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 I
recently had a customer ask for my advise about cleaning "the black
coil thing" on the rear of the refrigerator.
So,
in response to this common question I offer the following step-by-step
directions.
Firstly,
the ’black coil thing’ at the rear of your refrigerator is called a
condenser. Without too much technical jargon, its job is to dissipate
heat into the kitchen. It does this by the condensation of the
refrigerant gas. It's produced in a serpentine form with
additional fins running down it for added heat dissipation.
Its job is to transfer heat from inside
the refrigerator cabinet to the outside. While doing this it removes heat
from your food resulting in the food staying cold.
Without
the condenser your refrigerator would not operate. Therefore, we are
going to learn how to do basic maintenance of this part and keep our
refrigerator in tip-top shape. This simple job will lower the
electricity consumed by a refrigerator.
Tools
required:
1... Pull your refrigerator away from the wall and unplug it.
2... The
condenser will be the radiator-looking part on the rear of the
refrigerator.
3... Use
a brush or vacuum cleaner to remove any dust buildup on the
condenser. Remember, the condenser is made of thin tubing and is
full of a high-pressure (130 psig) gas. So be gentle. If you injure
the tubing a simple cleaning could turn into an expensive repair. I
tell customers to be as gentle as you would if vacuuming expensive
furniture.
4... If
you have a pet expect to see an accumulation of animal fur on
the condenser. If a lot of dust or fur is present then clean off
with a dry rag and dispose into the garbage bag. We suggest using
the dry rag method first to avoid clogging up the vacuum hose.
5... Use your vacuum cleaner to finish the basic cleaning of the
condenser. The brush attachment of the vacuum cleaner works
particularly well at this point. The brush will allow you to get in
between all the fins and remove the dust hiding there.
6... Finish cleaning the condenser with a rag dampened with water. Avoid
using any cleaner. Since the condensers job is to transfer heat any
residue left by a cleaner could impede this process.
Under no circumstances use something like furniture polish or a dust removal spray. It will
leave a waxy residue that will end up attracting more dust.
Something that works extremely well is a static duster (not the
dusting clothes). It's the
cleaning device that looks like a cats tail attached to a long
handle. They are great because they pick up dust without using any
chemicals.
7... Use
the vacuum to remove dust from the cardboard cover (not on all
refrigerators) that is near the
bottom rear of your refrigerator. It's covering the area where the
compressor and electrical components reside. It will usually have
holes in it where dust can accumulate. If there is no cardboard
cover the compressor (the black motor thingy) will be exposed.
Gently use the vacuum brush again to remove dust from on and around
the compressor. Do not go near any wiring. You may also see a drain
pan - DO NOT CLEAN THIS PAN. The pan will contain a lot of bacteria
that can be harmful.
8... Vacuum
any dust from the floor and the wall cavity. Vacuum the sides of the refrigerator. If there is
a kick plate (floor level grille) at the front of the refrigerator
vacuum it also. Do not remove the kick plate to clean. Some
are very difficult to re-install.
9... Plug
in the refrigerator and push back into place.
That’s
it … that’s all. The whole process should have taken approximately
15 minutes.
In
the space of a few minutes you have accomplished a number of objectives:
(a) You have removed a major source of dust from your home, (b) made the
refrigerator operate more efficiently, (c) and lowered your electrical
consumption.
Even
though an easy job, it's one that usually gets forgotten. So
don’t wait until the serviceman arrives once every few years to do
this.
It's a very important cleaning project for the reasons
already stated. Therefore, this is a job that should be placed right
near the top of your next spring-cleaning list.
By Donald Grummett
Copyright © 2005 Donald
Grummett. All rights reserved
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