The food inside this refrigerator looks nice and fresh. The coils hiding inside the base of the fridge? Not so much. Photo: Corbis
In an effort to cut costs wherever I can, my attention has turned lately to one of the most notorious energy hogs: the refrigerator.
It's an easy thing to ignore. I don't actually own my fridge because I rent my apartment, but I do pay for the electricity it eats up. So it's in my best interest to make sure the fridge runs at optimum efficiency -- and part of that process is cleaning the appliance's coils regularly.
The fridge is right up there with heating and air conditioning costs, using about
15 percent of a home's total power. Its refrigerant coils, located at the base of the unit, are designed to remove heat from the unit. When caked with gunk, they're forced to run longer and more often. A machine with soiled coils requires about 25% more energy (and produces that much more CO2 emissions) to function properly than a fridge with a clean underbelly. And all that extra work translates to dollars and cents.
An average family's dust-free fridge (16 to 23 cubic feet) uses approximately 150 to 200 kilowatt hours (kWh) per month, which costs anywhere between $9.50 and $12.20. A study revealed that homeowners could
cut electricity costs by as much as 3% to 6% annually (around $100, or 150 kilowatt hours) just by cleaning those coils.
At first, I was afraid of what was lurking beneath my own fridge. Especially since I have a cat, and I spend staggeringly large parts of my days wrangling huge wads of fur.
Thankfully, I found a lot less detritus under my fridge than I expected. And the whole process was, surprisingly, very manageable. So I've promised myself that I'll do it every time the appliance manufacturer recommends, which is every month or so.
Here's how to clean your refrigerator coils:
1. Power off. (A good way to tell if you've cut the juice is to check that the light is off when you open the door.)
2. Locate the coils. They're usually found near the floor, hidden behind the rectangular cover panel, also called a kick plate.
3. Remove this protective plate. Usually it's attached via spring clips and just snaps off, but some require removal of two tiny screws. If in doubt, consult your owner's manual. (Tip: An open door may provide better leverage.)
4: Remove caked-on dust from the lower coils with the crevice tool on your vacuum cleaner.
5. Insert a long-handled brush and sweep it over and under the coils. Don't worry about pushing more debris into the back of the unit: This type of brush is designed to dislodge dirt from behind, later to be vacuumed up.
6. Replace the cover and plug it back in. (Again, this may be easier to do with the door open.) Line up the two notches on either side, and the cover should easily pop back into place. (Again, consult the user manual if reattachment is problematic.)
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Reader comments (Page 2 of 2)
I was ready to clean the coils, the simple way suggested for the first time in 8 years, until I read your instructions, sounds like way too much work, complicated) for an amateur old couple that can't even pull the fridge out from the enclosed space, let alone clean under, behind and disassemble covers to find areas I never knew existed....
The coils in my refrigerator are just above the floor and below the freezer. The space is very narrow. I have found that a refrigerator coil brush works better for me than a vacuum cleaner. My refrigerator and standing freezer are older models. When I replaced their door gaskets, my monthly electricity bill dropped noticeably. Also, I only had to defrost my freezer only once a year. Door gaskets can be obtained from the dealer or a local parts supplier. They are not cheap, but the lower bill will make you smile. The only tools I needed was a screwdriver and a razor knife.
ReplyEasy? What about the water line that goes to the ice maker, it leaked when new and I'm sure if I bother it will leak again, it has those temperaments like most other mechanical things in my life and if they get disturbed I have to sacrifice something important AGAIN to the mechanical deity that resides in my life just to keep me humble. I am tired of "Throwing Virgins Into The Volcano" to appease this deity or pay (professionals to fix my blunder after attempting something called (simple maintenance"
Replyjaag my man , if to are too old or weak to pull the fridge out call the town hall and ask if they have handy dandy services to help you out. they probably do and the price is cheap if not free. once it's out ask them if they can clean the coils and the other things i mentioned. cleaning from the front is better than doing nothing but a good cleaning like the one i wrote is going to save you a ton of money off your power bill. dust is the #1 enemy of your refrigerator. don't call a major appliance or factory service they'll charge you at least $150 to do the job. how do i know you ask, i repaired all major appliances for 40 years the last 25 in my own business
Replyi TAKE A YARDSTICK...STAPLE A CLOTHE TO IT.....SET UP MY VAC AT THE OUTLET OF THE FAN DOWN BELOW AND WHILE THE FAN IS RUNNING I DISLODGE ALL THE CAT HAIR ETC AND IT IS COUGHT BY THE VAC.......KISS METHOD
ReplyI am a refrigeration specialist. Cleaning the condensor coils is very important. The coils on the back are the best and should be mandated by law since we claim to want to be "green." As for the jelly roll coils - I don't care how much you tell people to do it - they won't.
ReplyThe coils under my refrigerator run from side to side as opposed to running from front to back, and there are four rows of them. They are in there very tight, and the company brush I purchased to clean them was not designed properly. The front row itself is difficult to clean. The remaining three rows cannot be cleaned unless the refrigerator is lifted up. Not a pleasant task. Any ideas anybody?
Reply