Cleaning condenser coils in your KitchenAid bottom-mount refrigerator
The condenser coils at the bottom of the refrigerator collect dust during normal use. When dust coats the condenser coils, the coils can't release heat into the surrounding air, so the refrigerator has to work harder to stay cold. The result is decreased efficiency and poor cooling performance in the refrigerator. Clean the condenser coils to keep your refrigerator cooling efficiently.
Unplug the refrigerator or shut off the circuit breaker for the refrigerator. To access the condenser coils, remove the bottom front toe grill. On many refrigerator models, you can pull the grill straight out and off of the refrigerator. Check your owner's manual for instructions for removing the front toe grill on your refrigerator. If the coils are under the refrigerator, remove the toe grill to access the coils. Push a coil brush into the condenser coils under the refrigerator. The coil brush knocks the dust off of the condenser coils. Vacuum the area to pick up the dust. After knocking the dust from the coils with a coil brush, vacuum the dust. Snap the bottom front toe grill onto the front of the refrigerator and plug the refrigerator power cord back into the wall outlet.
Top-selling replacement parts for KitchenAid bottom-mount refrigerators
- Ice maker assembly. The ice maker is a complete assembly that contains the ice mold and the control device. It plugs into a wire harness in the freezer or the ice compartment. The ice maker receives water from the inlet water valve and then holds the water in the ice mold until the water is frozen solid. It then automatically ejects the ice and refills to continue the process until the ice storage bucket is detected as full.
- Light switch. The light switch turns the refrigerator light on and off and monitors door position. Replace the light switch if it doesn't work.
- Compressor overload/PTC relay. The overload/PTC relay starts the compressor motor. It has 2 components: an overload protector that trips when the compressor motor overheats or locks up, and a relay. The relay completes the circuits to both the Start Windings and the Run Windings in the compressor motor. Once the motor is started, the relay de-energizes the Start Winding circuit so the compressor motor continues to run using just the run windings.
- Thermistor. The thermistor is a temperature sensor within the refrigerator that sends information to the electronic control board.