Neglecting Refrigerator Condenser May Lead to Chilling Results

The condenser is an important part of your refrigerator’s sealed refrigerant system, and the only part that needs maintenance. Fortunately, all that’s required is to clean the condenser’s coils by vacuuming off the dust that accumulates on them. You should do this every three months or so.

Here’s why it’s important to keep the condenser coils clean:

The condenser cools hot refrigerant vapors inside its tubes. If the condenser coils are dust covered, they cannot expel this heat efficiently. The dust acts as insulation and prevents the heat from escaping. In turn, the temperature inside the refrigerator compartment is higher than it would be if the condenser coils were clean.

This increase in temperature also causes the compressor to cycle refrigerant through the cooling system more frequently than it otherwise would. Not only does this increase the amount of energy the compressor uses, but the additional waste heat given off by the compressor further reduces the refrigerator’s efficiency.

Efficient cooling, therefore, is the ability to pump heat out of the refrigerator using as little energy as possible and creating minimal waste heat.

Looked at another way, a little dust on your refrigerator can cost you a lot of money on your utility bill.

The first step in the maintenance process is to determine what kind of condenser your refrigerator has. It either has a static condenser mounted on its back, or it has a fan-cooled condenser mounted underneath in the compressor compartment. The fan blows air across the condenser to cool it.

In the case of a fan-cooled condenser, first unplug the refrigerator and then remove the front lower grille cover (on most models this is held in place with spring clips). Grip the cover on both sides, pull it down from the top, then lift it off. There is often a small tag on the cover’s top edge that states how often the condenser should be cleaned or inspected (usually every three months).

Clean the condenser using the crevice tool attachment on your vacuum. After vacuuming, check that the condenser is clean by shining a flashlight through its coils. Incidentally, the flashlight should have fresh batteries in it so it throws a nice, sharp beam.

Next, go to the refrigerator’s back and remove the rear access panel by backing out the hex head sheet-metal screws that hold the panel to the refrigerator body. Use a nut driver to do this or a small socket on a cordless drill.

Vacuum the coils clean from the back. If need be, use a paintbrush to dislodge dust that the crevice tool did not pull out or that was pushed toward the back of the appliance. Check with a flashlight to make sure it’s clean. The process is nearly the same in cleaning a static condenser: Vacuum it and brush it clean.

Next, pull out the condenser drain pan and wash it with mild soap and water. Dry it thoroughly and slide it back in place. Finally, plug the refrigerator back in, and clean the floor behind it before pushing it back into place. Leave enough space behind the refrigerator to allow air circulation (this is especially important with static condenser models). If you’re not sure how much space to leave, look in the owner’s manual, or contact a servicing appliance dealer or the manufacturer.