When to replace the refrigerator at home
No household appliance, not even the best, lasts forever. And all, on the other hand, have an average life. In the case of the refrigerator, we are talking about 10-15 years.
But how do you know when it's time to change it? An excellent idea is to play in advance, deciding to buy a new one when you reach – for example – the ten-year milestone.
The reason is obvious: waiting for an irreparable breakdown means not only being faced with a sudden discomfort but also being forced to make a hasty choice, risking buying a model that in reality does not perfectly suit one's own needs and those of one's family as well as the daily habits.
Also it is not possible to go hunting for any bargains and promotions.
On the other hand, keep in mind that an outdated refrigerator can be perfectly functional but consume a lot; the more modern ones belong at least to energy efficiency class A+, many reach A++ and A+++, so a replacement would involve an initial expense, but the same amount would be amortized in a short time through concrete savings on the electricity bill.
It must also be said that the components of old-fashioned appliances, let's say so, deteriorate gradually causing a clear drop in performance, especially as regards the cooling capacity and keeping the temperature down, particularly during the summer.
Do built-in or free-standing fridges last longer?
Here, this is a question that many ask themselves: does it last longer built-in refrigerator or a freestanding refrigerator? There are those who are convinced that the latter has a higher average life than the former due to a ventilation issue, but this is a commonplace.
Built-in refrigerators are designed to be placed inside a piece of furniture; it is therefore not a stretch and their functioning is based precisely on this concept, therefore the producers act accordingly and nothing is left to chance.
Rather, it can happen that a built-in refrigerator fails prematurely because it is positioned incorrectly.
In other words, it happens that the piece of furniture in question does not have the necessary air passage points and that, therefore, the compressors end up breaking.
But we reassure you immediately: it is rare.
And this eventuality, which coincides with a project defined incorrectly, concerns products and kitchens that are very, indeed too cheap.
Rather, we recommend not closing the space remaining on the back of the cabinet in any way.
In short, let's put it this way: in theory all refrigerators have the same duration, but freestanding ones require less attention.
Especially if it's not new anymore, sometimes the refrigerator stops cooling as it should.
This doesn't necessarily mean that you have to change it and it doesn't even mean that you have to call someone: a lot depends on the cause of the problem.
In some cases, simply the thermostat is not adjusted correctly, so this is the first check to do.
The solution takes a few seconds.
In other cases, the thermostat needs to be replaced, but you can do it yourself by spending around ten euros.
Check them out too gaskets which cover the internal perimeter of the door and which allow thethermal insulation: if they are worn, the cold air escapes outside.
This is also a simple job to do independently after purchasing the spare part.
It also happens that the refrigerator compartment does not cool properly because there is too much ice in the freezer, so just defrost to solve it.
Then there are the more “serious” hypotheses, namely the compressor malfunction or one loss of refrigerant gas.
In these cases the only thing to do is to call a technician.
