Tired of cleaning fridge coils..here's what I did

[Virtuoso]

Our Roper side-by-side has the condenser coils on the bottom of the fridge, with a fan in the rear that pulls air across them. Once a year, at least, I have to pull it out, tip it back, and clean these coils off. They get dirty fast in our house

This is a rather large fridge, and it's a PITA to do, so here's what I've come up with. I bought some HVAC vent filters at my local Menards and my awesome wife cut them to fit in the spaces on the bottom cover. I'd like to figure out a more secure way of seating them in there, but for now they're not going anywhere. I figure, replacing these filters every 2-3 months should be a lot easier than muscling this thing around every 9-12, and can be done alone vs. needing a partner.

Hopefully this will save me some trouble, and maybe someone else can use/improve the idea.

 

[John_K]

Great idea, but my wife would never go for how it looked.

John

 

[Virtuoso]

The above picture shows the inside of the cover, here's a pic (don't mind the kiddy decorations) of it installed:

 

[edwardh1]

does it reduce air flow?

 

[Virtuoso]

Based on the primitive tests I could do, there is no noticable reduction in flow. Hopefully if there is, it's no worse than having the coils coated in dust after 9 months.

 

[greenaccord02]

Brilliant!

 

[JHZR2]

That is a nice idea! What make/model did you use for the filter that got cut up?

Maybe this is dumb, but are we sure that all of the air comes through this grille, across the grille then out? Will air just go around and under the wheels/casters?

It would be nice if refrigerators were protected by a removable filter like furnaces use... Mine is in a notch of my butler's pantry and so getting in/behind is near impossible unless I'm pulling the doors and removing the unit... It is very tight.

 

[Virtuoso]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
That is a nice idea! What make/model did you use for the filter that got cut up?

Maybe this is dumb, but are we sure that all of the air comes through this grille, across the grille then out? Will air just go around and under the wheels/casters?

It would be nice if refrigerators were protected by a removable filter like furnaces use... Mine is in a notch of my butler's pantry and so getting in/behind is near impossible unless I'm pulling the doors and removing the unit... It is very tight.



The filter's I bought are called 'Vent Filters' and are designed to fit into floor registers..providing extra air filtration I guess. They are 4"x12" in size and came in a pack of 12 for about $3. We used about two and a quarter of them for the project..so if I do this every two months it should last about a year. Hoping I won't have to fool with it for about three months though.

The grille cover fits nicely over the metal frame of the fridge down there..and there's very little space under it. Maybe half the space needed to slide one of the colored magnetic letters (the thin ones seen in picture #2) under. If I had to guess, I'd say 95%+ of the air for the coils goes through that grille. No other points of entry. The far left side has no filters because it's an exhaust exit (as is the rear of the fridge).

I totally agree with you about the removable filters.. they should come standard on these models with a fan for the condenser coils. They get dirty in a hurry!

 

[Smoky14]

Mine exhausts out the front,I may try one in the rear tho.

 

[daves66nova]

Hmmm, I should also do this but with a K&n filter.

 

[Al]

Great idea.. Although it takes me only about 20 minutes to push the thing out and take care of the problem. But the point is the coils will be cleaner longer.

 

[Virtuoso]

Update:

So far it's working out real well. I put the filters in service on January 16th and changed them out on March 27th. I'm not sure I'll run them quite as long this time, though. They were pretty dirty! On the plus side, the coils look just like they did in January.

Here's a pic of the old ones next to the new ones I put in. I may add some velcro strips just to help keep them in place, as they're just pressed in right now.

The amount of dust in our house is amazing. During the heavy heating season, we have to change our Merv 7 pleated furnace filter's every 2-3 weeks or our heater will start hitting it's temperature limits.

 

[kkreit01]

Humm, I've never cleaned mine in 13 years. I wonder what they look like?

 

[Schmoe]

But isn't there a good size gap between the floor and the air grate? As light as dust bunnies are, I'd think they'd take the path of least resistance. Just for grins, have you pulled the fridge out and looked to see if the coils are actually cleaner since you've tried this new methodology? I'd be interested in trying your idea.

 

[Drew99GT]

HAAAAAAAAAAAAA! I did the EXACT same thing on my fridge using electrostatic vent/furnace register filters. Between my dog and 2 cats, the condenser on my fridge will plug solid with fur after 6 months.

Great minds think alike. I use those vent filters on a lot of things. They don't limit airflow and do a decent job of filtering.

 

[Schmoe]

I got some extra's in the attic that I've kept, for some unknown reason. Now I know the reason!!!!

 

[John K]

We have a bottom freezer LG, and the book says to vacuum from the front. The space there is narrower than the crevice tool on a vacuum cleaner, does absolutely nothing. I have to roll the fridge out and remove the back to do a good job. Near as I can tell all the coils are at the back and the lower back. Sometimes I don't think of doing it until the fridge won't maintain low enough temperatures....

 

[Cutehumor]

I've been thinking of cleaning my subzero fridge that came with my house. the vent is up top, but there are some screws that I have never seen before holding the grill in place. I'll have to investigate it later.

 

[2Fast4U]

Great idea! I have that exact same filter material and cover my lawn mower air filter once a year with a 'replacement' and just used compressed air a few times during the year to blow it off.