Refrigerator or Freezer Caster Kit

Here’s a great product!  Did you ever want to move your refrigerator, maybe to clean the coils behind it, but either couldn’t do it on your own or were worried about your floor?

Enter a Refrigerator or Freezer Caster Kit. 

A Refrigerator or Freezer Caster Kit allows you to easily move your refrigerator or freezer while protecting your floor.

Each Caster Kit comes with a set of 4 heavy-duty wheels.  Each with double 7/8″ diameter and 1-1/2″ wide wheels. The kit is easy to install and also includes a jam nut and installation instructions.

On Sale for $16.99

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Summertime blues: my garage refrigerator no longer works; no longer keeps things cold

A garage refrigerator can be a handy item providing extra refrigerated storage space and allowing close proximity to the outdoors grill. Most people use their old kitchen refrigerator for this purpose.

However, be aware that many household refrigerators were not designed to operate in extreme outdoor temperatures and that this can cause the refrigerator to either run constantly, stop freezing/cooling or to stop working altogether.

According to Whirlpool’s Website, your refrigerator should not be placed in areas where, “temperatures go below 40°F or hotter than 100°F.”  The hotter the temperature inside your garage, the more the compressor will need to run in order to keep temperatures low. A constantly running refrigerator requires more energy and can wear out parts of your refrigerator faster like the compressor. Once a refrigerator’s compressors is shot, it will need to be replaced by a certified professional as this is a sealed system and only an EPA certified technician can legally work on a sealed system.

If your garage refrigerator is not cooling or your garage freezer is not freezing, there are a few items you can check:

Make sure that there is power to the appliance from the outlet

Check to see if the light comes on when you open the door. If not, see if there is power to the refrigerator by plugging it into a different outlet. Test the old outlet with another electric device that you know works. If there’s no power, check your fuse or circuit breaker.

Check/Adjust the temperature controls
The ideal temperature inside your refrigerator should be 40ºF or below, and your freezer 0ºF or below. Try adjusting the temperature controls for your refrigerator and freezer to make sure the proper temperatures are reached. Sometimes, rearranging how you put your foods in the refrigerator can make a big difference.

Refrigerators have either a mechanical defrost timer, or an ADC (Adaptive Defrost Control). If your refrigerator has a mechanical timer, set the cold control to the coldest setting and then advance the defrost timer. You can manually advance the timer with a screwdriver. Insert the screwdriver into the advancement pinion and turn clockwise a 1/4 to 3/8’s of a turn. If the compressor starts, replace the defrost timer.

Check your refrigerator’s door seal for leaks, cracks

Try putting a dollar bill between the gasket and the frame of the freezer as you close the door. If the dollar comes out without resistance, then you need a new door gasket. A tight seal around your fridge’s door keeps cold air from escaping and keeps the hot air out.

While checking the gasket, make sure your refrigerator shuts properly. It’s easy to make hinge door adjustments if necessary.

See if the compressor is running

The compressor is in a case with no visible moving parts. It is usually located at the back of the refrigerator near the bottom. If it’s humming, or making a steady noise, and your refrigerator is still not cooling properly, there could be a problem with one or more various components.

If you don’t hear anything, you can take the cover off the side of the compressor and test for voltage at the two leads. If no voltage is present, it’s time to check the cold control. To test if the cold control is bad, you can temporarily jump the two wires at the cold control. If you get power to the compressor after doing so, the cold control needs to be replaced.

Sometimes you can hear a click-buzz-click sound coming from the compressor. This is the relay/overload at work. If you hear this, power is getting to the compressor. If you do, something is wrong with either the compressor or the compressor starting components. If you have a newer model with solid-state starting components, you may not hear anything at all.

Some tips in order to keep your Garage refrigerator running

Keep some frozen jugs of bottled water inside the garage refrigerator

In order to help keep the inside temperature low. Believe it or not, having no food or items inside your refrigerator causes the refrigerator to run more often to cool the empty space. When storing water jugs in the freezer, be sure not to fill the jugs up all the way to the top as the ice will expand.

Clean the condenser coils on your refrigerator.
The coils, located behind and under refrigerator, can accumulate dust, lint, and pet hair. Inside a dusty old garage, the problem can be worse. The accumulation of these deposits will make your refrigerator work harder to cool. Unplug the unit and use a coil condenser brush and/or a vacuum to clean the coils.

Give it Some Space
Condenser coils on the back of the refrigerator need some room to allow heat to radiate away from the fridge. Make sure your refrigerator is not too close to the wall or adjacent cabinets.

Don’t forget the drain pan
Clean the panel that covers the drain pan and other components. The panel helps to direct air-flow away from the fridge, allowing the fridge to work more efficiently.

For more refrigerator help

Refrigerator Repair Help

Ask a Refrigerator Repair Question

Popular Refrigerator replacement parts

Congratulations to all our winners in our “Help Fill Up Our Appliance Repair Forum and Win!” Contest

Sadly, we have come to the end of our “Help Fill Up Our Appliance Repair Forum and Win!” Contest. You can see a list of winners on our website.

We would like to thank everyone who took the time to enter and contribute valuable content to our Appliance Repair Forum. Please keep posting those appliance repair questions.  We also welcome any knowledgeable appliance repair experts to our forum, to help answer appliance repair questions. We want our appliance repair forum to be a source of knowledge for people to help them repair their household appliance themselves.

We also want do-it-yourselfers to know about our online Appliance Repair Library where you can find answers to frequently asked questions about  refrigerator repairs, gas stove, range, oven repairs, washing machine repairs and more. Visit the Appliance repair Library to find answers to your appliance repair problems.

Appliance Repair Help:

• “Help Fill Up Our Appliance Repair Forum and Win!” Contest Winners
• Appliance Repair Forum
• Appliance Repair Library

You can learn a lot by a person just by looking at their refrigerator door

Here’s a fun article from the Lawrence Journal World and News online, “Magnetic appeal: What does your refrigerator decor say about you?”, talking about the different ways people decorate their refrigerator doors and what it says about them.

For example, Mildred Munjanganja, vice president of LifeOrganizers.com says, “Artists might have artwork, writers might have quotes, thrifty people might have coupons, and cooks might have favorite recipes.”

So what’s on your refrigerator door? Is it a simple shopping list? Magnets from places you have vacationed? Family photos and doctor appointments?

Mildred Munjanganja, vice president of LifeOrganizers.com offers some refrigerator door organizations tips including:

• Place the most important items on the left-hand side of the fridg
• Place least important items toward the botto
• If items are meant for a child, place it close to the bottom where he or she is able to read them.
• Read the rest of her tips and the complete article online.

Of course, all this family artwork, magnets and other items, can scratch the refrigerator door’s paint and finish. Luckily, appliance touch-up paints allow you to get rid of unsightly scratches.

If your refrigerator is stainless steel, Scratch-B-Gone, a product that removes scratches, rust and other marks from stainless steel appliances, will help you keep your appliances looking like new.

Why does it seem like my refrigerator runs constantly?

When working properly, the thermostat turns the compressor on and off. Once the thermostat turns the compressor on, it will run until the temperature inside the refrigerator is lower than the setting of the thermostat.

Refrigerator Defrost Thermostat, Commonly used in refrigerators from Whirlpool, Kenmore, and others, $31.72

Make sure that the refrigerator has enough air clearance on all sides. Refrigerators with a condenser coil grid on the back of them need room to radiate the heat away from the coils.

Verify that the door light switch is working properly. Push the switch with your finger to verify the light is turning off. If the light stays on, it will actually warm the interior of the refrigerator. Fix or replace the switch if it is faulty.

Modern refrigerators have larger freezer compartments and therefore run for longer periods of time. They also start and stop very frequently to maintain an even temperature. This is especially true if you have just put a lot of warm food in the refrigerator, or if it is very hot and humid. It can take several hours to get back to the cool temperature you have it set for after putting a large amount of food in it.

Refrigerator Compressor, includes electricals and is commonly used on Frigidaire, Tappan, Westinghouse, Gibson, and other brands as well. -$247.09

If the compressor is not shutting off when the temperature inside the refrigerator is cold enough, you may have a bad thermostat. You may also have the temperature set too high in the refrigerator. Try adjusting the thermostat to a lower temperature. If this turns the compressor off, you had it set too high. With the help of a refrigerator thermometer, you can find a more ideal setting that will keep your food cold, but not so cold that the compressor is always running. If raising the temperature setting doesn’t help, it may be a problem with the thermostat and you will need to replace it.

If your thermostat is working properly, there’s a chance that you have low levels of refrigerant in the sealed system. If this is where the symptoms lead you, you need to contact a professional appliance repair person. Only an EPA certified technician can legally work on a sealed system. If you attempt to do work on this system, you will void the warranty.

Refrigerator Thermometer, Hang or stand this item inside of your refrigerator to monitor the temperature. - $15.59

If this is a new refrigerator, it will run for a long time, almost constantly, before it gets cooled enough to stabilize the interior temperature. Allow up to 24 hours for it to stabilize. The refrigerator should be at least one half to two thirds full. This will help to maintain a stable temperature inside the unit. The cold items inside will help to keep an even temperature inside after the door has been opened and closed.

Some people prefer to keep a lot of stuff in the refrigerator as ballast, even jugs of water. This helps to maintain temperatures inside so that when the door gets opened and closed often, it doesn’t need to run as much to maintain the temperature inside.

• Refrigerator Replacement Appliance Parts
• Common Questions About Refrigerators
• Maintenance Tips for Refrigerators

 

Whirpool Microban Refrigerator Air Filter

Keep your refrigerator smelling fresh and your food tasting great by purchasing a Whirpool Microban Refrigerator Air Filter. This new product from Whirlpool works better than the traditional old, box of baking soda because it pushes air through a filter attached to the refrigerator’s vents. The filter uses activated carbon technology and also provides an antimicrobial protection with Microban. Reduced fridge odors will help your food retain its flavor; perfect for the holidays.

The thin filter fits over special internal vents in 22 and 25 cubic foot Whirlpool and KitchenAid freestanding side-by-side refrigerators, so the filter doesn’t take up additional, valuable storage space. The Whirpool Microban Refrigerator Air Filter Kit is easy to install and doesn’t require any tools. Replacement filters are available and it is recommended you change them every six months.

You can buy the Whirpool Microban Refrigerator Air Filter Kit online at APWagner.com as well as replacement filters.

View a demo on how the New Whirpool Microban Refrigerator Air Filter fights odors and preserves your food's flavor.

For more information, view an online demo of how the filter works.

Easy Appliance Fixes

Nothing makes you feel more foolish that calling a repair man only to have him flip a switch, push a button, clean the lint out of your dryer and then hand you a $100 bill for something you could have done yourself.

Before you dial your phone, check out these easy, simple, and quick appliance fixes that you can do yourself.

Save money! Appliance repairs are not always complicated. Read about some simple fixes.

Problem: Garbage disposer won’t spin.

Simple Repair Fix: If your garbage disposer won’t start, push the reset button located at the bottom of the disposer. All disposers have an overload feature that automatically shuts off the power when the motor becomes overloaded and gets too hot. Wait till the motor cools and push the reset button usually located on the side of or under the unit.

If the disposer hums, but doesn’t spin, it may have something stuck in it. Switch the disposer off, and try manually turning the blades with a disposer wrench or Allen wrench by turning a bottom bolt located on the bottom and outside of the disposer’s canister.

Problem: Your refrigerator is not cooling properly or stops cooling.

Simple Repair Fix: Check the coils for pet hair and debris buildup. The coils are the black tube-and-wire grid that cools the fluid in the compressor. Dirty coils will cause the compressor to overheat and trigger the overload switch. Your coils will be located in one of two places: open the grille at the bottom of the refrigerator to get to the coils or pull out your fridge to get to the coils on back. Use a coil cleaning brush to brush off the coils and a vacuum to clean.

Cleaning your refrigerator coils will also save you money by cooling more efficiently.

Problem: Your dishwasher is not getting your dishes clean.

Simple Repair Fix: Food and other debris get stuck in the dishwasher filter preventing water from getting to the spray arms. To clean your dishwasher filter, pull out the lower dishwasher rack and remove the filer cover located inside the bottom of your dishwasher. Remove debris off the screen (or use a wet vacuum if you have one). Test the float switch by sliding it up and down to make sure nothing is stuck to prevent it from working properly. If it sticks, clean it with water.

If you need dishwasher repair help, garbage disposal repair help, or refrigerator repair help, check out our online appliance repair section. Best of all, you can order appliance parts right off of the same site. APWagner has been in business since 1928, so you know it’s a name you can trust.

Why is my refrigerator leaking water?

Do you have a refrigerator leak? Photo Source: stock.xchng/http://www.sxc.hu

Refrigerators with a defrost cycle drain the melted water from the evaporator coils through a tube or a hole into a drip pan underneath the refrigerator. The water usually evaporates, but most times the pan is removable and can be drained. If this path of water is blocked at any point because the drain hole or tube is crimped or clotted with anything, it will back up inside the refrigerator area and try to find a way out, usually under the crisper drawers. To fix this, clear the obstruction in the drain tube. The drain pan at the bottom of the refrigerator can overflow or get old, crack, and develop a leak. Other times, mold can grow in the drain tube and clog it.

Most refrigerators have an ice and/or water system built into them. This means that you have a waterline attached to the back of your refrigerator and it comes out as ice or cold water. Anywhere that water travels through the refrigerator and freezer can turn into a leak. To find the leak, you need to follow the tubes that carry the water through the appliance and make sure that all connections are tight.

Leaking containers or spills in the refrigerator can be misdiagnosed as leaks. First make sure that there are no puddles of juice, milk, water, etc. on one of the large capacity shelves.

Buy Refrigerator Parts online at ApWagner.com, including Hotpoint Refrigerator Parts, Admiral Refrigerator Parts, Whirlpool Refrigerator Parts, plus many more, check out our name brand appliance parts page for a full list. Get Refrigerator Repair Help and help fixing your other household appliance online at our Repair Center. Use our appliance model search and get diagrams of your appliance which help while making repairs.

Get your kitchen ready for Thanksgiving.

Make sure your kitchen is ready for Thanksgiving with these helpful tips. Photo Source: stock.xchng/http://www.sxc.hu

Even though it is months away, be sure your kitchen is ready for a marathon day of cooking and entertaining.

• Replace broken refrigerator door bars and broken shelves.
• Replace missing stove knobs, replace stove drip pans
• Make sure your oven and stove are working properly. See our Repair Center guide for any problems you are having with your gas or electric stove. Order any parts you need for your electric or gas stove now; don’t wait last minute to make repairs!
• Sharpen your knives. If you do not own a tool for proper sharpening, a kitchen shop or hardware supply store can sometimes provide this service.
• Make sure you have a good oven thermometer to make sure foods are properly cooked.
• Be sure to replace/change your water filter. Good cooking starts with clean, great-tasting water.
• Breakout the mixers and food processors. Make sure you have all the mixer and food processors parts you need in order to make those great Thanksgiving Day dishes. If you are missing a mixer or food processors part, order your missing part online. You can even order specialty parts online like Sausage Stuffer Attachment Part, and Fruit & Vegetable Strainer Parts.
• Make sure you have enough bowls, serving bowls, cutting boards (use separate ones for vegetables and poultry) measuring spoons, and cups.

If you need any parts for your kitchen appliances, visit APWagner.com now to order parts online. Don’t wait, repairs take time. Preparation is the key to having a successful and relaxing holiday.

Below are some excellent websites with other tips and tricks for preparing for Thanksgiving Day including cooking Thanksgiving Day Dinner and Thanksgiving Day decorating ideas

• Martha Stewart.com – Thanksgiving Day cooking and decorating.
• The Food Network’s Thanksgiving Day recipes and menus
• Southern Living Magazine’s Thanksgiving Day
• Thanksgiving Day Cooking Tips
• Real Simple Magazine’s Thanksgiving Day recipes, articles and organization advice.