Refrigerators

Summertime puts an added strain on a refrigerator since it has to work harder to dissipate the summer heat. To ease the appliance's workload, keep the condenser coils clean and free of dust and debris. A coil brush and vacuum work best for this job.

Check all door seals for cracks, tears or poor fit. To check the seals on your refrigerator, close a dollar bill in the door and then give it a pull. If the bill slides away easily, the door may not be sealing tightly enough. Fortunately, seals are replaceable.

Remember that air needs to circulate around the refrigerator, so don' t store things in that small space between the refrigerator and the wall or the adjacent cabinet. Find someplace else for those paper bags.

- Stephen Corwin

-- Anonymous, July 23, 2001