Day in and day out, your Sub-Zero refrigerator works hard to keep your food at the perfect temperature. Every once in a while, however, your Sub-Zero refrigerators need routine cleanings and maintenance to ensure that your appliance will continue to function for you when you need it most. Plus, proper care helps to increase the lifespan of your machine. On the other hand, if you don’t take care of your refrigerator, you shorten its lifespan. And there’s nothing worse than having to purchase a new appliance or pay for those hefty repair bills. So to help you figure out what you can do to maximize your appliance’s lifespan, check out these 6 Sub-Zero refrigerator maintenance tips and tricks.

Keep the Door Closed

For optimal performance of your Sub-Zero refrigerator, keeping the door closed as much as possible is recommended. Opening the door allows humid air to enter and cool air to escape, causing the appliance to work harder to maintain the desired temperature. This can result in parts breaking down prematurely and increased electricity consumption. Therefore, opening the door when necessary is advisable only to avoid these issues.

Test the Door Gasket

The door gasket on a Sub-Zero refrigerator creates a solid seal to keep cool air in and humid air out. Here’s a great trick to test whether or not your door gasket is working correctly. Get a slip of paper and close the refrigerator door on the slip of paper. Then try and pull the form out. If the slip slides out quickly with little resistance, you can tell the door gasket isn’t creating a proper seal. On the other hand, if it takes considerable force to remove the paper, you know that the seal is doing its job!

Clean the Coils

Since refrigerator coils are exposed over time, they commonly collect dust, dirt, and other household debris. One of the easiest and best Sub-Zero refrigerator maintenance tips is regularly cleaning the coils and remove any built-up dust or dirt. Clean condenser coils prevent the refrigerator from overheating. Therefore, cleaning your unit’s coils will help your appliance run more efficiently. Dust and dirt act as insulation, which prevents the Sub-Zero refrigerator from adequately cooling and can lead to overheating. And both aren’t good for the overall health of the appliance. For best results, vacuum your fridge coils every 6 to 12 months. If you have pets that shed, increase the frequency as needed.

Adjusting the Burner Caps

Here’s a tip about refrigerator placement: Never install your Sub-Zero fridge next to a heat source, such as an oven or radiator. The heat will trigger the appliance’s compressor to run more frequently than it should, which puts additional strain, wear, and tear on your appliance’s working components. So if you’ve placed your refrigerator next to the oven, you might want to consider re-arranging your kitchen appliances. In this case, the compressor will likely run almost whenever the stove is used. This isn’t a good idea because the compressor will work overtime. In other words, putting your refrigerator next to a heat source can shorten the compressor’s lifespan, which will end up costing you in the long run.

Fill Your Refrigerator and Freezer

You have a great appliance if you’ve invested in a Sub-Zero refrigerator!

However, an empty fridge doesn’t work as efficiently as a full one. Having your fridge full of cold food or drink products helps to regulate the unit’s internal temperature. Essentially, cold food products work like ice cubes in a drink and make it so your fridge won’t lose all its cool air every time the door is opened.

On the same note, if you’re constantly buying food throughout the week, you’ll be opening the refrigerator door more often than necessary to fill it. And once again, decreasing the number of times you open and close the door ensures the appliance works more efficiently. So rather than making multiple visits to the grocery store every week, it might be best only to do one large grocery run instead!

Leave Some Space for Air Circulation

While filling your refrigerator and freezer is a great tip to help it maintain its temperature, you also don’t want to overcrowd the appliance.

Crowding your refrigerator with food and drinks will prevent cool air from circulating as it should. In turn, this will also lead to your appliance working extra hard to function when it shouldn’t have to.

So the trick is to fill your Sub-Zero refrigerator with food and drinks, keep it manageable, and always leave enough space to allow for adequate air circulation. Also, make sure your stored products are blocking none of the unit’s interior vents.