How An Appliance Repair Professional May Fix A Bad Condenser Fan In Your Refrigerator

Posted on: 31 October 2022

A few things can cause problems with your refrigerator that keep it from cooling down. One of the possible causes is the condenser fan. The condenser fan is located on the back of your refrigerator near the bottom.

If you hear unusual noises coming from the back of your refrigerator, or if the compressor kicks on but the fan doesn't, the fan could be bad. Call an in-home refrigerator appliance repair shop to test and replace the fan if it needs it. Here are steps the repair person may take.

Unplug The Refrigerator And Remove The Back Cover

The condenser fan is located near the bottom of your refrigerator under the removable cover. When the cover is taken off, the appliance repair technician can see the compressor, fan, and coil to look for problems. One thing they may see right away is that the coil is coated in dust. If the coil is dirty, it needs to be cleaned, and a dirty coil indicates the fan might be dirty too.

Remove The Fan To Inspect It

The fan is easy to reach and remove by unscrewing it from the brackets and disconnecting the wiring. When the fan is out, the technician can look at the blades to see if they are broken or coated with dust. If a blade is broken, the blades can be replaced. If the blades don't spin after cleaning them, the repair technician might apply some lubricant to the shaft. If that doesn't help either, the fan motor is probably bad.

Test And Replace The Motor

The appliance repair technician can verify the motor is bad by testing it with a multimeter. When the fan is bad, it has to be replaced. The technician can pull the blades from the old fan and press them onto the shaft of the new fan. Then the new fan can be inserted into the brackets that secure it in place and connected to the wiring.

Once the fan has been replaced and the coil cleaned, the cover can be put back on the back of the refrigerator. The technician will plug the refrigerator back in and then make sure the fan runs when the compressor kicks on and that your refrigerator cools down as it should.

A bad condenser fan is hard on your refrigerator because when the fan isn't working the compressor can overheat. The purpose of the fan is to blow heat out of the refrigerator and away from the compressor and condenser coil. If that doesn't happen, the compressor can be harmed, and then you'll have an expensive repair to deal with. That's why it's important to call a refrigerator repair professional when your appliance makes odd noises or doesn't work properly.

For more information on in-home refrigerator appliance repair, contact a professional near you.

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