For many years now, each of us has had a refrigerator in the kitchen. Life without this unit is already impossible to imagine. And it doesn’t matter if you have an old “World”, “Atlant” or the modern giant “Samsung”. The latter, by the way, are available with the no frost function, that is, with automatic defrosting. But even with them there are problems in the form of ice on the walls. And if for experienced housewives defrosting the refrigerator is commonplace, then for beginners this process can turn into torment and even disaster. To avoid such consequences, we will tell you in detail how to properly defrost a refrigerator. We will also give a couple of valuable tips and tricks that will help you in the difficult task of defrosting the device.
The reasons for the appearance of a snow "coat". Why does ice appear on the walls?
We open the refrigerator every day, and now, once again opening the door, we find that it is problematic to get the product out of the freezer - the “coat” of snow and ice interferes. Why is this happening? Ice formation is a natural process that occurs due to air entering the chamber. However, if the "fur coat" grows too quickly and often, it does not bother to think about the causes of this phenomenon. There may be several of them: the thermostat breaks down, the refrigerator door does not close properly and there are small gaps, you keep the door open too often.
What threatens ice on the walls of the refrigerator?
What threatens the snow "coat"? Its appearance reduces the volume of the freezer, complicates the process of pulling out products. Also, a layer of ice and snow can lead to loss of functionality of the refrigerator or to the cessation of operation of certain parts of the device. In addition, refrigerators with the no frost function begin to work more intensively, which leads to large expenses of electricity and an increase in your bill for it.
Preparing the refrigerator for the defrost process
Before defrosting a refrigerator, it must first be prepared. To do this, you need to remove all products from the refrigerator and freezer and place in a cool room or, if it is winter outside, snow is falling, the temperature is below 0, then they should be taken out to the balcony. If you have a lot of perishable foods, think maybe you should defer defrosting for later. After all, food can simply go bad.
If you still decide, then we will give a couple of tips. So how to quickly defrost a refrigerator? After you have released the unit, it is necessary to lower the temperature to 0 ° C using the control panel and disconnect it from the network by unplugging the cord from the outlet. If you have an old model that does not provide containers for draining water, then first place a container or any other container under the refrigerator, if you do not want to arrange a mini-lake at home. And finally, pull out all the drawers and trays. That's all, your refrigerator is completely ready to defrost. We will discuss this later.
Defrosting technology of the refrigerator and freezer. Different methods
We will look at several ways to defrost a refrigerator, including quick ways if you don’t have time.
The best option, of course, is the natural process of thawing a "fur coat". You just need to open the camera doors and wait until the ice melts and drains on its own. True, this method is suitable only for those who have enough time. If you need to quickly defrost a refrigerator, there are several technologies to speed up the process. Here are a few of them:
- Put a container of boiling water in the refrigerator. Before defrosting the refrigerator, boil water. Place the tray inside the machine. Warm steam will help the ice melt faster. It is not recommended to place bowls inside the freezer.
- Use a hair dryer to direct a stream of hot air into the refrigerator. It will help speed up the defrosting process. True, you may get tired sitting in front of the refrigerator, or the hair dryer may break due to overheating. It is also possible that drops can get on the hair dryer and cause a short circuit.
- If you have a fan at home, you can put it in front of the refrigerator. Then the air flow will enter and contribute to the melting of ice and snow.
- The heater can be used on the same principle as the fan. If desired, you can combine the operation of the heater with bowls filled with boiling water. Then the process will go much faster.
- Clean ice and snow periodically with a soft silicone spatula. This method is in addition to the previous ones. That is, it will be effective only in conjunction with the above methods. It is not recommended to use knives, forks and other hard and prickly-cutting objects. Otherwise, if used improperly, you may damage the walls of the refrigerator or part thereof. Then the performance of the unit will be impaired.
End defrosting. How to act? Advice
Once your refrigerator is completely free of snow and ice, it must be washed well. To eliminate the unpleasant odor after defrosting, add soda, lemon juice or any aromatic oil to the water to give a pleasant aroma. After your refrigerator shines clean inside, do not forget to wash it outside.
And then you should wipe it dry inside and out. Caution: well check the floor under and around the unit for water, so that when switching on there is no short circuit. Products need to be transferred back to the refrigerator when it is already plugged in. In this case, the temperature is already quite low.
Should I defrost a refrigerator? How often do you need to do this?
Now we will answer these and other questions of beginners. So, how often do you need to defrost a refrigerator? The frequency depends on the snow cover in your machine. That is, it is necessary to defrost the refrigerator as an ice build-up appears on the walls and inside the freezer.
There are different models of refrigerators. They differ in size, features and durability. If you have a device with two compressors, then in this model you can defrost the refrigerator and freezer separately. For example, simply disconnecting from the network only the one you need. And if you are wondering how to defrost a two-chamber refrigerator, then the defrosting technology is similar to the method for a conventional unit, if you have a single compressor.
Refrigerator with no frost function. Defrost Features
Many housewives in the kitchen have a modern model with no frost function, that is, “no ice”. In this case, a reasonable question arises as to whether to defrost such a refrigerator. Answer: it is necessary.
Even such refrigerators need to be defrosted at least once a year. In addition, they need to be cleaned weekly with a damp cloth from the inside. By defrosting the refrigerator, you stabilize the cooling system, prevent the spread and emergence of microbes, extend the life of the device.
Recommendations for hostesses
Now we will give useful tips that will help you in the future:
- So that you do not think about defrosting the refrigerator for a long time, store all products in sealed or vacuum containers.
- Do not try to break the ice with a knife or other piercing and cutting objects, you can damage the walls of the refrigerator. Ultimately, it just stops working.
- If any product freezes to the wall of the refrigerator, do not try to tear it off by force. So you only harm the device itself. But what about? How to act correctly? Wait until the product itself falls off the surface of the appliance.
- When using quick defrosting products such as a fan, hairdryer, or other auxiliaries, take into account the fact that the life of your refrigerator may be shortened.
- Do not forget to turn off the unit before defrosting, otherwise it may simply break.
- To prevent the formation of a snow "coat", treat the walls with glycerin.
- When washing the refrigerator, make sure that water droplets do not fall on the internal parts of the mechanism. This may cause damage to the entire unit.
- If the room is at a high temperature, do not defrost the refrigerator. He will try to gain more necessary parameters. And this can shorten the life of the device or its individual parts.
- Some housewives recommend sprinkling a layer of ice with salt so that it melts faster.
Little conclusion
So, now you know how to defrost the Atlant, Zil or Samsung refrigerator. So, there will be no problems with this matter. The main thing - do not forget about the systematic removal of dirt inside the device, careful care and operation of the unit. Then your refrigerator will serve you faithfully for many years!