Even the best refrigerators, such as those from Excellence Industries, require proper maintenance. In this helpful blog post, we detail some maintenance tips for the care and keeping of your refrigerator. Note that these tips are beneficial for both commercial and home refrigerators. Wherever your refrigerator is located, it will most likely be an oft used appliance that goes through a lot of daily wear and tear. Maintenance can help combat this and lengthen the life and functioning of your fridge, as well as reduce energy intake.
CLEAN THE GASKET, REPLACE IF NEEDED
If you are not familiar with what the gasket part of the refrigerator is, it’s the thin rubber seal that lines your refrigerator and freezer doors. It’s something you probably never think about, but it has a really important job of sealing out warm air. If it is not functioning properly, warm air may seep in and change the temperature of your refrigerator/freezer, making your food go bad or melt. Be especially wary of this as gaskets weaken, loosen and tear only a few years after purchasing a new fridge. In addition to this conundrum costing you money in terms of wasted food, the fridge will also have to work harder to try and remove the heat which means its energy intake will increase and the bills will become larger. However, this all has a simple fix- either clean the gasket and if it seals after cleaning, fine. Your gasket may need to be replaced but doing so is fairly inexpensive.
CLEAN THE CONDENSER COILS
Condenser coils likely do not often enter your mind but they are incredibly important in regards to the functionality and efficiency of your fridge. These radiator-like coils located at the back of or beneath the unit, remove heat from refrigerators and freezers. If there is dirt or dust on the coils, which will inevitably accumulate over time, it becomes harder for the coils to do their job of removing heat. This is incredibly dangerous and possibly costly in terms of energy consumption. However, frequent cleaning will allow you to avoid this expensive issue. Simply, clean coils with a bristle brush on a semi-regular basis.
CLEAN THE INSIDE
It’s important to frequently clean the interior of your fridge with a cloth or sponge and cleaner/soap/water to avoid odor and general uncleanliness. An all-purpose cleaner and environmentally friendly cleaner is your best bet to sanitize the unit and combat sticky stains that plague most refrigeration units. Additionally, making sure any containers within the unit stay sealed or airtight will help to seal odors and ensure freshness, requiring less frequent maintenance.
MANUAL OR SELF-DEFROST
Frost will begin to accumulate on the interior walls of your freezer if you don’t make a habit of defrosting it. Many Excellence Industries units offer a self defrosting feature but some do not. To defrost, simply remove the items from the unit, turn off the thermostat, unplug the fridge and the frost will melt. Once all the frost is gone, turn your refrigerator back on and allow it to reach optimum temperature before placing your items back inside.