It’s not at all uncommon to see your refrigerator working great and then all of a sudden you realize that, well, you wouldn’t come close to calling them a malfunction, but yeah, it seems like all of a sudden your refrigerator isn’t working right anymore. What should you do? Most people will call the repairman and pay for his services. Some will just get rid of the fridge and buy a new one.

The second option isn’t practical at all, unless your fridge is like 10 years old and has already shown signs of age. However, if this is not the case, do not replace your refrigerator immediately. The first option is actually very common; When we encounter problems with the refrigerator, or with any other appliance, it seems that the most sensible thing to do is to ask for help.

But why pay for these repair services when you could repair the refrigerator yourself? It seems impossible? Lots of people have been doing DIY repair work on their fridge so you can too. It is not necessary to be an expert in handling household appliances; all you need to do is follow these simple instructions.

My fridge doesn’t get cold!

A typical refrigerator should have a temperature of 38 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit to properly store and preserve your food. A hot refrigerator is not a problem to ignore, as this can cause food to spoil. If this happens, check the thermometer inside the refrigerator. The first thing you can do is adjust the temperature through the thermometer.

Wait for the temperature to gradually settle down, but if after 6 hours the temperature still does not change, check the fan. If the fan works fine, check the condenser coils, which may be located in the front while most are in the back. To check the condenser coils, remove the cover and, using a vacuum cleaner, remove any dust and dirt. You can also use a stiff brush, or you may prefer to wash them with soapy water, especially if the dirt has caked on them or they are greasy.

Another reason for the warm temperature may be that you haven’t defrosted lately, especially if your refrigerator needs to be defrosted manually. If so, defrost the refrigerator by turning it off and removing all food from inside the freezer and refrigerator. Leave the freezer and refrigerator doors open overnight. In the morning, replace the food, turn on the refrigerator and set the thermostat to a middle position.

If you’ve done all of the above and still find your fridge is warm, it may be time to replace the door seal. Broken door seals don’t seal out cold air and let in warmer air from outside. You can test the door seal by placing a piece of paper on the door seal, then closing the door. If you can easily remove the paper, that’s a sign that your door seal is not working well.

Leaks and puddles on the floor

A common refrigerator problem, water leaking from the refrigerator onto the floor can come from many different sources and causes. One of the most likely reasons is that the water and/or ice dispenser lines in the refrigerator are broken. These dashed lines may need to be replaced. That can be the cause of the leaks unless of course you don’t have a water dispenser in your fridge.

Another cause of leaks can be the defrost pan or the drain pan under the fridge. If your fridge has this, check it for damage, cracks, and even holes. After that, clean the drain tube which may be located on the floor of the refrigerator or at the back. Pour a mixture of hot water and lye through the opening using a turkey baster. After cleaning, empty the water drain pan.

Finally, leaks and water spills can come from a clogged drain in your freezer. If this happens, you can usually find the water dripping from the roof of your refrigerator (if your refrigerator has the freezer on top of the body). If so, the solution is to unclog the freezer drain or dry out the insulation by first removing the fridge and freezer divider.

Noisy neighbors, noisy fridge

Another very common problem that you can fix yourself is noise coming from your fridge. Many people will often ignore or even dismiss this problem, thinking that the sounds are just signs that the engine is running. On the other hand, these noises that we hear may be a sign of something else, and that there may be a problem with your refrigerator.

Just like water spills and leaks, these noises can also come from different sources. However, the most common source is from inside the fridge. When this happens, it’s probably the fan that is causing it. If your fridge is quite old, the fan will omit the noise, which can range from screeching to outright screeching and groaning. If the noise becomes too loud, it may be a sign that your fan is already worn and may need to be replaced.