Tool Tip #33 An Easy Way to Clean Refrigerator Coils

[@Davethreshold]

Hello 8 years later! I had the classic water drip inside, fixed that with all the ideas on here. Now, to do it right, I'm going to do what you just did. One GREAT idea you have here: I have tried the box/filter fan when cleaning out my computer, but I did not think of using SHORT BURSTS to give the fan a chance to catch up. GOOD ONE, and thank you for this!🧡

[@jimmychadwick8126]

You addressed the chore in a way that shows that you know how to work: concept, tools, consideration of nearby environment--all taken into account. Good job! Thanks for that way-professional video production too.

[@cdf6333]

Thanks for the great idea. I didn't have a box fan or a cheap filter so I improvised a little. I took an old, clean queen bed sheet and soaked it in water. Then I draped it over back of the fridge and used the compressed air. It worked probably almost as well as your idea. Then I soaked another sheet, hung it over the front and blew from the back. Not squeaky clean but pretty clean. Thanks again, this is my least favorite home chore.

[@ItisGlennTime]

Now that's a good alternative....I may do that...thanks.

[@coyotedreams3902]

Thank you for the great video! My fridge has been freezing all my food and I think it's time to clean the coils after like maybe 6 years of not doing it. I love that your tone of voice and heavy sighs convey EXACTLY how I feel about this household task. Guh! Wish me luck.

[@troy3456789]

The first time I observed them I saw how bad off dusty [and difficult] they were, and said "Screw it", and I used a leaf blower and covered my kitchen in giant dust clumps. I spent less than *one* minute making my coils perfectly clean, and 20 minutes cleaning the kitchen. It was worth it.

[@yamnjam]

You read my mind. I was thinking of putting a big wet rag towel behind the fridge to catch the dust and using my leaf blower! I don't have an air compressor so thanks for confirming it will work.

[@georgeleong1572]

I might to give that a try.

[@troy3456789]

@@georgeleong1572 if your coils are on the bottom, and you have a leaf blower, it will work. Your coils will be clean and the room in which your fridge sits will be covered in dust, clumps of dust bunnies.

[@mimis105dobbins3]

I love the way you think,Thank you.God bless

[@stevedoesthings6757]

Great idea! I don’t have a compressor either, got out my Toro electric leaf blower and cleaned my coils in 30 seconds flat! This fridge is in the garage so I wasn’t worried about the dust. Perfect!

[@dlcarlson1959]

This guy just saved us all either a repair call or, worse yet, a new refrigerator expense. Thank you, this is an excellent how-to video. Thank you mars1952

[@ionymous6733]

I removed the lower ~12" back panel on mine and used painters tape to tape on plastic sheet. I cut a slit for the vacuum hose to stick in, then ran the vacuum while I air compressed the front like you. No dust problems either. I did find i had to vacuum the back edge at the end once i removed the plastic. Another approach.

[@gmvalentine626]

Good idea. I do not have a box fan so this is a good option for me.

[@kkpaine]

Ion Ymous 👍🏼👌

[@samtx5518]

Genius!

[@stevemooers5501]

he had a great idea and you improved on it, great job and thanks for sharing....

[@jmar385]

Why not just use a leaf blower and blow it from the back to the front & just used a wet towel in the front

[@shiffroninc.4977]

Great idea with the fan. I cut up a window screen and installed it in front of the coils. Now a quick vacuum clears the screen and coils stay much cleaner.

[@steveandrews8301]

Expanding on that great idea, maybe one could instead just put a cut strip of cheap, low resistance, high air flow A/C evaporator filter material across the front of these fridge condenser coils, doing the same thing as the window screen method you used, but better.

[@203khelpdesk3]

GENIUS idea including the square floor fan with filter attached to it while you use air compressor to blow the dust on the coils into the fan. Just GENIUS!

[@mnw117]

Thanks so much ... I watched several videos before finding yours .... yours was the first to address the issue of the difficulty in accessing the coils. I used my leaf blower instead of compressed air. It worked great ... I hung a sheet over the back of the fridge to try to control the dust, but still made a complete mess of the house, but if you want to make an omelet you gotta break some eggs. Thanks Again!

[@perfectlessons]

Thank you! I used my vacuum in blower mode on one side and my husband using the wet-dry vac sucking up anything that came through on the other!

[@margaretmckarr271]

Brilliant! Those accordion folds of coils are impossible any other way unless turned the fridge over! This is SO much easier/more intelligent! Thank you!

[@RngrDngr1]

Brilliant and I have this exact set up under my Whirlpool. I'm with you as there is no reason to design the condenser coils to be lined up this way. If they were opposite, you could clean them in a snap. Even when people try, they can't really get a complete delousing of the coils without using your technique! Kudos

[@opera93]

Thanks: my whirlpool set up also, whirlpool’s: have not see how to remove screen to,get vacuum on Coils**:: probabilities of trying to get “”one inch PVC/tubing/flexible 1 inch : tape on end of my vacuum crevice Tool , insert thru Screens, etc.””.!!! I Did it some 20:years ago,ps What did you do to get DUST BUNNIES.,?.

[@stevemurray710]

The government created this problem by coming up with energystar and the stupid yellow efficiency labels. Politicians can say how they saved the planet but once the frig is 3 month old it will forever use more electric as it's clogged. Prior frig had coils on back but no fan blowing on coils. Could be easily cleaned.

[@gerryspraitzar3348]

Superb video. I have a refrigerator just like the one shown here. An alternate air source, if you don't have compressed air available, is canned air that you can purchase at a computer/office supply store used for cleaning computers/keyboards. Really like the creative problem solving by using a common inexpensive furnace filter to collect dust. Well done and thank you for making this video.

[@dianeshupe3791]

I totally agree well done

[@edrosser6880]

Great explanation and video. Yes, the older refrigerators had the coils positioned for easy cleaning, the newer models, like this one, seem designed to prevent easy cleaning and early obsolescence. Thank you.

[@kevinfarrell3121]

First, THANKS for your Genius A-Team ingenuity! I am mind blown! I was cursing Maytag yesterday hard enough that it would make a truck driver blush! I couldn’t clean those coils if I emptied it and layed it on its back! Someone should take those appliance companies to court over this garbage. They know exactly what they’re doing! These coils need some type of external filter, cause this might be the ONLY way to clean that garbage!

[@Patriottoo2]

This was a great way to make a dirty job easy... clever use of split screen. Very amusing to see the mouse get captured on the filter, and crawl to the edge.😀

[@alaskanaking]

Your idea gave me an idea of another way to do it. I have the Kirkland (Costco) Whirlpool. It was totally clogged with dust and running hot. I didn't have the filter you used so I did it this way. I duct taped the sides of the refrigerator to the floor, and also the back to the floor. This left only the front open. There is a cardboard at the bottom of the back that has 3 columns of louvers. I duct taped the louvers except for the top 3 on the left column. I had my wife hold the hose from our shop vac (RIDGID 16 Gal. 6.5-Peak HP Wet Dry Vac Model# WD1851) on the 3 louver slots that weren't taped shut. I used my Porter-Cable Pancake Air Compressor with a "wand" to blast the dust off of the coils. I didn't have to use short bursts. I had it on full air for a few minutes. The shop vac was powerful enough to not allow hardly any dust from escaping. It worked great.

[@ItisGlennTime]

Can I borrow your SHOP VAC ?

[@libertylif1263]

You shouldn't have had to go through all that trouble!

[@LetsBike2]

This just what I did too... used my wet dry vac. but no tape just some old towels around the two sides and in the front where the vacuum tube was pushed in... turned the vac on and used little puffs to clean... excellent video... now I will have to find the extender toy you used for my next cleaning...

[@blainemitchell]

I am a "Big Fan" of this idea. Thanks.

[@Ceares]

Saw someone cleaning bottom coils who said tilt the fridge and Holy Cow! This is so much easier than trying to do that in the small space in my kitchen. So much easier than emptying everything out of my fridge. I wish I had seen this yesterday before I spent $40 on coolers and ice so I could tilt and vacuum. Thanks!

[@milagrossmith4891]

Excellent video! I just got a replacement refrigerator for free because mine is out again and it was inquiring. When I unscrew the bottom, it was full of dust and I cleaned it. Thanks for this video.

[@mmmona71]

Brilliant! Thank you! I am glad we have an air compressor and could use this clever approach to clean those barricaded coils. So irritating that they're designed this way. But I got a lot of satisfaction at seeing all the dirt, fur, and dust being blown out.

[@richrocketlll]

I just went to clean the coils. When I saw the set up under I put a small hose on the vacuum and tapped it up. I could only get to the first two rows with my vac rig. Next time I change the water filter on fridge I will break out the compressor and do it the way you did. Thanks for the video its a big help.

[@stefanvater4901]

Best video I saw on this.... mine is a kitchen aid frig with the same issue of having coils that you can not brush out.... love the fan idea. thank you for doing the thinking of how to do it for me.

[@dorislachapelle2830]

I am so glad I saw this video. I had vacuumed the coils the best I could, but there was still so much dust I could not reach. The compressed air did the trick.

[@kaytwiner5765]

OMG !! Thank you... I have been trying every brush and vacuume attachment I own! The fan and compressor are the best idea ANYONE put out there. Brilliant 😀

[@jenniferherd9271]

LOVE the use of the box fan! Brilliant.

[@nickhayes5359]

You're RIGHT! Coils are impossible to clean with a brush. I have an air compressor so this video is a $$$$ saver! Thanks so much!

[@barkingdoggai]

I gotta lay off those G&Ts when something important needs to be done. Finally ran out of Gin and went to work. It cleaned off all the fuzz, dead spiders, centipedes and pieces of glass from the dropped broken Gin bottles. But I forgot the fan was supposed to be faced to pull the crap away from the fridge. So it was like a circle firing squad . After the second hour my Colleen noticed the problem and told me to turn the fan around. It worked a lot better that way.

[@craig11152]

And your "go to" Gin?

[@barkingdoggai]

Craig - My G&T Gin is Seagrams and Schweppes T water. My on the rocks (OTR) Gin is any of the Navy Strength Gin brands available at the grog shop I happen to be in. The NSG is, for me, an economic consideration. Being in transit on my 90th Circumnavigation of the Sun, (soon to be my 91st) the blurs occur sooner with OTR NSG than with Seagrams, thus I arrive in Camelot sooner and the pawn shop later.

[@seattledanr5363]

I thought I had come up with a clever idea of using the air compressor to blow out the unreachable coils, then saw this video you made in 2016! I used a vacuum alongside the air nozzle to pick up the dust, but your box fan/filter (which I have sitting idle in my wood shop right now) is a MUCH better idea. Thanks for posting and also showing the dual-video so we could watch the dust bunnies being sucked into the filter in the back. Oddly satisfying... ;-)

[@dwweed3885]

You are the only one who made it possible for me to clean ALL the coils. Thank you so much

[@akontilis1792]

Such a great idea. You called out the exact reason this is such a hassle (they want to sell you a new fridge sooner!!) I'm such a cleaning nerd that I really appreciated your split screen view that showed the fan/filter combo instantly collecting all the dislodged dust from the compressed air. Thank you!

[@richardvonschiltz2624]

Thank you my dear brother for this unique and positive way to clean the dust and the coils nicely! You are a gifted man. I just gave my 20" fan away before I watched your video, I do have a air compressor, so a little more dust! Thanks again! Your help is valuable!

[@renasiscoe7443]

I knew our fridge coils needed cleaning but didn’t realize how hard it would be. Thank you for this video, it is exactly how our fridge looked. It was a dirty job but it is now clean. Followed how you cleaned your’s and it was a great instructional video.

[@sandyshoremann7524]

Thanks for the tip; Pretty smart! I Just did my wife's fridge this morning as the fridge was running almost 24/7. I didn't pull mine out from the wall, as last time I took the back off - there was nothing back there to service, the fan was clean and the drip pan was dry with no mice in it. My wife has an "old style" whirpool gold top freezer refrigerator , but the coils are on the underside, left facing the unit. They run front to back and they are just folded back on themselves once - like a book jacket. A standard crevice tool gets only about a 1/3 way back. I looked around the house for 1/2 tubing and found some 1/2 OD Tygon(r) tubing my wife brought home to use as a siphon. I adapted this to my vacuum wand by wrapping a plastic grocery bag around the tubing to make up the 1" difference in diameter. Then I wiggle this wet noodle into the coils to the rear and slowly drew it back forward. After doing this a dozen times, I declared the coils as clean as I could get them. The fridge shut off about 5 mins later and hasn't turned back on in over an hour so - mission accomplished! Do I wish for the coils to be exposed on the whole back rear of the fridge like they were 40 years ago? Yes! Is there room for that in most houses with the new oversized fridges? Unfortunately no. I will look into the compressed air Idea or get me a wand tool for cleaning coils!

[@opera93]

Thanks, ** all!! *****: I am trying to get some **:: PVC / TUBING 1 inch od, close *& tape shut **or close end of * CREVICE TOOL(* I done 20 years ago).. Interestingly my old Whirlpool had COILS ON BACK OF FRIG**, & not underneath protected mt screen, mine RENTAL APARTMNET HAS this Whirlpool,built in, Cabinets over head also…and dishwasher in On front some three feet or less. Crowded, May be able to use long flexible bottle brush to,get some of packed DUST BUNNIES.. how did you clean,& vacuum, now.?..

[@johnswaney9733]

Great idea... I agree with your frustration as to how these things are designed. I love these MacGyver fixes. I noticed my freezer compartment was warm this morning, so before I tackled this job, I did a search and found your video and it inspired me to try something else. I used my vacuum and about three feet of very flexible 5/8 ID aquarium hose taped to my vacuum nozzle. I had to remove a cardboard baffle that separates the coil area from the drip pan, then I was able to maneuver the hose through each "fold" of coils. I would say I got about 95% of the gunk. I checked the freezer compartment... and I'm back in business. Thanks for your video.

[@kegrant11]

Yeah, I noticed the cardboard baffle. Folks should remember to replace the baffle when finished or you won't get proper airflow over the coils.

[@DaddySavage713]

Thank you so much, mom was ready to spend $600 on a new fridge and I told her to let me figure out what is keeping the refrigerator from cooling. I replaced the door gasket and the defrost timer but the fridge is still not cooling as it should. I saw the video and am going to do exactly as you did.

[@opera93]

What happened? My ***whirlpool COILS clogged too behind Screen…?.trying tubing one inch / PCC, APPROXIMATELY : taping off, *& on my vacuum crevice Tool,next . WORKED 20 years ago, though some small & “Auto vacs “have small TOOLS,/ tube shaped.etc.

[@AnthonyCarmona12]

Dude you just saved me $1,000. I do HVAC, so I clean condenser coils all the time. and I was like dude, how am I gonna clean these coils. Brilliant.

[@russrichelsoph]

This is the way. Using my air compressor was the only possible way to clean these accordion style coils. Thanks for the tip.

[@Borzoi86]

We did exactly what he taught here and now our fridge breathes a lot easier. Thanks! We plan to do this every six months.

[@Zozim57]

4:40 "Actually I think that's why they put these coils in here in such a way that they're so hard to clean so that the refrigerator will die sooner and you'll have to buy another one" lmao! good one and it's true!

[@ItisGlennTime]

Could be...there are evil business minds that want their products to fail so they make money on service. We are at the mercy of the APPLIANCE GODS....

[@succubusnirriti913]

Well thats a bit silly, would make ppl go for other brands.

[@1943vermork]

It’s mostly for assembly efficiency reason they put the coils under and maybe noise reduction too. The bottom sub-assembly include the condenser and compressor in a neat and tight package which is super easy to handle and work on. Once done, the whole unit just need to be bolted to the remaining fridge and the evaporator lines to be soldered. And if they can include the evaporator coils on that same sub-assembly, it’s an other gain in assembly efficiency.

[@bahaar2825]

🤣

[@lmntrlmntr3496]

@@succubusnirriti913 I have never seen a refrigerator designed to be easy to clean. So there is no other brand anyone can buy.

[@JD-nr8hf]

Absolutely nailed this project and video. Bravo my friend! I was stumped before I started searching and found you perfectly put together video. Great editing and I never thought of the filters on the box fan. I'll be using that technique on many jobs in the future

[@lynnw4643]

This trick was a life saver. Couldn’t figure out how to get to the middle coils. Thanks for sharing!

[@jamiehofeldt3926]

Loved the video, and the comments are great, we have a refrigerator that my grandparents bought in the 50's and it still keeps things cold, I wish I could write a letter back in time and tell people to repair, and fix vs toss n buy another if society had not become so disposable with their iyems maybe manufacturers would still buildt things to last, I find vacuum cleaners all the time on the curb they just need the brush cleaned out, the hose directly behind the brush unclogged , or a new belt, or a combination of the 3 and they work like new I'm only 42, and am always amazed by things people throw away when they are easy to fix

[@blindkimberly1360]

Very well timed! My fridge is having issues. I’ve been cleaning the front of the coil weekly (GSD/Malamute mix) but I noticed there was still hair in there. Have been going nuts buying tool made to clean under the fridge and the coils. Nothing works. Now I know why. Thank you kind sir!

[@opentrunk]

I have an idea. Instead of using the box fan you could create a cover over the rear exit of the fridge with a hole in the center to fit your vacuum hose. Then turn the vacuum on and turn the air compressor on and all the dislodged dust goes into the vacuum cleaner.

[@kpd3308]

Ya beat me to it! You could just use stiff cardboard and a shop vac if you have one. Use that blue 3M tape and it won't mar your fridge.

[@barkingdoggai]

This 88 year old cowboy is gonna tackle that job on my fridge. First, tho, I gotta have a gin and tonic.

[@ItisGlennTime]

Yeeee Haaaaa

[@rickgriffin1429]

Goodgooglymoogly!!!

[@MsNetwizard]

😂😂😂

[@glasshalffull8625]

Gin and tonic before, during, and certainly after!!!

[@187onasimp]

Gin and tonic? That must be the secret to a long life.

[@michaelfred8848]

Great idea with the fan, I’ll try that and maybe get a couple of cans of compressed air

[@stevee7774]

Smart. Good job keeping the dust under control. So much more thought went into this process than the other guy’s video - (High powered leaf blower without even vacuuming the visible dust first.) Needless to say he pretty much wrecked his kitchen, his lungs, and probably the whole house in the process. Thanks for showing people that there are smarter ways to work.

[@letreg]

I did this also took me 30 second s to clean under the fridge and then 6 hours to clean the kitchen

[@kend7739]

Great tips for a very frustrating job. I've been using canned air, dryer lint brush an vacuum cleaner. Rinse and repeat. I really like your idea of the box fan and air compressor. Thanks very much!

[@craig11152]

Worked like a charm. Reading comments I used a version of the wet towel instead of a fan with a filter.

[@d.cherry7900]

Fricking brilliant I was just sitting here being mad that there was no possible way to get those coils clean. Thank you. =)

[@louismartinez8962]

D.Cherry and Mars1952, I could not agree more! Really good instruction and great common sense. Thanks Mars and right on D.

[@libertylif1263]

Yeah, I have a Kenmore with this problem. This fridge wasn't cheap either. I can't believe they were allowed to make it like this. It could cause a fire. I am fuming mad! (No pun intended.) They should have to fix them. Why do we have try to invent things to try to do a common maintenance like this???

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

@@libertylif1263 - Because manufacturers don't give a toss about the end user. Brain-dead engineers.

[@1943vermork]

Rolled my fridge in front of my entrance door, put a fan to make sure the dust was directed outside. Psshiii, psshiii, psshiii. The dust cloud was very satisfying to see going away.

[@doubleitp]

Good idea!!!

[@troy3456789]

You could back it up to a door, seal it off, and hit it with a gas or electric powered leaf blower.

[@veronicaszachta7729]

That's exactly what my boyfriend keeps insisting on doing. 'Just drag the fridge thru the house to the front door.' Why Why Why do ya'll make things so much more difficult......I'll never understand.

[@troy3456789]

Dragging it through the house could be a bigger task than setting up a fan with filter for some, depending on their situation. A fridge in the basement?

[@tahusker]

Needed to clean my kitchen fridge, but was dreading it because of the mess it made last time. Ran across this video . . . what a great idea! Just tried it and it worked like a charm. Thanks!

[@mars1952]

Great! Thanks for the comment.

[@Duckster183]

Moved into this house a year ago and I’ve been vacuuming the coil. Unknowing until today there’s an accordion thing coated with dust just like this I can’t get to. Hubby inspected and said, I can bring in the air compressor and I said I’ll You Tube it. Low and behold, this is what he said and shop vac on the back side, cover with a sheet. I like the idea someone suggested with the box up against the back side and shop vac hose attached to it. Thanks much for the excellent video. Oh, by the way, my owners manual says Page 8 under refrigerator care, #4 NO NEED FOR ROUTINE CONDENSER CLEANING in normal operating environments. 🤪😂😂😂 😳😖. Manufactured to fail.

[@epaphides]

What a fantastic and creative way to clean your coils and keep your house clean! Thank you for your video. This really helped us out. It also helped us save a lot of money. Thank you again.

[@thomasdeangelis345]

i cleaned my coils basically the same way in the front. i thought there was more in the back which i haven't done yet. i am surprised to see there isn't to much more.i really like the idea with the fan. never would of thought of that. also i didn't think of using the air compressor. you helped me out alot. thank-you for sharing. happy holidays.

[@txwingnut62]

Great way to clean the coils. Thanks for the tip! It's one of those "why didn't I think of that" things.

[@mars1952]

+txwingnut62 Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@kensorensen7798]

After wasting money on brushes I found your KZbin video. Great ideas, worked perfectly!

[@GMacko]

I did make a tube fitting for my air compressor hose. I used wide masking tape between fridge sides and floor. I then cut and taped a piece of cardboard to back of fridge with a hole cut in for my large shop vac hose. I trapped it all in shop vac with very little dust. After fridge rolled back I just had to vac and wet wipe floor.

[@chuckbyf1]

I used my roto zip to cut in an access panel on the side. Now I can use my extension fridge brush and vacuum to clean it.

[@watershed44]

@red meat And to think that the manufacturer couldn't have designed that in when making the units? Oh that's right they didn't deliberately so the unit would fail faster and you have to buy a new fridge!

[@libertylif1263]

Why didn't the manufacturer think of a side panel? The jerks.

[@leodenniswalker4726]

Brilliant. Wish I'd thought of this a refrigerator ago. Thanks. Also like your thought on the true purpose of this design. I've felt this way for years.

[@RustyRaceHorse]

I have the same coils. Gonna try this way next time. This is the best idea ive seen so far! Ty for posting it.

[@Bondo843]

You sir……..ROCK!!!! Great tip.

[@nomebear]

I tilted my Kitchenaide to the back after I pulled it out from the wall. I had the same difficulty in cleaning the 'W' coil. Using 4" blocks placed underneath the front, with the plastic grill removed, I used a small, flimsy commode brush and vacuum, and coming from underneath the unit I was able to clean it. Pulling the cardboard lower back off exposed the fan, and I cleaned it as well. I filled a smaller vacuum bag full of lint.

[@DaveCLL]

Great tip. I've been struggling with how to clean my refrig coils. I tried this approach and it gave a good result.

[@PhilDport]

I opted to do a "back flush" rather than to blow dust bunnies into the clean rear coils, which were very clean to start with (as it was a newer fridge). So I put the fan and vacuum in front of the fridge and blew the air from the back of the fridge (which requires removing the rear panel, but ensures a cleaner result). Also, I was able to insert my coil brush into about 5 or 6 openings in the front. However, not able to move it side to side as I could do in my old fridge.

[@artguye]

I had a similar idea to blow the dust out with the compressor. The fan and filter trick is genius. Well done. I would have dust all over the place. Thanks for posting this.

[@captoblivious1]

I have 2 refrigerators and this trick worked on them both. I used an air compressor set to 80psi, and a rubber tipped air blow gun. Tons of stuff came out!

[@DeborahWeatherspoonGrandma]

WOW! Thanks for sharing this idea! I was looking for ways to get the gunk that my vacuum doesn't reach and there you were with the solution!

[@jakester455]

Brilliant, I never thought of the fan. I've had good luck with greasy coils by spraying them with a water & Dawn mix and then using the compressed air to clean and dry them out. Works perfect.

[@johnkittleson4502]

Well, I cleaned mine out today, Found the best way, Just clean out the refrig completely, Tip at angle till you can get under to suck it out with shop vac. Takes 2 people, but its not heavy, empty, and my wife had no problem balancing it on angle till I had it all clean. I have done the air blower thing and this is waaaay better and faster and less mess. Just don't tip any farther than necessary. While you are under you can remove 2 plastic pins and even get the cardboard out from under and clean the back 2 accordian coils completely and easily !!!

[@rockintonight]

Perfect, I have done the same, leaning the fridge on the house door at a perfect angle (was able to do it alone) for last 20 years, use my central vacuum which is in its own sort of (dog house enclosure on my back deck, so 0 dust)................yes removing plastic pins , and associated cardboard and all is visible and accessible. Certainly a good idea to have a 2nd person holding the fridge from moving! Totally nuts that whirlpool engineers can get away with this classic design work!

[@ea5870]

Great video! I would’ve like to seem how the back panel was removed but your set worked nice. I didn’t realize the back panel could be removed so this video let me know I have a little bit more work to do.

[@demeaningplebny1363]

Good idea, especially the fan to capture the dust bunnies. My last fridge had coils like that. Even though they were situated at a 90 degree angle to those, it was still a nightmare to clean well. Just getting ready to clean my LG top freezer that I've had almost 2 years. Hoping for a better layout.

[@Tiffany-Rose]

I have the exact fridge and those coils with all my cats get gunked up every month or so. I have tried everything except this idea. Thanks for this! A huge help. Worst design ever 😅

[@garyc.8488]

mars1952, Thank you for helping me clean this same accordion coil system. I used your fan/filter idea and it helped cut down debris. Also this cleaning lead to two twists to your approach. After using compressed air cleaning from the front It still looked a bit clogged on the fins. I went to the back side and used compressed air again blowing from BACK to FRONT. The fan pulls air from FRONT to BACK in operation, piling up the debris on the FRONT side of the coils, reversing the air flow blows the debris off of a coil rather than trying to push it thru the coil. I made a mess in front of the fridge, progress. I'm a tinkerer and I used a section of clean steel fuel line and made an air nozzle reach tool in the shape of a small golf club, 90 deg bend about 3" at the end, drilled two small holes and crimped the end shut. Taped the end to eliminate any sharp edges. This can then be slid under the frame and positioned in the gap and blow air across the coils. The handle of the "club" was about 18" or so and this allowed reaching deeper under and rotate up to get to the next coils. Finally with the unit unplugged, I used a wet cloth and cleaned the fan blades.

[@MariaPerez-nm6qw]

Thank you! I just vacuumed mine the best I could. I’m curious if I could tilt the fridge slightly to clean mine better underneath. Mine is a 30yr.old Kenmore. It’s a little easier than yours but there is still some I can’t get to. I wish they made them like this one. Never had a problem. My mom and dad bought one 10 yrs.ago and it just died. I’m a single parent and can’t afford to just buy a new one. This old Kenmore still keeps the temperature super cold 🥶 and I want to take care of it. You are a true blessing. If I had a compressor, I would have preferred your method.

[@milolouco]

Great job! Looks very professional placing fan suction fan in the back!

[@kegrant11]

First, thank you -- thank you -- thank you! Found your video by it being referenced on an appliance repair website. After our son and daughter both recently had fridge problems, I thought "you know, I've never cleaned our fridge's coils." My wife said, "there's nothing to clean." Question marks went off in my head. Sure enough, the owner's manual said there's nothing to clean in normal use; coil cleaning is only necessary if you have a pet. I took off the lower, front kick grill to see what the coils looked like. OMG!!! Owner's manual says just to vacuum only the front coil. Ha! I could still see a mess behind. You're video has given me a technique to use to properly clean this thing. What a horrible design that prevents an apparently essential maintenance job from being done easily. Cleaning will make somewhat of a mess, but your idea makes it bearable. Best regards, and thanks for taking the time to made this video available.

[@opera93]

Thanks. Interestingly, I am trying/ Tubing on my vacuum Crevice Tool , tape on , .75 inch to 1.25 inch maybe , through wire protection screen, ( mine may pop off, unknown )..

[@Arjuna1331]

Thanks for the tips in cleaning the refrigerator. I had had no idea of what I needed to do until I watched this video.

[@elmerkreisel396]

Thanks so much. Elmer

[@GareNY]

I've got the same fridge. Just had to replace the compressor relay last week, which brought it back to life, but like you, I found that these fan-fold/accordion coils are intentionally hard to clean. I was also thinking of blowing the dust out with my shop vac, but the extra step of the fan/filter at the back is very smart. This is the method I'll be using this weekend. Thanks!

[@MrMattDat]

Fantastic job and your solution is AWESOME! Simple and effective. I like simple solutions.

[@timsebastian5758]

Great job! I have the same shaped coils on my fridge to do. Been a nightmare trying to come up with some way to clean them without destroying the house in the process.

[@riptheripper9060]

You can also place some damp rags around to catch some of that dust. Thanks for the video.

[@steveandrews8301]

I agree with your disgust with them putting these accordion type coils underneath their "planned obsolescence" refrigerators. I just got one like this, a used Maytag and it has the same exact, maddening, impossible to get to coil design, to, like you said, make the compressor prematurely fail so you have to buy a whole new fridge in a few years. Despicable design on their part. Thanks for sharing this video! Great idea what you did there with the box fan and A/C filter to help control the dust removal process you did. I plan on doing the same thing in a few months / twice a year. Thank you.

[@hopecarey221]

Great video for NEW HOME OWNERS. Thanks!

[@hansg6336]

The first sound you made was a big sigh. Ha ha, perfect for this situation. Brilliant solution to a manufacturer's planned obsolescence engineering. I see you even have the "free" Harbor Freight work light that rolls around when you try to stand it up... me too. Danke Herr Mars.

[@annabananna44]

Absolutely brilliant! This will save my fridge. Thank you so much for sharing this with everyone!

[@ksero1000]

I have an old fridge that just started barfing water all over the place periodically. I NEVER want to have to get new appliances. I had no idea this was a thing. I wish i saw this sooner, i could probably get my fridge to alst another few generations. Hopefully my negligence didnt go on for so long my fridge issue didnt advance to a terminal condition. Thank you!

[@KominTater]

Thank you so much for sharing this great approach to cleaning a designed-to-fail POS system. Only source of forced-air I have is a leaf-blower, so I"m thinking of using that, but with some moderation (partially clogging the leaf-blower intake lessens the force and I know it can stand that for a few minutes.) AND, I have a 30 yr old American heavy duty 20" fan. Have a great day and year, etc! :)

[@rzh3443]

My Maytag bottom freezer fridge coils were always a pain to try to clean with a vacuum and brush. The air compressor method worked great it was fast and 100 percent effective. Clean as new.

[@bigbadbri08]

Thank you so much it’s 12:30 am went out to get a glass of milk and it was warm pulled the cover off the bottom of fridge and my coils were covered in a wool coat but had the same issue with cleaning the back coils till I found your video now we are good

[@Flyingmonkeyrat89325]

Thanks for the video. This seems to be the only one covering fridge coils close to the design/model of the one I have in the house. Don’t have the manual, renting so wanted to make sure to reduce the energy bill. Again. Thank ya.

[@HappySunshineDay]

Thanks so much Mars1952! I'm hoping that a good cleaning was all that I needed. I'm watching overnight to see the temp drop back down. Fingers crossed!

[@KyleStoneberger]

Solid work with the box fan and filter. Thanks!

[@Cmalmberg12]

Thanks for making this video. Will try and hopefully prolong the life of my side by side. Those accordion coils are a PITA to attempt to clean

[@johncaruso7437]

Thank you for this video. My next step would have been to unload the entire unit and tip it over to clean from the bottom. Even my cheap little 3 gal. 100 psi air compressor did the job.

[@mod317]

Filter on fan, GREAT IDEA!!! Keep up your wide variety of interesting videos, I really liked the Ruger magazine videos!

[@mars1952]

+mod317 Thanks. I should have mentioned in the video how to use a box fan with a filter. Box fans are not meant to be use with a filter. Adding a filter increases the static pressure and make the fan work harder and heat up. I have used this set-up for several hours straight but I never leave it running when I am not in the room. This fan is very robust and about 40 years old (made in the USA) they don't make them like this anymore.

[@jkopvo]

Thanks for the video. Our Whirlpool refrig has the coils in the same place.

[@daveDavoli9737]

Great idea with the fan and filter, something i would do and it actuality works. Also appreciate the philosophy on how companies build to break for profit. Thanks