Fridge Repair Guides

One of the most common complaints we hear from customers is a smelly fridge. Located in the heart of your home, a smelly fridge can create a significant nuisance with the smell lingering for weeks. A smelly fridge can be caused by a number of things, which is often why people struggle to eliminate the odour by just giving their appliance a wipe out.

1. Ensure you’re storing your food correctly – use sealed containers for particularly pungent foods to prevent the smells from lingering within your appliance.
2. Give your fridge a good clean – any food spillages or gone off food that’s hidden at the back of your fridge could be the cause of the odour. We recommend taking everything out of your appliance and giving all shelves, drawers, walls and doors a thorough clean.
3. Your drip tray is full – if the water in your drip tray isn’t evaporating as usual, it can linger and over time waterborne black mould will begin to grow. If this happens we recommend cleaning out the drip tray usually located at the bottom or the back of your fridge.
4. The drain hole is blocked – the small hole located at the back of your fridge can easily become blocked if it’s not regularly cleaned. Over time gunk can begin to build up and a foul smell will develop. If this happens you need to clear the drain hole: watch as Lee demonstrates how to clear a fridge drain hole and follow along to remove the smell.

Getting the temperature on your fridge correct can be a case of trial and error, but if your fridge is suddenly warmer or colder than it previously was then there could be an issue at hand. This could be due to one of the following reasons:

1. Your fridge is too full – in order to maintain its cold temperatures, your fridge needs to be able to circulate air around the full appliance. If you’ve packed an enormous grocery haul into your fridge, cramming items in where you can, then you’ve dramatically reduced the airflow of the appliance. Try removing some of the items and see if the temperature balances out.
2. Your vents are covered – similarly to the above, if the vents on your fridge are covered then the airflow will be restricted and the temperature of your fridge will increase.
3. Your condenser coils are dirty – usually placed at the base of your fridge, at the back, condenser coils can often become less efficient over time if there’s a buildup of dust and grime covering them. Try giving your condenser coils a wipe-over and see if the issue is resolved.

A leaky fridge can not only create a dangerous slip hazard in your kitchen, but it can lead to water damage in your home that could require expensive repairs. Discover common reasons why your fridge may be leaking below.

1. Your fridge isn’t level – water in your fridge will drain away regularly, but if your fridge isn’t on a level surface the water may not be able to flow into the drain hole and into the drip tray. Plus a wonky fridge could mean your drip tray is overflowing and spilling out. Use a spirit level to determine whether or not your fridge is flat and adjust the feet accordingly to level it out.
2. Your drain hole is blocked – if food or other debris has blocked the drain hole at the back of your fridge then the condensation in your fridge won’t have anywhere to go. Instead, it will begin to pool at the bottom of your appliance and leak. To avoid this, make sure you’re regularly cleaning the drain hole.

A fridge door that doesn’t close properly can lead to a number of other faults, and drive up the cost of your electricity bill too! Here are some things you can do to get your fridge door closely properly again:

1. Give your gasket a clean – the gasket is the rubber seal that runs around the fridge door. Over time, grime, dirt and moisture can build up on the seal and this prevents it from closing securely. Give the seal a good wipe-over with a damp cloth and soapy water and see if the issue is resolved.
2. Replace the seal – this usually happens in older appliances, but over time the seal can become damaged beyond repair and will need replacing.
3. Make sure nothing is blocking the door – it sounds silly, but things like shelves in the wrong place, bottles in the way, etc. can prevent the door from closing. Make sure that nothing is in the way and move anything that is.
4. There’s too much weight in the door – mostly used to hold drinks, the door can end up carrying a lot of weight which in turn places the hinges under a lot of stress. Over time this can mean that the door alignment is out. Try removing all weight from the door and tightening up the door hinges to see if this solves the problem.

Like any lightbulb, the light in a fridge will inevitably stop working over time, but 9 times out of 10 it’s a relatively easy fix. Just make sure you purchase the correct replacement bulb for your make and model. Once you’ve done that, simply follow along with our video guide on How to Change a Fridge Bulb and voila, your fridge light will be working good as new!