Category Archives: Refrigerator

5 Tips for Keeping a Cool Refrigerator this Summer

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You owe your refrigerator major props for keeping your food from spoiling and always having a cold one (beer, water, lemonade – whatever your preference) waiting for you at the end of a long day. To show your appreciation, take these steps to help your refrigerator keep its cool during the dog days of summer. Your energy bill will thank you.

1. Check the Seal

Make sure your refrigerator seal (gasket) is airtight. An easy way to do this is with the dollar bill test. Close a dollar bill (or just a sheet of paper if you don’t carry cash) in the fridge door. If the door holds the dollar securely in place, then the seal is tight. If the dollars falls out or can be removed easily, the seal is too loose.

Before replacing the gasket, look for any obstructions that may be causing the faulty seal. If that doesn’t do the trick, repair your refrigerator seal with Vaseline by applying a thin layer on the part of the seal that connects to your fridge or freezer.

2. Clean the Coils

Dust and dirt accumulates on your fridge coils over time, and rather quickly if you live with shedding pets. New refrigerators have self-cleaning condensers, but for older fridges, you need to remove the dirt yourself. You might have a vacuum attachment that will work on the coils, but if not, purchase a coil brush. Then clean your coils; your fridge will breathe a sigh of relief!

3. Stock the Fridge

Thermador-traditional-kitchen-coffee-machine-refrigeration

Photo via Thermador

I know it sounds counterintuitive; more food seems like more work. But that’s not true! It actually takes more energy to cool an empty fridge. Of course you don’t want to stock more than you can eat or load it up with groceries before taking a summer vacation.

Quick tip: Fill those empty spaces with pitchers of water. Then you’ll always have a cold, refreshing drink when you need it!

4. Set the Temperature

Make sure your fridge and freezer are set to the correct temperature – cool enough to keep your food safe, but not working harder than needed. The recommended temperature for a refrigerator ranges from 35 to 38 degrees. The ideal freezer temperature is between 0 and 5 degrees.

5. Change the Filter

Your filtered water won’t be very clean if it’s pulled through a dirty “filter.” Your fridge might have an indicator that tells you when to change the filter. Either way, your refrigerator water filter should be changed about twice a year (follow manufacturer guidelines for frequency). Change the filter if it’s time. Not only will you benefit from cleaner water, your ice maker will run more efficiently.

Featured image via Beko

What tips do you have to help your refrigerator keep its cool? Share them in the comments!

Refrigerator Styles to Consider

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Buying a refrigerator can be a difficult decision, considering all the sizes, styles and prices available. But most importantly (after making sure it fits), the refrigerator you choose should reflect the way your family uses your kitchen. Learn more about the different refrigerator styles and cool features to consider.

Top-Freezer Refrigeratorsstainless-steel-refrigerator

Top-freezer refrigerators position the freezer at eye level while the refrigerator compartment offers wide shelves, making it easy to store large trays of food and allow access to items in the back of the refrigerator.

Side-by-Side Refrigerators

side by side black refrigerator

Side-by-side refrigerators feature the freezer on the left and the refrigerator on the right. Side-by-sides require less door swing clearance, perfect for kitchen layouts with narrow walkways or an island.

Bottom-Freezer Refrigeratorsstainless-bottom-freezer-refrigerator

Bottom-freezer refrigerators are today’s most popular refrigerator style. The refrigerator is opened nine to 10 times more often than the freezer, so it’s convenient to locate the refrigerator at waist or chest level.

French Door Refrigerators

four door french door refrigerator

French door refrigerators, the industry’s fastest growing style, is like a bottom-freezer but with French doors (side-by-side) opening from the center. The symmetrical styling allows easier installation with less door clearance to impede a walkway or island. Wide refrigerator shelves easily store large party trays.

samsung french door refrigerator

Some models, like the one pictured above, come with a fourth drawer. Depending on the model, the fourth drawer is a second refrigerator compartment or a second freezer compartment. However, as is the case with the Samsung refrigerator pictured to the right, sometimes the fourth drawer offers more temperature options (think chilling wine versus storing meats) than you’d probably select with your main fresh food compartment.

Cool Refrigerator Features

• A Dual-Compressor System cools the refrigerator and freezer separately. This preserves food substantially longer, better retaining the food’s natural internal moisture.

• Chilling Drawers brings air directly from the freezer into a sealed refrigerator compartment to, for instance, cool a warm beverage to ice cold in 15 minutes!

• Hidden Hinge extends door heights to cover hinges and create a more built-in look.

• Gallon Storage Door Bins hold large milk and juice jugs in the door to free up precious shelf space.

• Cabinet-depth models provide a sleek and seamless appearance. The shallow 24” depth aligns with surrounding cabinetry, again, offering a more “built-in” look.

Tip: A common mistake when buying a new refrigerator is not properly measuring the maximum height, depth and width of the space it will fit into. There is no “standard” in refrigerator. However, if your opening is 36” wide and 70” high, you will have a wide selection of models to choose from. As a rule of thumb, you should allow 1” of clearance on each side of the refrigerator for breathing room.

Check Out These Cool Refrigerator Options

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Remember when refrigerators were just a cold spot to keep your milk? Well, a few brands are recognizing the changing tastes of Americans and the growing role of the kitchen in today’s home with innovations that are convenient and just plain cool!

If you’re like me, you might start second guessing your current model and cursing it for not anticipating your every beverage or grocery shopping need.

Samsung SodaStream refrigerator

samsungfridge462x347_feature2For others like me who like a little pep in their water, the idea of a sparkling water-dispensing Samsung refrigerator is amazing.

You may select up to three levels of carbonation for sparkling water using the same control panel you would use to select water or ice. The sparkling water dispenser uses a standard SodaStream 60L CO2cylinder that rests in a small, concealed area inside the left refrigerator door, which is easily accessible to change when empty.

No more taking up precious fridge space with bottled and canned sparkling water nor creating all that packaging waste; now water dispenses on demand. In addition, you’ll ultimately save money (ultimately…) because sparkling water gets pricey and the cylinder refills aren’t that bad.

GE hot water dispensing refrigerator

gefridgeJust as easily as you can have cold water at the touch of the button, the GE hot water dispenser fridge means no more microwaving water or heating it on the stove for common needs! Think baby formula for gosh sakes. You’ll pour hot, filtered water from your fridge dispenser in minutes. How easy is that?

With four pre-programmed settings for the most common food and drinks, hot water is dispensed at a perfectly accurate temperature every time.

hotwater_temps

Simply select your temperature setting, then use the knob to dispense up to 10 ounces of perfectly heated water.

Plus, water is purified through the only refrigeration filter tested and verified to remove 98% of five trace pharmaceuticals* from water and ice, offering added peace of mind for your family.

The refrigerator comes in both standard-depth and counter-depth styles to suit your kitchen.

LG WiFi LCD screen fridge

lg-refrigerator-lfx28995st-large01lcd-food-management465x265Don’t you hate it when you’re at the grocery store and you think you have sour cream in your fridge but how old is it really? Wouldn’t it be sweet to access that information and an inventory of all your fridge’s contents from your smartphone? (Answer: yes, it would be sweet).

This LG French door refrigerator uses a 10″ WiFi enabled LCD display to manage calendars, check the weather, download recipes from The Food Channel, leave digital notes (“stop drinking out of the milk carton!” or “save that cake for Saturday’s party!!!”) and display family photos. Oh and yes, the “food management system” will help you remember what you have and how long it’s good for. From there, you can create shopping lists that can also be accessed via your smart phone. Super smart, right?

Repair Your Refrigerator Seal With This Trick

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refrigerator seal
Gasket, seal, “rubber thing” — whatever you call it, keep it moistened.

If you’ve noticed ice crystals on your frozen foods or condensation in your fridge, check your refrigerator seal. After some troubleshooting, you might be able to repair your refrigerator seal without having to resort to a refrigerator gasket replacement.

Test Refrigerator Seal

First, open your refrigerator’s freezer door and slip a dollar bill against where the gasket seals to the freezer cabinet. Then shut the door to hold the bill in place.

If the bill slips out, your seal isn’t tight.

Repair Refrigerator Seal

Fortunately, in many cases there is something you can do about it. In the past, some manufacturers and care books recommended using Vaseline (petroleum jelly) to help keep the seal in top shape. And while you can still use small amounts of the stuff to help break in a new gasket against the frame, it’s no longer recommended as a long-term fix.

Instead, try our current recommendation. Simply heat the gasket with a hair dryer or warm water, close the door and keep it closed for an hour or so to let the magnet align the gasket. And presto! It should help to extend the life of your refrigerator seal.

In most cases that should do the trick and revive the rubber grip of your fridge’s youth AND keep your foods nice and chilly.

Featured image via LG

Visit Warner’s Stellian if it’s time for a refrigerator or freezer replacement.

Troubleshooting for Icemaker Not Making Ice

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When your refrigerator’s icemaker isn’t making ice, perform icemaker troubleshooting before calling repair. Chill out and try the following.

Icemaker Troubleshooting

1. Make sure the metal arm on your ice maker is DOWN and any control is set to “ON.”

Refrigerator Icemaker

2. Ensure the water supply is properly connected and turned on.

3. Tighten your drain cap. A loose drain cap leaves you with thin ice because water will empty from the water pan.

4. Examine the drain tube. The drain tube could be clogged from sediment. Flush out sediment by shutting off the water line, waiting and turning back on. Next, ensure there are no kinks in the drain that could prevent the flow of rejected water out.

Those are just basic tips everyone should try before calling for icemaker repair. Hopefully they works for you.

Featured image via KitchenAid