How to fix common fridge freezer faults and keep it running at its best

There’s nothing more annoying than your fridge freezer breaking down; especially if you’ve got lots of food inside.

Having appliance cover in place before a problem develops can help you to save money and avoid the hassle of having to arrange for your own engineer. Appliance insurance with Home Emergency Assist protects your important kitchen appliances against mechanical and electrical breakdown as well as accidental damage.

Although most repairs will need to be done by a qualified engineer, there are some simple fixes you can do yourself.

1. The interior light doesn’t work

It sounds obvious, but if the internal light isn’t working, first check that the appliance is properly switched on. If this is the case, you can:

• Test the interior light switch by checking that nothing is blocking its movement or sticking. The button should depress easily and let the light turn on and off. If you’re not sure where the button is, you can check your user manual.

• Replace the light bulb. Check your user manual to make sure you buy the correct replacement bulb.

2. The fridge smells unpleasant

Bacteria can build up in door seals and drawers, so regularly cleaning your fridge with an anti-bacterial spray can help prevent unpleasant smells. You can also place a dish of bicarbonate of soda at the back of your fridge can also help to absorb any strong smells that food within the fridge may cause.

To clean your door seals, wipe them down with hot soapy water or kitchen cleaner, ensuring that they’re free of debris. An old toothbrush can help get into any small or difficult areas.

3. The fridge doesn’t seem to be cold enough

If your fridge isn’t as cold as it should be, you can:

• If the door isn’t closing fully due to debris in the door seals – if there is, you can clean these in the same way as the fridge seals.

• Check that the thermostat is set to the correct temperature. Your user manual will confirm the correct temperature setting for your appliance.

• Make sure you’re not opening the fridge door too frequently.

4. Ice is building up in the freezer

If the freezer door is being left open too long, ice can build up. Check the following:

• If the door isn’t closing fully due to debris in the door seals – if there is, you can clean these in the same way as the fridge seals.

• If the door isn’t closing fully but there’s no debris in the seals, you can pull the appliance out from the wall (making sure someone is with you to help) and screw both feet out a couple of turns. This will make sure that the door closes as expected and that any collected water is draining from the freezer properly.

5. Food in the freezer is defrosting

Check first that the appliance is leveled correctly using the adjustable feet and that you’re only opening the door for as long as necessary to replace/remove food from the freezer. If this is the case, you can complete the following:

• Make a note of the temperature around your freezer. If the room your appliance is in is below 10°C, it may not function properly, and your freezer will start to defrost.

• Check that the power is still on; make sure that your appliance hasn’t been accidentally disconnected from the power supply.

• As above, make sure there is no debris around the door seals and that the doors aren’t closing correctly.

6. No power to the fridge freezer

If there’s no power to your appliance, there are some things you can do:

• Make sure the appliance’s plug and lead aren’t damaged

• Try swapping a fuse (only if you’re comfortable with this) from another appliance with the same rating and try turning your fridge/freezer on again

• Try a different appliance in the same plug socket. If this new appliance doesn’t work, there’s a problem with your socket

WARNING: if you smell ammonia, this is a sign that your appliance could be faulty and the gases within are leaking. If this is the case, you’ll need to get this fixed as soon as possible and may need to evacuate the house.

General maintenance

You can help prevent faults occurring by keeping your fridge freezer clean. If you need to, defrost your freezer at least twice a year, clean out mouldy food on a regular basis and wipe down the surfaces and door seals regularly.

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