Most of our household appliances do not experience any problems when it is unplugged. But, this particular thing can differ for the refrigerators. We all are aware of the fact that the refrigerators are meant to keep food cool as well as fresh 24/7.
When you are going on a vacation and you will have to unplug the refrigerator and this is natural. This is not applicable for a short duration trip, but, when you are out for more than a month then there is no such option available for you.
So, does it cause any harm to your refrigerator if done for a long period? You must also have heard that keeping your refrigerator plugged throughout helps to maximize the efficiency of the appliance.
In this post, you will have a clear idea about this and also, you will get to know about the best time to opt for expert refrigerator repair services.
What Happens When You Unplug Your Refrigerator?
When you unplug your refrigerator and re-plug it after that, you will notice that the compressor may not start. This occurs mainly due to the pressure accumulation. The compressor of the refrigerator is vital as it lies at the central part of the refrigeration cycle. So, when you plug as well as re-plug it immediately, it can cause damage to the compressor.
This is considered to be the main reason, why you should have to wait for about 15 minutes before you switch it again. Moreover, there is no harm to leave your refrigerator unplugged for a longer period. In some of the causes, you even have to opt for refrigerator repair services that will solve this compressor problem for you.
Apart from that, when you have unplugged your refrigerator, the temperature starts to rise and there is the retention of moisture. As a result, this sort of environment is known to be suitable for the growth of microorganisms as well as bacteria.
The bacteria start to reproduce. Sometimes, the situation can become worse with the closure of the refrigerator door. In turn, it causes a very bad odour in the refrigerator.
Important Precautions That You Should Take
Before turning off as well as unplugging your refrigerator, you should always take some important precautions. You might be worried about your refrigerator when you are going for a vacation of longer duration i.e. more than 4 weeks.
So, here are given some of the important precautions that you should consider while you unplug the fridge.
-
Removing All the Food
One of the best options is to specifically remove all the food, in case you want to unplug your refrigerator. After that, you should turn off the circuit breaker. In an unplugged fridge, food can easily go bad.
-
Turning Of The Temperature Control And The Icemaker Off
You should always ensure to do this, in case your fridge is fitted with an ice maker. But, you should always focus to bring it into the cleaning position. This will ensure proper cleaning.
Turning off the water supply as well as temperature control are some other integral steps that you should follow. You may go through to the refrigerator manual if you do not know how to exactly do it.
-
Cleaning It Thoroughly
There may be an accumulation of some food particles in your fridge specifically on different parts. This thing can easily attract unwanted pests such as roaches to your refrigerator. So, thorough cleaning is an integral step that you should follow.
This will help in the prevention of any kind of bad odour whenever the refrigerator is not plugged. Along with that, you should also clean the ice maker. For this, you can make use of baking soda while cleaning which will make sure that the refrigerator stays fresh.
-
Keeping It Dry
You may be aware of the fact that the bacteria usually multiply in warm as well as moist areas. To prevent this thing, you should always dry the refrigerator with the help of a cloth, after you clean it.
Conclusion
It is advisable to keep your refrigerator plugged every time. But, if you unplug it for a long time and experience any sorts of problems, you can hire refrigerator repair service professionals who will solve those issues for you.