Your refrigerator is likely the second-largest consumer of electricity in your entire home, right after the heating and air-conditioning system. And while you can put an extra sweater on in the wintertime, or put up with the sweat in summer by adjusting your thermostat, a refrigerator has a limited operating range — unless you’re okay with spoiled food! So how can you cut back on your utility bill while running your refrigerator?
How Often Should You Maintain a Refrigerator?
According to the government’s Energy Star program, the annual cost of a refrigerator is based on its “use, upkeep, and other factors” (italics ours). So there you have it, straight from the unbiased professionals — maintaining your refrigerator on a regular basis helps you save money on your electricity bills! Some forms of maintenance you can do yourself at least once per year include:
- Make sure that any external parts are clean of dust, spider webs and lint.
- Check any water dispensers or icemakers, to make sure they work properly.
- Check underneath the refrigerator for debris and clean any condensation trays.
- Examine water dispensers and look for calcium deposits or mold.
If your refrigerator fails any of these checks, or is not performing to your satisfaction despite regular maintenance, contact River City Appliance for assistance.
Common Refrigerator Problems
If your refrigerator completely quits, always unplug it and then plug it back in to make sure you have a good connection with the household electricity. If it still does not run, check to make sure the electricity was not cut off by a circuit breaker.
If the refrigerator does not get cool enough, or if the freezer does not freeze your foodstuffs, first check your manual to make sure your settings are correct. If that does not help, you need to call River City Appliance. We regularly solve the following refrigerator problems:
- Noisy refrigerator,
- Leaky refrigerator,
- Cold freezer with warm refrigerator, or vice versa,
- Broken ice maker,
- Clogged water or ice dispenser,
- Dead refrigerator.
Our technician performs a variety of checks to make sure that your refrigerator is running at maximum efficiency. One of the most important steps is checking for refrigerant leaks and determining whether your appliance needs to be recharged with coolant. We also check any pumps and heating elements for functionality. And if maintenance has not been performed recently, we can take care of it.
If you need help with refrigerator repair or have a refrigeration appliance that just does not work to your expectations, contact River City Appliance by phone or online today!