Maintain Your Frost Free Freezer And Auto Defrost Fridges
With environmental issues growing ever more apparent it seems that an increasing
number of manufacturers are beginning to release products that are ecological and energy efficient. This trend has become so popular that there are now energy efficiency rating available on most household appliances to that a consumer can know how much electricity and water an appliance will require.One appliance that has a noticeable effect on the cost of your energy bills is the fridge freezer, as it is running 24 /7. With this in mind ecological fridge freezers are a great money saver. There are a number of new features and innovations that have come about as a result of trying to reduce energy consumption in fridges; one popular one is the auto-defrost and frost-free freezers.
This is achieved with two main components, a heater and an evaporator. The heater is used to defrost the fridge; it melts the ice at the back of the fridge. When the ice is melted it runs down from the back wall and into a channel, which then directs the water through a hole and to the evaporator tray, where it is evaporated. Cold air has to be blown around the compartment with a fan motor as the evaporator is behind the back panel. The defrost cycle requires sensors and a timer to control everything, this can mean that the process is prone to problems, especially in comparison to the traditional fridge, although these features are still quite reliable.
Frequent problems with auto defrosting fridges and frost-free freezers can include any of the following. The evaporator freezing, this will happen if the door is left open for an extended period of time, (particularly in humid conditions). Traditional fridges are also susceptible to this problem, however it did not have as greater impact. It is also possible for the ice in a frost-free fridge freezer to form all the way around the fan and slow or even completely stop it moving, this will result in your fridge not staying cold. Prior to this happening you might notice a high pitched noise, this will be the fan catching on the ice, catching this problem early on can save a lo of time and effort.
Should you find that your fan has stopped working then unplugging the fridge and defrosting it manually will usually solve the problem, however this can take as long as 12 hours, and even defrosting the evaporation plate can be a lengthy process. Many modern units use a thermal fuse to protect the defrost cycle meaning you cant use something like a hair dryer to speed the process up. If this problem re-occurs then it is likely that there us a faulty sensor.
by: Amy