| Copyright © 2008 Christopher R. Prickett. All rights reserved worldwide |
It’s a good idea to clean your refrigerator coils twice a year. Think of those coils as you
would your car radiator because it does pretty much the same thing. The coils help to
dissipate the heat from the coolant so your ice cubes stay cold.
When dirty, dust or debris reduces air movement across the coils and your fridge works
harder and is less efficient.
If you still have your owner’s manual, look for toe kick removal instructions. Many toe kicks
are attached with little clips (and they can be a real pain to get back on!) but some will have
small screws. After you remove the toe kick, you’ll likely find one or two samples of every
kind of cereal you’ve eaten in the past year, along with that really important business card
that you blamed you spouse/kid for losing last October. Unplug the fridge, and with a
vacuum remove big dust balls, pet hair or anything else that inhibits air movement. Don’t be
too concerned about getting every single speck -- normal dust is not enough to affect the
efficiency or electrical consumption of your refrigerator.
Since you have to pull the refrigerator out to unplug it, get a flashlight and make sure
nothing has fallen behind it that might cause problems with air circulation-plastic bags are
notorious for this! While we’re on the subject of good air circulation, its not a good idea to
use the top of the fridge as a storage shelf. This inhibits circulation and half the stuff ends
up falling behind it anyway!
If your refrigerator is more than 20 years old, it is probably an energy pig. New units often
consume less than half the energy of comparable old-timers. Most new units will use less
than 1,000 kWh per year, compared to the 1,500-2,500 kWh per year for an older fridge.
Depending on electricity rates, the savings may pay for a new fridge. But don’t go bragging
about your refrigerator being “green”. That could be taken the wrong way.
would your car radiator because it does pretty much the same thing. The coils help to
dissipate the heat from the coolant so your ice cubes stay cold.
When dirty, dust or debris reduces air movement across the coils and your fridge works
harder and is less efficient.
If you still have your owner’s manual, look for toe kick removal instructions. Many toe kicks
are attached with little clips (and they can be a real pain to get back on!) but some will have
small screws. After you remove the toe kick, you’ll likely find one or two samples of every
kind of cereal you’ve eaten in the past year, along with that really important business card
that you blamed you spouse/kid for losing last October. Unplug the fridge, and with a
vacuum remove big dust balls, pet hair or anything else that inhibits air movement. Don’t be
too concerned about getting every single speck -- normal dust is not enough to affect the
efficiency or electrical consumption of your refrigerator.
Since you have to pull the refrigerator out to unplug it, get a flashlight and make sure
nothing has fallen behind it that might cause problems with air circulation-plastic bags are
notorious for this! While we’re on the subject of good air circulation, its not a good idea to
use the top of the fridge as a storage shelf. This inhibits circulation and half the stuff ends
up falling behind it anyway!
If your refrigerator is more than 20 years old, it is probably an energy pig. New units often
consume less than half the energy of comparable old-timers. Most new units will use less
than 1,000 kWh per year, compared to the 1,500-2,500 kWh per year for an older fridge.
Depending on electricity rates, the savings may pay for a new fridge. But don’t go bragging
about your refrigerator being “green”. That could be taken the wrong way.
| Cleaning Behind the Fridge |