that spot. Clean gaskets with warm soapy water, keep the hinge side free of crumbs, and replace a gasket that is torn or flattened.
Tip 3. Change the filter that suits your water
San Francisco and much of the Peninsula get soft Hetch Hetchy water, and the main job of a refrigerator filter there is taste. Parts of the South Bay get harder water, and an overdue filter lets scale reach the inlet valve and the dispenser line. Either way, change the filter on the manufacturer’s schedule — usually every six months — and run a couple of glasses through a new one before you drink from it.
Tip 4. Be ready for an outage
When PG&E shuts the power off, keep the doors closed: a full freezer holds its temperature much longer than an opened one. After the power returns, check that the display and the ice maker come back on. If the refrigerator is silent, shows an error or isn’t cold after a few hours, the control board may have taken a surge.
Tip 5. Let hot food cool first, and cover it
A pot of hot soup makes the refrigerator work hard to bring the temperature back down. Let food cool for a bit, then put it in covered containers: uncovered food adds moisture, which ends up as frost on the evaporator and as ice in the defrost drain.
Signs it’s time to call a technician
Even a well-kept refrigerator can break down. Call a professional if you notice:
- water on the floor or under the crisper drawers;
- ice building up on the back wall of the freezer;
- temperatures that keep changing;
- hot outer walls or a hot compressor area;
- new or louder noises;
- food freezing in the fresh food section.
Cleaning the coils or flushing a clogged defrost drain is something you can do yourself. Electrical faults and sealed-system problems need a trained technician. If your refrigerator is acting up, Best Pro offers same-day refrigerator repair in the Bay Area with upfront pricing and a 90-day warranty on parts and labor.