The efficiency of your refrigerator depends on a lot of things. Perhaps the most important element within any refrigerator is the evaporator system. Evaporator coils can get dirty and less efficient over time. This article explains how to find and properly clean the evaporator coils in a freezer or refrigerator.

Clean the Condensing Coils First

The evaporator system is closely linked to the condensing system on any refrigerator. The condenser coils are usually located on the outside of the unit. These can get dusty, and should also be cleaned regularly. You don't need to power off your system or do anything special to clean your condenser coils. Just wipe them down with a sponge or cleaning brush. Just be careful because they can be fragile.

Cleaning the Evaporator Coils

Cleaning evaporator coils is a little more difficult, if only because they are more awkward to work on. On top of this, you need to shut down your refrigerator in order to work on them. This means you need to figure out what to do with all of your food. The panel that houses the evaporator is usually on the backside of the refrigerator. A small, removable panel can be taken off without any tools. Once this panel is removed, you can see the evaporator coils. If these coils are caked in dirt and ice, you should let them sit for a bit so the ice can melt. This job is obviously not that difficult, but it is something that many people put off because it is annoying trying to figure out what to do with your food. It will usually take a couple of hours, so as long as you have a cooler on hand, you can salvage most of your food. Of course, the project is a little harder when dealing with freezers because it takes so much more time for them to thaw out.

Much like the condenser coils, the evaporating system is fragile and should not be scrubbed to vigorously. In fact, you can try to first vacuum it out to remove any loose dust. They're stubborn dirt buildup in between the coils, you can delicately clean this out using a small scrub brush or even a toothbrush. If water and scrubbing are not doing enough, you can help clean the stubborn dirt with an all-purpose liquid cleaner.

As you can see, keeping your coils clean is simple, even though the process is a little inconvenient. For more information on refrigerator repair or maintenance, contact a local professional.

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