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Thread: Why New fridges are not lasting / Cleaning the Condenser lines

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    LoginFreak Guest

    Default Why New fridges are not lasting / Cleaning the Condenser lines

    This post is to inform members about the Maintenance new refrigerators need.

    Most of the older Fridges had black lines on the back of the fridge.
    These lines get hot and are there to dissipate the heat from the freon/refrigerant.
    The old fridges had strong compressors which could take lots of heat and since the lines were on the back of the fridge they would not cause too much heat on the compressor.

    And since the old compressors ran at around 2.7 to 3 amps for the average compressor and the new ones run at 0.8 to 1 amp depending on the size.
    The heat around the compressor has become a big issue. That's why they introduced a condenser fan to help cool the compressor down.


    There were some old fridges that were built this way, I've worked on many that are still going.
    But they had the stronger compressors so the heat was not as much of an issue as it is now.

    Nowadays pretty much all the fridges have a flat back and have the hot condenser lines under the fridge.

    This makes for a lot of heat around the compressor so there is a fan called the Condenser Fan that cools the compressor to keep it going.

    Since there is a fan.. There is air being pulled in and with that air comes lint, hair, and dust.

    This causes the condenser lines to get dirty and after time they can get plugged up and stop the air from getting to the compressor.

    And can cause the compressor to burn out after only 5 years if the condenser lines are not cleaned.


    Most of the whirlpool brand fridges have the lines under the fridge and can be cleaned from the front.

    At the bottom I have attached some pictures of dirty condenser lines from the front...
    The bottom kick plate will be different from one fridge to another.
    But most come off like I show. You get your hand behind it at one end to start and pull out.
    Sometimes it works better to pull it out from the bottom.

    And there are others that have the same setup.

    But others have them in the back, you will have to remove the bottom back panel to access the condenser lines. These models are harder to clean because the lines are in a casing and so you have to vacuum what you can then blow out the rest or make a tool to clean inside.


    I dont have pictures of these yet. But if the lines are not in the front like the first pics then they are behind the panel at the bottom back.
    Normally it's 1/4 inch and sometimes 5/16 inch socket needed to remove the screws.

    These lines have to be cleaned at least once a year.
    And if there are a few pets then I would check them twice a year because dog/cat hair is the most common thing to find in the lines.


    It is also recomended to clean the fan at the back once a year because it prevents it from getting seized from lint build up.
    But remember you do have to unplug the fridge so you can clean the fan blades and not just the motor.


    Another thing to add to this is... When I first started working on appliances I would be rebuilding fridges non stop and installing new compressors a few times a week.
    But today the new fridges have a compressor that runs on R134a refridgerant and those compressors cost 2 to 3 times the price. So now instead of $100 for a compressor it's more like $200 to $300 which makes the price go up quite a bit.
    And the labor can go from $250 to $350 depending on if oil got in the system and we have to clear out all the lines.. Which takes a while and happens often if the compressor gets too hot and boils the oil making it get into lines.
    I still install the odd compressor on expensive fridges but many decide to replace.


    So that is why it's VERY important to clean the condenser lines.


    Well this is about all you need to know about cleaning the condenser lines.

    I highly recommend checking these once a year to all my customers because I have seen more fridge hit the curb because of this then anything else in the last few years.
    And I've seen a few posts on here talking about the same thing and thought some pics and reasons might help to get people to understand why it's so important.

    I will have more pics as soon as possible.

    EDIT

    Here is a tool that I have been selling for a while. It is made for the whirlpool brand fridges or the Kenmore, amana or maytags made by whirlpool.
    You just pull the fridge out and then push the brush in and out of the coils while having the vacuum on to get all the excess dust.
    And you will have to clean off the brush when it gets full. Once all the coils look clean.. Best to look at them with a flash light. You can push the fridge back and clean off the lint that has fallen on the floor under the fridge.
    This is why I say to pull it out. Makes it easier to clean.
    Hope this add on helps in some way.


    If you have any questions on this subject feel free to post your question in the repair forum and I'll do what I can to help.

    Thanks for reading!
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