Talk to me about refrigerators

[Monty]

Got an older fridge that's been fairly reliable up to now.  It used to keep things very cold, but over the last week or so things are only cool.  The adjustment had been set at the highest point, so nowhere to go there.

Is there some component that could be serviced to bring the lower temps back?  I really can't spring for a new fridge at the moment.

[stitchdup]

Depending what type of fridge it is, you might be able to get it regassed. Usually its catering fridges that have that feature but some household fridges have it too.

[Ace-Garageguy]

As Mr. Budge alludes to, the refrigerant gas can leak out over time. Most fridges I've seen have provision for being evacuated and recharged, just like car AC.

Problem is, if there's a leak and it's not fixed, the recharge is only temporary. Good luck finding a tech who can do it right, assuming he can even get the parts.

I have a small bar fridge my father bought over 50 years ago still chugging merrily along, and a friend who's into old stuff has one from the late '40s that's never needed work either.

They sure don't make stuff like they used to (shouted at the clouds).  

[Tom Geiger]

It could be as simple as needing the coil vacuumed. Take a look at it, couldn’t hurt. 

[ewetwo]

I agree with Tom. I had a friend who had the same thing happen. They had cats. I took off the bottom guard in the front and it was completely blocked with hair. With my fridge every 4 months I take the front guard off. Pull it out form the wall. Remove the cardboard covers. And blow air from my compressor from the back and you would believe the stuff that come out. I don't know why they change the air direction. They use to have the fans set so the air would blow from the back out the front. Now they are set up to suck the air from the front, Sucking everything into the coils.

[espo]

Before you spend a dime on a service call give the coils a good cleaning. The coils are where the fridge does the heat exchange. There are brushes made just for this job and aren't expensive. This is something that should be done on a regular basis but is often overlooked.