Cleaning Refrigerator Coils

[mark_wpduet]

Got my side x side Whirlpool fridge in Feb of 2018...I'm not sure why but I'm really good at remembering the month and year I get my appliances. Anyway - it's just over 4 years old. Cleaning the coils on this is really a pain. Your only option is some kind of blower. I saw a youtube video where this guy got a box fan and put a filter on the back and put the filter side of the fan up against the back and blew the coils from the front so most of the dust goes into the filter on the fan... I did this and it worked great...One thing I want to say is that this whirlpool side x side's coils are even HARDER to clean than my previous Whirlpool side x side...

My point of this post is this: After I blew out the coils... I went around to the back of the fridge and sucked up some dust that got caught in the nooks and crannies and on wires and stuff (being very careful) and I noticed something...there was a wire back there that wasn't connected to anything...I'm just curious what that wire could have been for?

 

[askolover]

My previous Estate (WP) fridge had straight coils underneath.  The new Maytag (also WP) has zigzag coils under it.  I could slide my coil cleaning attachment through the straight one but not the zigzag one.  The only way to really get to it would be to turn it on its back...which ain't happenin'!

 

[DADoES]

 
One must wonder why designs that impede cleaning access are produced in consideration of the concern over energy usage, i.e. condensor airflow obstructed by accumulated debris.

 

[repairguy]

I bought a new Roper direct drive washer on December 10 1998 and still remember that date as well as the other appliances through the years.

 

[fan-of-fans]

Personally if it were me, with any fridge, flat coil or rolled, if I could get it near an exterior door, I would take my air compressor and blow it out completely.

On my old 1995 Kenmore (GE) I used to use the crevice tool on the vacuum and suck it out. I could get most of the dust out of that one, these new rolled up designs I don't get.

Some of the manuals even state that the coils don't need to be cleaned at all. I do have to go into a bit of a conspiracy and wonder if the intent is to get them to clog with dust and fail earlier. These days nobody I know bothers to have anything repaired, nor do they care to learn about maintaining anything, so they just buy a new one no matter what the issue might be, which makes the manufacturer more money on another sale.

 

[philcobendixduo]

Same problem with my 2011 Whirlpool.....

......top freezer model - impossible to clean coils.
The "blower method" seems to be the only way and I'm not able to do that so will just let them go.
Despite not having pets and keeping a clean house, it is amazing how dirty the coils get.
I agree with "fan-of-fans" - it's planned obsolescence.
I am happy to have 11 years (and counting) of trouble-free service from the Whirlpool.
I never expected it to last this long based on how poorly appliances are made these days.

 

[combo52]

Cleaning refrigerator condenser coil’s.

I wouldn’t even bother looking at the coils for about five years, and if they’re really dirty go ahead and clean what you can every 10 or 15 years move the refrigerator and take the back off and do a little additional cleaning.

Unless your refrigerator is being operated in extreme conditions such as completely built in in a home with no air-conditioning it doesn’t make any difference you’re just making yourself crazy over a little dust.

The coils do not have to be completely clean for the refrigerator to operate at top efficiency, that’s why they’re designed this way GE’s round condensers in the back I’ve seen demonstrations where they wrap fiberglass insulation around it and it still works just as well.

John L

 

[rp2813]

I have always equated the zig-zag condenser design with the manufacturer's claim (in this case, Whirlpool) that there was no need to vacuum or otherwise clean the coil.  As others have stated already, it's impossible to clean any part of the coil except the front section.  This is the case with my 2009 KA Architect side-by-side.  I usually get under there once or twice a year with a crevice tool attachment and do what I can.  The fridge has been shoehorned into its opening since we moved in 2018 and has never been pulled out for more extensive cleaning.

 

John's remarks are comforting, but this fridge has spoiled me and I love it so much that I'd like it to last as long as possible, so I'll continue to vacuum the coil.   It may be apples and oranges, but when I long ago worked for an HVAC contractor, a member of the sales staff advised me that in many cases, HVAC systems perform better with filters that are on the dirty side.  Yes, that's more about air flow than the mechanical cooling process, but I can't help but feel it validates what John stated.

 

My sister had a '90s Amana BF model and she never once vacuumed the condenser even though it likely had the older, non zig-zag type.  She also had cats.  Between zero cleaning and cat hair accumulating over ten or more years, air flow was reduced to a fatal level that killed the compressor.  So some situations warrant a happy medium.

 

[mark_wpduet]

well thanks for the responses. I remember reading on here something about how they design coils now that it doesn't matter if they get dirty...I keep my house super clean but aside from being in a surgical clean room or something dust will get in there over time...but I was really surprised it wasn't that horrible...It was so satisfying though to get that dust blown off the middle coils that I couldn't get to and shining and flashlight and instead of seeing a layer of dust just seeing the black coils...I STILL want to know what the hell that small wire that isn't connected to anything is..

 

[combo52]

Small wire not connected to anything

Hi Mark post a picture of it and I can probably tell you what it is also post a picture of the model number of your refrigerator

John L

 

[mark_wpduet]

Hey thanks. It's no big deal. I don't wanna pull it back out and take off the back...but I can give the mod # which is WRS325SDHWOO

We have a 5 cubic foot chest freezer in the garage. The brand is Frigidaire.. I think it was like $299 13 or 14 years ago. I have never defrosted it. Tonight since it was super cold out...I took everything out and defrosted it.. It only took an hour. I used a hair dryer and a plastic putty knife and the blocks of ice just fell off the sides to the bottom with just a little bit of force...I always kept putting it off because I wasn't sure how long it would take and didn't want the food to thaw. Now that I know how easy it is I'll do it more often

 

[DADoES]

 
Just to clarify for your future reference maybe in looking up parts ... the two characters at the end of your model number are zeros, not letter Os.

 

[paulg]

My take.. It’s an awful mess..

I have a 2005 Kitchenaid/Whirlpool SXS. The coils are at the bottom.
Indeed they are difficult to clean. And if you are allergic to dust or have breathing issues you should not do this. It is extremely messy.
However we have pets, and am allergic to nothing and I firmly believe in cleaning the coils a couple of times a year.
My approach is as this:
FIRST: This is important. Clean your refrigerator coils THE DAY BEFORE the cleaning lady comes over!
I lay down a cardboard path in front of the fridge and tape it to the floor using painter’s tape.
I roll the fridge forward which is no fun as there is an island in the way. Unplug the fridge. I then take off the cardboard back.
Vacuuming is worthless. I use my Hoover Swingette and place the hose on the exhaust with the crevice tool attached. The blast from that vacuum is so strong it often ejects the crevice tool across the room. So I have to hold on.
I remove the front, bottom grill and place a towel over it. This is almost fruitless but I do it anyway. I tape the towel to the front. This concept still fails and I have no good remedy for this.
I blast the dust out of the fridge from rear to front. The towel invariably goes flying across the room with dust-bunnies raining over the entire kitchen.
I have considered taping a box to the front of the fridge and, using an extra vacuum hose, attach the box to the suction port of the vacuum cleaner - thus picking up the dust.
Examine the AC receptacle the the refrigerator is plugged in. It should be tight and not discolored. People can get into trouble with this because if the outlet deteriorates over time, undetected behind the fridge, it could create big problems for you later on. Check for water leaks from the fridge itself or the water-line.
Reassemble the refrigerator and plug it back in. Clean up as much dust as possible using the Hoover Swingette.
Let the cleaning lady clean up the rest tomorrow.
NO FUN! But for me it must be done.

R

 

[paulg]

My late MIL’s fridge

Went over to my late MIL’s house to do tasks. She has an indestructible 1974 Amana top mount.
I figured it is time to clean it and check the outlet as usual.
Pulled the back off. I don’t think the unit was ever cleaned. She was such an extremely tidy lady. However either she was daunted by the task or forgot about it.
Blew out the dust from rear to front. I almost had a coronary.
Dust blobs the size of rats rained all over her neat kitchen. If she hadn’t already died it would have killed her to see this.
Nobody was home so I vacuumed it up only to find more black rats that escaped all the way to the dining room.
I was a bit grossed out, and I don’t gross out easily. But I was glad I did it. The outlet was nice and tight and wired correctly. I had found a couple of outlets in the house that were wired backwards hot-neutral. Those have all been resolved and am glad the fridge is in better shape now.

 

[mark_wpduet]

well

like I said....the box fan with a filter on it....fan turned on high speed...filter on the back of the fan pushed up against the back of the fridge in exactly the place you're blowing from the front....it really did work great....the reason I know it worked great is the other times I've done this in the past I had to clean and dust everywhere high and low...but this time I didn't. At first I tried canned air...but that wasn't working well so I got out my rainbow since it's my only vacuum where I can using a blower function and it worked much better.

there is one OTHER thing I thought of (depending on the weather outside) on one side of my house in my bedroom there is this giant window fan that reverses (exhaust or blow)..in the other side in the kitchen there's a storm door with a screen. I was thinking I could turn the window fan in my bedroom on high blow mode, which would cause the air to want to leave the kitchen out the storm door...but I don't think it would be powerful enough...I think the box fan is best for now for me.

I'm just glad I don't have to do this very often....

I found my manual online and it says it's not necessary for coil cleaning because of their design...but they did say that if the fridge is an unusually dusty or smoky/greasy environment that it may require period cleaning

 

[paulg]

A bit incredulous

In many cases manufacturers spend a lot of money developing, rechecking and rechecking their owner’s manual. I should know as I used to proofread and correct them before product launch. If they say you needn’t clean the coils regularly then it must be true. I guess.
Regardless, it is hard to believe a manufacturer of refrigerators would state that cleaning of exposed coils wasn’t necessary. I’d like to see that design.
That Amana was so dusty that it looked detrimental to the unit’s operation.
Oh well, perhaps that Amana design was not one of those “maintenance-free” types.
I have read instruction manuals for years as a job and personally. With some units I knew every sentence. A lot of data is in some of those manuals.
I did buy a popular brand of electric pressure-cooker. The instruction manual was horrid in my opinion. The grammar and spelling was ok but the data was so weak. A ten year old could have done a better job.

 

[mark_wpduet]

I wish I could remember a video I saw a while back. I came across it looking for refrigerator issues on youtube...Maybe 5 or 6 years ago....He broke down a whirlpool refrigerator pointing out how they are designed to fail within XX # of years...something about the defrost/water/evaporation/rust rendering the fridge useless after so many years...I'm sure coil cleaning is important too..but it makes you wonder what the point is to extend the life of the OTHER THINGS on the fridge are going to end up failing regardless of coil cleaning....but my biggest question is..in a green world where all the companies are professing that we be green and energy conscious......and yet they produce major appliances with a limited life-span totally defeating the purpose of being green. Oh well.

 

[pumper]

Blowing dust

I just did my coils by cutting a piece of soft rubber hose about 2' long and secured it to a thin wooden dowel with tape, then attached the hose to the tip of my air compressor gun. I was able to insert the tip farther in than I ever could just using the air compressor gun. Just worked it back and forth until I couldn't see anymore dust bunnies.