Refrigerator Repair and Electrical Safety

You could call it the grey area. It's the time when your refrigerator's warranty is expired, and the small problems you're having with it - noise, constant running, starting and stopping - aren't quite significant enough to merit a new fridge. Before you engage in a little do-it-yourself refrigerator repair, there are a few things you should know about electrical safety.

DIY refrigerator repair safety

Something electrical is wrong with your fridge. Maybe the power is out or the unit is erratically starting and stopping. Whatever the case, the first step in DIY refrigerator repair is knowing how to shut off electricity to the appliance. That doesn't mean being able to reach the electrical cord behind the fridge. If the problem is a frayed or damaged cord, handling it is the quickest way to an accident.

The location of the circuit breaker should be common knowledge to everyone in your home, including children, who might need to access it in case of an emergency. After you've shut off the power to the fridge, pull it away from the wall and do the following things:

• Look for damaged, pinched, or frayed wires

• Check that all electrical connections to the fridge are secure

• Make sure no extension cords are being used to plug in the appliance

If you spot no connection problems, the problem might have been caused by a blown fuse or tripped circuit breaker. An alternative solution is to run a voltage test. Before reconnecting the power for a test, make sure no metal or conductive items are in the area. Disconnect the power when the test is complete.

DIY refrigerator repair electrical situations

• The refrigerator light is off

This is as easy as do-it-yourself refrigerator repair gets. Replace the bulb, and then test the door switch. If the light is out and the fridge isn't working, follow the procedures detailed in the preceding section.

• The light works but the fridge doesn't

This problem could be caused by numerous things. Start by checking the temperature setting and cleaning the condenser coils. Make sure there are several inches of space between the back of the fridge and the wall. If that doesn't do it, unplug the refrigerator for two hours. If you hear it running, the compressor is overheating.

Refrigerator electrical tips

As a safety precaution, each major appliance in your home should have its own grounded electrical circuit. When doing refrigerator repair, never remove ground wires from the unit. Never remove the bottom ground wire from a three-prong power cord to make it fit into a two-prong outlet.

If you've decided to forego DIY refrigerator repair and call in a professional, consider the cost before repairing an old fridge. Today's refrigerators are much more energy efficient than older models. For example, a five-year-old conventional refrigerator would use about 40% more electricity than a new energy efficient model.

However old your fridge, cleaning its coils every six months will help keep it running efficiently.