How to Maintain Your Fridge

A major appliance that most of us can't do without, the refrigerator is a must-have in the kitchen. It's also an energy sucker, given that it's switched on 24 hours a day. With it being such an important player in our home, how do we go about extending its lifespan, pristine condition and save on your bills at the same time? Here are 8 easy tips for you.  

Look at the ticks before you buy.

Before you buy a refrigerator, check out the number of ticks on its Energy Label. This label serves as a guide for consumers, keeping you informed of your appliance's energy efficiency rating and energy consumption. So according to this rating system, appliances rated with 4 ticks are the most energy efficient.

Consider your needs before buying a fridge.

Avoid buying an oversized fridge if you have a small family. Buy one for normal usage since energy consumption will go up with the fridge's size.

Clean regularly.

If you want to extend your fridge's lifespan, then be sure to clean it regularly. Vacuum your condenser coils (behind the fridge) at least once every three months as well and see if you can keep your coils at least 10cm away from the wall to help them get a better circulation of air. The door seals should also cleaned regularly and replaced when damaged, so cold air will not leak and warm air cannot enter your fridge.

Maintain the temperature at 3°C to 5°C for the fridge and -18°C for the freezer.

These are the optimal temperatures for both cooling and energy saving purposes. The colder you set your fridge, the more energy your fridge has to use. To this end, ensure that you cool your hot food before putting them into the fridge.

Stock it up.

To avoid temperature fluctuations, which makes your fridge work harder and increases your energy costs as a result, do stock up your fridge. This means not leaving your fridge empty since the less space your fridge needs to cool, the faster it chills after you have closed the door. But don't use it as an excuse to fill up your fridge to its maximum capacity as you still need to have airflow around the items.

Avoid putting stuff on top of your fridge.

When you put things on top of your refrigerator, it blocks the heat from escaping. This causes your refrigerator to work harder to cool its interior and thus drives up your energy bills.

Organise your fridge.

Knowing where you put certain items will help you keep the door open less often and for a shorter period of time.

Keep it away from appliances that are a source of heat or next to the window (where there is direct sunlight).

Since the fridge will have to work doubly hard to compensate from the heat emanating from these sources, it's not advisable to put your fridge anywhere near them.