5 Ways to Boost Your Refrigerator's Efficiency

A refrigerator can be a major investment, yet few people think about proper refrigerator repair and maintenance. By ensuring that your refrigerator is properly maintained, it can last a decade or more -- leaving you with money that you can spend in other areas of your kitchen.

1. Make Sure It's Properly Vented

A major byproduct of keeping your food and drink chilly is heat -- a lot of heat. Refrigerators vent heat towards the back, yet most homeowners put their refrigerator in an enclosed space. A refrigerator should always have some room in back of it so that the heat doesn't build up. If it does, the refrigerator will need to work even harder to keep itself cold. This will also increase your energy bills.

2. Don't Turn Down the Temperature Too Much

Your refrigerator should usually be set between 37 to 40 degrees -- but usually there will be a dial from 1 to 10, instead. There should be an area in your refrigerator's owner's manual that will tell you which number corresponds to which actual temperature. If you turn down the temperature too much, you will be wasting electricity and you could even freeze your food! Over time, if you notice that you need to keep turning the temperature down, there may be something wrong with your refrigerator.

3. Keep It As Full As Possible

Without wasting food, it's a good idea to keep your refrigerator as full as you can. The more items inside of your refrigerator, the easier it will be to keep cool; the items in your refrigerator will help maintain the temperature. 

4. Regularly Check the Seal

The seal around your refrigerator's door is often the first thing to go, because it is flexible and can wear down quickly. If you notice that your refrigerator is no longer maintaining its temperature, check to see whether there may be any gaps in the seals. Getting a seal changed is usually a fairly simple process. 

5. Don't Put Hot Items In

It's a bad idea to place a stew directly from your stove to your refrigerator -- or any other similar actions. When you put hot items in your refrigerator, you'll increase the temperature drastically, leading to an inefficient refrigerator and potentially spoiled food. It's a better idea to let things cool to room temperature before you put them in.

If your refrigerator does begin to malfunction despite the above advice, it's a good idea to call a professional appliance repair company, such as Arnie's Dependable Appliance Repair, as soon as possible. The longer your refrigerator goes without being repaired, the worse the damage is likely to be.