Condenser Coils - Where They are Located and How to Clean them
The Condenser
Coils on your Refrigerator is where the Freon gets put under
pressure, therefore causing them to get warm. In order for
your Refrigerator to run efficiently these coils need to be
able to dissipatethe
heat. If the coils are covered in Pet Hair or Dust, this
will cause the sealed system to overheat.
When the coils
can't get rid of the heat created by the sealed system, the
compressor will not be able to run. When the compressor
overheats and shuts off, your food stops getting cold. This
is why it is extremely important to keep up with regular
cleaning of the coils.
Too many times I've gone to a
customers house for a repair that could have been avoided.
It is important for you to know where the coils are and how
to clean them.
Where are they Located?
Side by Side Refrigerators
The location of the Condenser on your standard side x side
are located near the compressor behind the refrigerator.
On the very back of your fridge there is an access panel at
the bottom. In order to get to them, you will have to
remove the access panel. The panels are usually made of
cardboard or a piece of sheet metal. If it's made of sheet
metal, use extreme caution when taking the panel off. It is
very easy to wind up taking a trip to the emergency room to
get stitches. Also when you are back there you will have to
keep your fingers clear of the fan that assists in keeping
the heat off the compressor. The fan also serves the
purpose of evaporating the defrost water that has run in the
pan near the compressor.
Another place the coils could be on your standard side x
side are directly under the refrigerator. To access this
style of coils, it is easier to remove the grille on the
front of the machine. To take off the grillejust
open both doors and you will have enough room to pull it
off. Some grilles are screwed on. Just check to see, most
of them are clip on. Once you get the grille off, you will
be able to see under the front of your unit. Get a
flashlight because it's dark under there. You never know
what you'll find under there. Hopefully not too much pet
hair or dust.
Bottom Freezer Refrigerator
These Refrigerator have the same type as the side by sides.
Most of the time they are located in the same place.
Top Freezer Refrigerator Condenser Coils
The locations of the coils are pretty much the same as a
side by side inmost
cases. Another area the coils may be are on the rear
exterior wall of the refrigerator. If they are on the back
wall they are easy enough to find. All you would need to do
to clean those are pull the refrigerator out from the wall
far enough so that you can get a vacuum attachment back
there. It would even be easier to just to use a clean damp
rag and whip any dust off the coils on this style. May sure
when you push the refrigerator back after cleaning, you
leave a couple inches of clearance from the wall to the
coils. This will ensure that they can dissipate the heat
correctly. Holes can be rubbed in the coils if they are
touching the wall. The vibration from the compressor is
just enough that over time it can wear through. Once that
happens, no Freon. No cool.
Note - A Long Skinny Dryer Lint Cleaning Brush Works the
Best - see below
How to Clean the Condenser Coils
Cleaning the Coils on your Dusty Coils is the easy part
after locating them. The best thing to use for condensers
that are under the fridge is a long dryer lint brush. The
opening to reach under the machine isn'tvery
big, so it's not like you are going to get your broom under
there or run the sweeper on them. A combination of the lint
brush and a vacuum cleaner hose attachment will get the job
done rather well.
If you are cleaning the ones on the back side of the unit, a
damp rag would be enough to handle that. The ones under the
refrigerator are the ones that get the dirtiest and require
a little more work to clean. Even if they say your model
doesn't require cleaning these, clean them anyway. They all
get dusty and if you have pets, they get hairy too. Keeping
up on this will add years to the life of your refrigerator.
I don't know about you, but this is an appliance I wouldn't
want to replace if I don't have too.
If you have any questions regarding the location of your
coils or cleaning them, be sure to visit me at Google+ and
send me a message. Just include your model number and I'll
send free help your way.