Fridge care
Fridge Care Tips From Harare Technicians
Most of the fridges we repair would have lasted longer with a few simple habits. These are the tips we give customers after every visit, written for Harare's heat, dust and power cuts.
- Fridges and freezers only, nothing else
- Mobile across Harare, no need to transport the unit
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week
- Price agreed before any work starts
16 tips
Simple habits that prevent expensive repairs
Give the fridge room to breathe
Leave at least a hand's width behind and above the fridge and do not box it into a cupboard. The condenser needs air to shed heat; without it the compressor runs hot and long and fails early.
Clean the condenser twice a year
Unplug the fridge and brush or vacuum the dust off the coils at the back or behind the grille at the bottom. In dusty Harare suburbs this single job prevents more compressor failures than anything else.
Test the door seal with a strip of paper
Close a piece of paper in the door and pull. If it slides out easily anywhere around the gasket, the seal is leaking and the fridge is working harder than it should.
Use a surge protector
When power returns after load shedding it often spikes. A good surge protector or voltage protection plug costs a fraction of a control board or compressor and is the best insurance an electronic fridge can have.
Wait before restarting after a power cut
If you switch the fridge off during load shedding, wait five minutes after power returns before switching it back on, so the pressures in the system have equalised and the compressor can start easily.
Never chip ice with a knife
The evaporator tubing sits directly under the frost. A pierced evaporator turns a free defrost into an expensive leak repair, and on some fridges into a write off.
Defrost a manual freezer before the ice is thick
Switch off, empty, leave the door open and let the ice melt with towels on the floor. Thick ice insulates the evaporator and makes the freezer run constantly.
Set the thermostat sensibly
A fridge should hold 3 to 5 degrees and a freezer minus 18. The middle setting is right for most Harare kitchens. Turning the dial to maximum does not cool faster; it only makes the compressor run longer.
Do not block the air vents inside
On frost free fridges cold air enters through vents at the back of the compartment. Packing food against them warms one side of the fridge and freezes the other.
Let hot food cool first
A pot of hot sadza or stew in the fridge raises the temperature of everything around it and makes the compressor work for hours. Let it cool on the counter first.
Keep the freezer reasonably full
Frozen food holds cold. A full freezer rides out load shedding far better than an empty one, and bottles of water in the gaps help.
Keep the drain clear
Once a year, with the fridge off, flush the small drain hole at the back of the fridge section with warm water. A blocked drain is the usual cause of water under the drawers.
Level the fridge
Adjust the feet so the fridge leans very slightly back. The door should swing shut on its own from a few centimetres open, which stops it being left ajar.
Listen for new sounds
A hum and click every minute, a grinding fan or a new rattle are early warnings. Dealing with them early is far cheaper than dealing with the failure they lead to.
Keep the fridge out of the sun and away from the stove
Every degree of extra heat around the fridge makes it work harder. A fridge in a sunny window or next to a cooker runs much longer each day.
Replace a torn gasket promptly
A gasket is one of the cheapest parts on a fridge and one of the most important. A torn or hardened seal causes frost, water, high bills and a worn out compressor.
When a tip is not enough
If the fridge is already misbehaving, these guides explain what is likely wrong.
Fridge not cooling
The fridge runs, the light is on, but the food is warm. The most common call we get.
Read moreFridge leaking water
Water under the crisper drawers or on the kitchen floor, usually a blocked defrost drain.
Read moreFridge making noise
Buzzing, clicking, rattling or grinding that was not there before.
Read moreFridge freezing food
Lettuce frozen, milk slushy, eggs cracked. The fridge is running too cold.
Read moreFridge not switching on
No light, no hum, nothing. Usually after a power cut or surge.
Read moreFreezer not freezing
The freezer runs but the meat is soft. Chest and upright freezers alike.
Read more
More reading
Fridge regassing cost
What decides the price of a regas in Harare, and why the cheapest quote is rarely the cheapest repair.
Read moreDoes my fridge need regassing?
The signs that really point to low gas, and the faults that get mistaken for it every day.
Read moreRepair or replace?
The questions to weigh up when a fridge fault is expensive, from age and cabinet condition to running cost.
Read more
Fridge already in trouble?
Call 0782 886 252 or WhatsApp a photo. We repair fridges and freezers across Harare, 24 hours a day.