Old or defective refrigerator: replace or repair?

Your refrigerator has the longest life of almost all of your equipment at home. An average model can easily last 15 or more years. It seems wise to keep it as long as possible, but if you suddenly need a new one, it is good to know when that end will occur, so that you can buy a replacement refrigerator quickly but still informed.

Signs that your fridge is failing

Refrigerators that work too hard use a lot of power while your food is spoiling. Note the following symptoms that bring your fridge closer to its end:

• Food spoils before the best-before date has arrived.
• The back of the refrigerator feels warm or even hot.
• The fridge ‘sweats’, condensation can be seen on the inside or outside of the device.
• There is more frost in the freezer compartment than before.
• Your fridge makes more noise than before – there’s a constant moan or buzz.

Conversely, a refrigerator that suddenly becomes very quiet, with food that stays less cold, is a sign that the compressor has been damaged.

Why you should replace it

An older device that needs more effort requires more power than when it worked properly. In fact, if your electricity bill turns out to be higher than you had estimated or if you see sudden spikes, you should investigate whether your household appliances are possibly to blame. And because the refrigerator is continuously switched on, this is the device that could use the most energy.

These devices also become more energy efficient with every generation and you could, for example, go from a current energy label A + to a current energy label A +++ (A + still uses twice as much power as A +++). Especially if a device has been around for more than a decade, it may be time for an upgrade.

In addition, an outdated model is a health risk. Bacteria can spread if the food is not kept cold enough. Your fridge should be around 5 degrees Celsius and the freezer compartment -15 for ideal storage temperature. For example, at 7 degrees listeria grows much faster than at 4 degrees. This bacterium is mainly found in vegetable trays and cracks in the shelves. You also have an increased risk of salmonella and fungus.

There is also an increased risk that the electrical wiring is causing problems. They can become loose or litter out. If wires are exposed, you naturally have the chance of a shock or fire. If you see a loose-fitting wire, the tendency is to repair it yourself, but safety specialists advise against it. They state that it is better to stop using the device. That does not mean that you cannot repair things yourself.

Simple repairs of refrigerators

You do not have to buy a new device immediately if the refrigerator does not function optimally. Sometimes the problem is very simple, such as the rubber gasket around the door. It can often be repaired yourself. If you notice one of the issues from the list above, you can try one of the following repairs.

For example, you can first try to put a piece of paper between the door and the gasket and close it. If you can then easily slide the paper loose, the gasket will no longer fit properly. If this is the case, first clean the rubber strip with a cloth with hot water. Do not use cleaning agents, which can damage the rubber. Then carefully try to unfold parts of the gasket that have been pressed in. That often solves the problem.

Check the thermostat. It is possible that the refrigerator has simply been set too warm. For example, if you store more food than normal, you may have to set the temperature. If you have a cylinder with numbers instead of a temperature overview in degrees, look in the manual which number corresponds to which temperature range.

Then look after the defrost water drain. You can find it in the back of the fridge, it is a channel that leads to a small opening. Depending on the design of your refrigerator, you may have to remove the vegetable drawer (s) to gain access to it. Clean up any mess from the canal and above the drain. If the drain still seems to be blocked, try to unclog the drain hole with a straw.

Another good maintenance tip is to pull the fridge off the wall and vacuum the spools on the back. These tubes transport the coolant and they work sub-optimally if there is dirt and dust on it.

Finally, the most annoying job: regularly defrosting your fridge and freezer is a good idea. If you immediately see the formation of frost, it is a sign that the end of its life is in itself.

If the above tips do not change the issue, you probably have no small problem and you should see if it is more cost-effective considering the age and purchase costs to hire a repair person or buy a new refrigerator. There’s a rule of thumb for that: if you’re over half the life and the repair costs more than half the cost of a replacement model, it’s probably time to visit a store.

Look at it this way: because the costs of a repair in absolute amount are lower than a new purchase, repair may seem more attractive, but you only postpone the actual purchase. When the day comes when you still have to replace your refrigerator, you have spent much more: the new refrigerator and the earlier repair. Then you have not even counted that the old machine consumes more electricity and makes your energy bill higher.

So if a simple repair doesn’t work and you have had the device for about eight years, buying a new device is faster and more cost-effective. Please also take your old refrigerator to the environment instead of simply putting it in the trash – in most cases, the seller of the new model will take the old model for free when the replacement is delivered.

Are you looking for replacement refrigerators? Take a look here, here or here