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QUESTION
from "gogorita1":
My husband is constantly after
me to keep the vents in our freezer section of the refridgerator
free of items. He tells me that if the vents are blocked with
frozen items it makes the freezer work harder. The vents pertrude
out so they can't be totally blocked. We argue over this all
the time. Can you let me know if there is any validity to his
concern??? Thanks!
ANSWER:
gogorita1:
Well, I'm sorry to have to take sides between you and your husband.
And please don't shoot the messenger. But yes, blocking the
vents (even partially) in a freezer reduces air circulation
in the compartment, which therefore reduces the cooling efficiency
of your unit. As a result, either your freezer compartment will
run a little warmer, or if it has a thermostat that controls
it to a set temperature, then it will cause your compressor
to have to work harder which consumes more energy and reduces
the life of the compressor.
Probably not what you wanted to hear, but hopefully this is
helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Robin
on 8/14/2008
I have a kenmore top freezer refridgator. We just replace the
door gasket on the fridge because it was tore. Now there is a
gap on top of the door. How can we fix this? We never remove the
door to do the repair. My model number is 106.9751711
ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/15/2008
Dear Robin:
If I understand your question correctly, after you replaced the
door gasket on your refrigerator, you are now finding that there
is a place at the top of the door where the gasket is not sealing
tightly, and this is the "gap" that you are referring to, right?
If this is the case, then there are a couple possible causes for
this problem:
1) The new gasket that you purchased came twisted up (as they
typically do), and one of the "twists" in the gasket is what is
causing the irregular sealing.
2) When the new gasket was installed, it was not fastened down
properly, and the resulting misalignment is what is causing the
gap.
3) The gasket that was installed is not the proper gasket for
your particular refrigerator.
Regarding the first two items above, you might want to look at
this webpage which describes how to install a refrigerator door
gasket (and hopefully you will not be bothered by some of the
author's "non-technical" references):
http://fixitnow.com/2004/09/appliance-repair-revelation-zen-and.htm
Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from CHERYL MCKENTY
on 6/24/2008
My 5 year old basic refrigerator has just recently started to
lose it's seal on the top corner freezer gasket. I am puzzled
as to why - there is no dirt or grease, and nothing is stored
above the unit that fell onto the gasket. Condensation and ice
is forming on the ceiling of the freezer constantly. Short of
replacing the gasket, what can be done to get the seal back, and
do you have any guesses as how this can be prevented since I already
keep it clean and do not instill damage? Thank you.
ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 6/25/2008
Dear Cheryl:
Since your refrigerator/freezer is only 5 years old, and it sounds
like you have been taking very good care of the gasket, I would
suspect that the problem may not be with the gasket of your freezer,
but rather that the door of your freezer may be out of alignment.
If the door of your freezer is not aligned properly, this could
explain why the top corner is not sealing properly. If you are
handy, you can adjust the screws that hold the door, so that the
door is in better alignment with the face of your freezer. When
it is in proper alignment, you should be able to close the door
on a dollar bill, and when you tug on the dollar bill, you should
feel some tight resistance. And the door should pass this "dollar
bill" test all the way around.
You probably want to solve this problem soon, not only to reduce
the ice formation inside your freezer, but also, the poor seal
of the corner of your door is causing your unit's compressor to
work harder, and as such, could lead to the unit wearing out sooner.
Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from Mark on 8/24/2008
Hey Wizard,
We purchased a new manual defrost freezer at Sears last night
to replace our dinosaur freezer. The sales guy pitched the extended
warranty really hard - told me specifically that newer freezers
have to be serviced every two years. His reasons were something
to do with the oil/freon mix that is in the system. What's the
straight talk on this?
ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 8/24/2008
Dear Mark:
Here's a good article that appeared in the Washington Post, that
talks about the pro's and con's of purchasing extended warranties:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/30/AR2006093000148.html
Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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QUESTION from annoegage on 7/21/2008
Everyone keeps telling me that plugging in and unplugging a
freezer is VERY bad for it. We are talking about plugging one
in for a 48 hr. period, once a month.
ANSWER FROM HOME-WIZARD.COM on 7/21/2008
Dear annoegage:
The answer is, "it depends". If your freezer is a fairly new
Energy Star rated freezer, then I would suggest letting it run
all of the time. And then to minimize energy consumption, ensure
that the door seals are all clean and close tightly all the
way around. Also, keep the coils clean, and allow adequate air
circulation around the unit. And try to locate your freezer
in a cool location, for example, down in a basement. And of
course, don't open the door to the freezer until you are ready
to use it.
However, if your freezer is an older, less energy-efficient
model, or the unit has to be located someplace warm (like a
garage), and if you really just need the freezer for only two
days per month (that is, it would be running less than 7% of
the time), then yes, I would suggest that you turn off the freezer
when it is not in use, to conserve energy. However, as I imagine
you have already considered, you will need to keep the freezer
very clean when it is not in use, so that it does not begin
to smell.
And as always with a freezer, from a safety standpoint in either
case, you will want to be sure that there is no possibility
that kids could ever climb inside, lock themselves in and suffocate.
Hope this is helpful.
Home-Wizard.com
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