13 tips to help your refrigerator work optimally
Photographs: iStock
A refrigerator works 24 hours a day without any rest. Appliance expert Imran Siddiqui gives helpful tips to take care of this kitchen staple.
1. Ensure that the temperature controller, gas kit, compressor, condensing coil and thermostat are in working condition.
2. For single-door refrigerators, defrost every three days. This facility is automated in double door refrigerators.
3. To avoid sparks, ensure that your fridge is connected to a 16-ampere board with a fuse.
4. For proper ventilation, keep your fridge in a spacious location. Ideally, the refrigerator should not be kept in the kitchen because the ambient temperature of this room is high. However, as most of us end up keeping the refrigerator in the kitchen owing to dearth of space, ensure that place it away from the gas, oven or any other device that emits too much heat as this could severely damage the appliance.
5. Keep the refrigerator at least six cms away from the wall and never below the ceiling fan. This will cause moisture to develop in the appliance.
6. Avoid using covers for the refrigerator. This leads to accumulation of heat and puts extra pressure on the compressor, leading to a spike in the electricity bill.
The doors and drawers should be cleaned with warm water only. For stubborn stains, you can add lemon juice to the water – but at no point should you use scrubbers or chemicals to clean any area of the refrigerator.7. Some people think that it is necessary to turn off the refrigerator once in a fortnight. This is not needed. Refrigerators are equipped with a cooling control device called thermostat or temperature controller. If the fridge is switched off for a long time, it will take approximately 4 – 6 hours to regain its temperature.
8. Make sure that the place where the gas tank is attached to the refrigerator is dirt-free otherwise it may hamper the functioning of the gas kit. The condensing coil should be cleaned on a regular basis as the tray gets filled with water due to frequent melting of ice.
9. To ensure there is no cooling loss and damage – and consequently increased electricity bills – always close the refrigerator door properly.
10. Never use a knife to get rid of frozen ice accumulated in the tray as using a sharp object may damage the evaporator or puncture the ice chamber, causing the gas to leak– which means considerable expense towards repairs. Always defrost the refrigerator before starting such a cleaning process.
11. Use a cloth soaked in warm water to clean the drawers and doors of the refrigerator. At no point should you use a scrubber or chemicals to clean any area of the refrigerator. To get rid of stubborn stains, use a mixture of lemon juice and water.
12. Clean the rubber grips of the refrigerator with a toothbrush once a week. This will help the magnet in the gas tank to work efficiently. This area is prone to fungus, hence proper cleaning is required. Similarly, clean the freezer and keep the items back in the fridge.
13. Avoid cramming the refrigerator. This reduces its cooling strength and heats up the condensing oil.
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