Help Your Refrigerator Keep Its Cool in Hot Weather

There’s nothing worse than a warm fridge, especially when it’s nearing 90 degrees outside! Unfortunately, it’s notable that when the weather starts to warm up, refrigerators start to break down. Appliances like refrigerators work hard to regulate and maintain their appropriate temperature, and both the rising temperature and increased usage over the summer makes them work harder and sometimes malfunction.

Here are a few preventative tips to keep your refrigerator working at its best:

1. Change your water filter every six months (unless otherwise stated on your new filter’s packaging): This is something most fridge owners forget about! If you don’t change them often enough, they’ll cut down on the cleanliness of your water and may even stop your water flow to your ice maker and water dispenser. It’ll make your water and ice taste better as well.
   
 
2. Clean your refrigerator’s condenser coils every six months: Is your refrigerator still running, but not getting as cool as it used to? It might be time to clean the condenser coils. The condenser is often located underneath your fridge, but it could also be on the back or top of your unit depending on the model. This area of your fridge often attracts dust and pet hair which can cause reduced energy efficiency, poor cooling temperatures and premature refrigerator failure. It’s important to note that not all refrigerators have condenser coils in a location that can be cleaned by the consumer. Request a condenser coil cleaning during your next repair service, dryer vent cleaning or gas fireplace cleaning!
   
 
3. Keep your trip to the fridge at a minimum: Refrigerators work hard to maintain their internal temperature and remove moisture that is naturally presented in the air inside of the unit (especially during more humid times of the year). A little condensation in your fridge is normal; you’ll find that your glass shelves and food packages may fog up or collect condensation when the doors are frequently opened in the midst of summer humidity. But, it may be a sign of a larger problem with your refrigerator. Decide on your snack before opening the fridge door and get all of your ingredients out all at once.

If your refrigerator is currently not working as it should, give the experts at Westside Appliance Repair a call at 515-276-8899 (or schedule your repair online). Be sure to provide us with your appliance’s make, model and serial number – this helps us to diagnose potential problems over the phone and come prepared with the parts we need to fix your specific refrigerator during our initial service call.   We always try our hardest to be as efficient as possible so we can repair your appliances in one service trip. During this global pandemic, we’ve made this goal a priority. Limiting the number of trips per repair not only saves you time and money with an additional service trip, but it also limits our technicians to possible COVID-19 exposure by going to fewer homes each day while still keeping up with the increased demand.