The Anatomy of Refrigerator Repair

Your refrigerator is the hardest-working appliance in your home: it never stops going! Day and night it protects your valuable food supply from spoiling. In order to avoid the disaster of losing all your groceries, perform regular maintenance checks to make sure everything is in working order.

Basic appliance repair starts with becoming an amateur detective. Once you know what symptoms to check for, you'll be able to nip any problems in the bud. Pay attention if your fridge starts to make an unusual noise, if food is too warm or cold, or if you notice water leaking onto the floor. Some symptoms indicate a larger problem. For example, if the light doesn't turn on in the fridge when you open the door, you may think the bulb is burned out. But it could also be an indicator of a larger problem – such as a switch malfunction. If your refrigerator door is sweating on the inside or outside, you may chalk it up to humidity in the air. But that symptom can indicate a faulty door gasket.

Once you've identified the symptom and problem, it's time to order a new part. You'll find that most of these fixes are relatively cheap, and can often be done for under $100. That is much cheaper than buying a whole new refrigerator! Because you've already done the research into what part is malfunctioning and why, you may even feel empowered to install the new part yourself!

By Steve Ash

This infographic is part of our Anatomy of Repair Series:

• The Anatomy of Oven Repair