MAYTAG Appliance Parts
Welcome to your Maytag Refrigerator Parts Resource
- How to Find your Maytag Refrigerator Parts
- Different Types of Maytag Refrigerators
- How Maytag Refrigerators Work
- Automatic defrost
- Cooling
- Temperature Control
- Lighting
- Ice maker
- Ice and water dispenser
- Door seals and hinges
- Installation of your Maytag Refrigerator
- Keeping your Maytag Refrigerator Well Maintained
- General Cleaning of your Maytag Refrigerato
How to Find your Maytag Refrigerator Parts
If your Maytag refrigerator is not working well or is broken, with the help of RepairClinic.com finding the right part to fix the problem is easy, convenient and economical. RepairClinic.com specializes in finding the exact part for your Maytag Refrigerator through its easy, but powerful appliance part search tool, the PartDetective.
RepairClinic.com can assist you in properly diagnosing your Maytag refrigerator for electrical, plumbing, hardware, or other problems and they have all the refrigerator parts you need at www.repairclinic.com.
Different Types of Maytag Refrigerators
Maytag refrigerators come in a number of different types and styles.
|
|
| Bottom mount Maytag refrigertor with freezer bottom | Top mount Maytag refrigertor with freezer on top |
|
|
| French door Maytag refrigertor with freezer on bottom | Side by side Maytag refrierator |
How Maytag Refrigerators Work
Refrigerators are usually the largest and most frequently used appliances in a household. Refrigerators are also the biggest consumers of energy in a home, so taking care of and maintaining them for better efficiency is very important.
Automatic defrost
All Maytag refrigerators are self-defrosting. When frost accumulates inside the refrigerator, it melts automatically. There are three components to the self-defrosting system:
- Defrost Timer - works like a clock, advancing continually 24 hours a day. Every 6 to 8 hours, the timer turns off the cooling system and turns on the refrigerator's defrost heater.
- Defrost Heater - is located beneath the cooling coils, which are concealed behind a panel in the freezer compartment. When the heater gets hot, any ice or frost build-up melts.
- Defrost Thermostat - the defrosting process ends after the amount of time specified on the timer or when the defrost thermostat senses that the heat near the coils has reached a specific temperature.
Cooling
All residential refrigerators have:
- A Compressor - this is the engine of the cooling system. It runs whenever the thermostat alerts it that there is a need for cooling.
- A Condenser - is similar to a radiator. It's always on the outside of the refrigerator, near the cooling fan to draw room temperature over the fins and dissipate heat from the tubes or fins.
- A Metering Device or Capillary Tube - is a small copper tube attached from the end of the condenser to the beginning of the evaporator. It controls the pressure and flow of refrigerant as it enters the evaporator.
- An Evaporator - is usually located inside the freezer. When the refrigerant comes out of the small capillary tube, it’s injected into the larger tubes causing a pressure drop. While the refrigerant expands back into a gaseous state, this change allows it to absorb heat.
Temperature Control
All refrigerators have a thermostat which maintains the right temperature. When the refrigerator reaches the temperature that is set for it, the thermostat interrupts the electricity flow to the compressor, and then it stops cooling.
Lighting
Refrigerators normally have a button mounted on the inside, near the door. When the door closes, the door pushes the button to turn the light off. When the door opens, the button automatically turns the light on. The light bulb is usually a standard appliance light bulb.
Ice maker
The ice maker is a small appliance that resides in the freezer. It is usually independent of the other systems of the refrigerator.
Ice and water dispenser
There are a number of different systems that allow for delivery of ice and water through the refrigerator door.
- The ice dispenser operates in such a way that before ice can be delivered trough the refrigerator door, the ice maker must first dump the ice it makes into a large bin. In order to get the ice, one must press a lever that activates a switch. The switch turns on a motor that rotates the auger and then the ice is pushed out of the bin, through a chute to the user.
- The water dispenser works similarly to the ice dispenser. To get water from the refrigerator door, one presses a lever on the front that activates a switch. The switch turns on an electric water valve and water flows through the valve into a tube; it then flows into a container in the refrigerator to be chilled.
Door seals and hinges
All refrigerator doors and freezer doors have a seal. The seal is a rubber-like gasket that is attached to the door. The seal is usually white, almond, black, or brown. The seal's task is to keep the cool air inside the refrigerator and the room temperature air out.The entire length of the seal is lined with a magnet which helps to hold the door closed and create a tight seal. The hinges allow the door to swing open and assist the door in closing. For the door to close properly, the hinges must be adjusted correctly.
Installation of your Maytag Refrigerator
Proper installation of a refrigerator is very important, but not difficult.
- The unit must be placed far enough from the wall for proper ventilation.
- The unit should not be pinching any electrical cords or water lines.
- The unit should be level. In many cases, refrigerators need to be tilted back slightly so that the doors self-close.
Keeping your Maytag Refrigerator Well-Maintained
Self-defrosting refrigerators and freezers do not need to be manually defrosted. Every 6 to 8 hours your refrigerator or freezer will automatically heat up its cooling coils slightly and melt any frost that accumulates on the coils. The water resulting from this process drains into a shallow pan at the bottom of the unit. There's no need to empty the pan because the water will evaporate. Over time, though, an odor might develop. You may want to remove the pan for periodic cleaning by detaching the lower grill and sliding it out to the front of the unit.
Please Note: If mold grows in the drain pan, it is sometimes considered to be a health concern. If you are sensitive to mold, consider cleaning the pan several times a year.
General Cleaning of your Maytag Refrigerator
- Under your refrigerator or freezer is a set of coils and a cooling fan. These need to be cleaned at least once a year. The coils are described as looking like a grate or a wide radiator. To clean them, make sure that you unplug your refrigerator or freezer. An excellent tool to use is the Refrigerator Condenser Brush to get the lint out, and then use your vacuum cleaner to vacuum any lint, pet hair, and other dirt from the coils.
- Keep the gasket and the interior of your refrigerator or freezer clean to help extend the life of your appliance.
- For odors in your refrigerator or freezer try using baking soda or, for tougher odors, try Fridge Aid deodorizer.
