LG fridge disposal in Nairobi.

The condenser coil releases the heat the fridge removes from the food. On older fridges it is a grille on the back; on newer ones it may be a coil under the fridge behind a kick plate. Dust and kitchen grease form a blanket on it, which traps the heat.

Unplug the fridge before you start. Use a soft brush or the brush attachment of a vacuum cleaner to lift the dust, then a damp cloth for grease. Clean the area around the compressor too, and remove dust from the fan if there is one. Do it every few months, or more often in a dusty kitchen.

A clean coil can make a noticeable difference in how long the compressor runs and how much power the fridge uses. It is one of the cheapest and most effective bits of maintenance you can do yourself.

The door seal, or gasket, keeps warm air out. Over time it hardens, cracks or loses its magnetic grip. A bad seal causes frost, water inside, longer running and a higher bill.

Try the paper test: close the door on a sheet of paper and pull it out. If it slides out with no resistance, the seal is not gripping there. Test several points around the door. Look for splits, hardened sections and mould along the folds.

Wiping the seal with warm soapy water sometimes restores the grip, because grease and sugar stop it sealing. If cleaning does not help, the seal needs replacing. A new seal must be fitted straight, and the door adjusted so it closes evenly, or the new seal will not fix the problem.

A good technician explains the fault before changing parts. They test, tell you what failed and why, and give you the price before work starts. They show you the old part if you ask. They are honest when a repair does not make sense.

Be wary of anyone who names a fault over the phone without seeing the fridge, who insists on a gas refill without finding a leak or who will not give a price until the work is done. Ask whether the visit fee is separate and what it covers.

It also helps if the technician works on fridges every day. Fridges are a sealed cooling system with their own tools, gases and habits, and a general handyman may not have the equipment to vacuum and charge a system properly.

Whenever possible, keep a fridge upright. The compressor oil sits in a defined place, and laying the fridge down can let it run into the pipes. If a fridge has to travel on its side, let it stand upright for several hours before you switch it on again.

Empty it and defrost the freezer the day before, so no water leaks on the way out. Secure the doors with tape and protect the corners. Plan the route, because large fridges are heavy and awkward on stairs, so tell your movers the size and the floor.

Level the fridge in its new position, leave a gap behind and above it and wait a short time before switching it on. We also help with installation and relocation, including bringing in a new fridge and removing the old one.

A fridge runs all day and every day, so small improvements add up. Set the fridge between about three and five degrees and the freezer at minus eighteen. Colder settings use more power without protecting the food any better.

Keep the condenser clean, leave air space around the fridge and keep it away from the cooker and direct sun. Check the door seal and do not leave the door open while you decide what to eat.

A full fridge holds its cold better than an empty one, so a few bottles of water on the shelves help in a fridge that is mostly empty. Do not overpack it, though, because the air must still move. If a fridge is very old and the compressor is struggling, a replacement may repay itself in power, and we will tell you honestly if that applies.

A traditional compressor switches fully on and fully off. An inverter compressor changes its speed to suit the cooling needed. It runs slowly most of the time, which is quieter and uses less power, and it speeds up when the fridge needs to cool down.

To do that it needs a control board, called the inverter board, that converts the power and drives the compressor. The board is the weak point, because it dislikes surges and heat. When a board fails, the compressor does not start, even though the compressor itself may be fine.

That is why we test the board, the wiring and the compressor separately. A board can sometimes be repaired and sometimes needs replacing with a matching part. A voltage guard and a clean condenser are the best protection for an inverter fridge.

You call or WhatsApp us with what the fridge is doing and a photo of the model sticker. We tell you when a technician can come and how the visit fee works. The technician arrives, listens to the fridge, measures the temperature in both sections and checks the obvious causes in order.

When the fault is found, you are told what it is, shown the worn part where possible and given the full price for parts and labour before anything is changed. Nothing is done without your agreement. If a part has to be ordered, we tell you how long it will take.

After the repair, the fridge is left running and checked to confirm it is pulling down to temperature. Before we leave, we explain what failed and how to avoid it next time. If the fridge is not worth repairing, we say so, and we can collect an old fridge for responsible recycling.

A fridge does not make cold. It moves heat. Inside the sealed pipework there is a refrigerant gas. The compressor squeezes the gas, which makes it hot, and the hot gas flows through the coil at the back or underneath, called the condenser, where it gives its heat to the room. The gas turns to a liquid, passes through a very thin tube that drops its pressure, and arrives in the cold coil inside the fridge, the evaporator, where it turns back to a gas and soaks up heat from the food. Then it returns to the compressor and the cycle repeats.

That is why the back of a fridge feels warm and why a fridge squeezed into a cabinet struggles. If the heat cannot leave, the cycle slows and the compressor runs for longer. It is also why gas does not get used up: it travels round in a closed loop. When a fridge is low on gas there is a leak, and the leak has to be found and sealed first.

In a no-frost fridge a fan blows air over the evaporator and into the compartments, and a small heater melts the frost off the coil a few times a day. Most cooling faults come from these supporting parts, the fan, the heater, the sensor and the board, long before the compressor itself fails.

Almost every fridge has a sticker or metal plate inside, usually on a side wall or at the back of the fridge compartment. It tells a technician almost everything: the brand, the model number, the voltage and frequency, the type of gas the fridge uses and how much of it, and often the manufacturing date.

Take a clear photo of that plate before you call. With the model number we can check which thermostat, seal, fan or board fits, which saves time on the visit. The gas type matters too. Modern fridges often use R600a, a flammable gas used in small amounts, while older ones commonly use R134a. The two are not interchangeable, and a fridge must always be charged with the gas printed on its own plate.

If you cannot find the plate, look for a sticker behind the vegetable drawers, on the inside of the door frame or on the back of the cabinet. Send us whatever you can find and the brand, and we will help you identify the model.