Refrigerator and freezer

Every apartment has a refrigerator. Please note that a freezer may not be included with your apartment.

Keeping the refrigerator and freezer clean, defrosting them and changing their light bulbs is the tenant's responsibility. If the refrigerator or freezer does not work, always check the fuse first. In most cases, this will solve the problem and there is no need to call the maintenance company.

New refrigerators will not be replaced for esthetical reasons or because a different type of refrigerator would suit the tenant's lifestyle better. Any appliances that no longer function will of course be replaced with working ones. Please note that having the appliance replaced does not automatically mean that you will get a brand new appliance. Hoas also stocks used appliances which work flawlessly, but have been left unused for various reasons. Hoas will try to make use of such appliances in order to reduce our impact on the environment.

Defrosting water from refrigerator

If water keeps accumulating in your refrigerator, you should check if the drain hole for defrosting water is clean. You should also check that nothing inside the refrigerator touches its back wall. This could cause water to drip along the items onto the shelves, which would in turn lead to water accumulation.

If your refrigerator is self-defrosting, you do not need to defrost it. You do, however, need to make sure that the defrosting water can drain out of the refrigerator. The drain hole at the bottom of the defrosting basin on the back wall of the refrigerator must be kept clean by the tenant. The drain hole is easy to clean with a cotton bud. If you do not clean the drain hole regularly, it may get clogged. This will cause the water to flow inside the refrigerator and on to the floor, which could, in a worst case scenario, cause water damage.

Defrosting the refrigerator or freezer

Please note that you must defrost the refrigerator and the freezer regularly. Ice build-up causes the refrigerator to run inefficiently and consume a lot of power. You should also defrost when the layer of frost is thicker than half a centimetre. The ventilation gaps at the top of the refrigerator must not be covered.

When defrosting your refrigerator or freezer, please make sure that the water does not run into the structures or on the floor. If you allow the water to run on the floor while defrosting a freezer, you could cause serious water damage. For this reason, you should be careful and never leave a freezer to defrost on its own while you are at school, for example.

Defrosting/cleaning instructions

Turn off the refrigerator and empty it.
Do not use a knife or other sharp tools to remove the ice and frost, as they may damage the cooling system. If the refrigerant leaks out, the refrigerator cannot be fixed anymore. This will also incur a bill for the tenant that forcefully removed the ice. You can speed up the defrosting process by placing a bowl of hot water in the refrigerator/freezer.
Remove and wash the shelves. Wipe also the inside walls of the refrigerator with a damp cloth and a mild detergent (for example, diluted dishwashing liquid). Do not use abrasive, soda-based or acidic cleaning agents, or chemical solvents, as they may damage the plastic surface.
Check that the defrosting water drain hole is not blocked.
Let the refrigerator dry.
Turn the refrigerator back on and put your groceries back in it.

If the refrigerator is not used and you have turned it off, leave the door open a little to let air circulate in the refrigerator in order to avoid mould growing inside it.

If you have just defrosted the freezer and turned it back on, the red warning light on the freezer will usually light up. The warning light will stay on until the freezer has reached the set temperature. Turn the freezer on and keep an eye on the warning light. It should turn off once the freezer reaches the below-zero temperature you have set. The cooling time will depend on the product, but it should not take longer than overnight. If the light does not switch off, the freezer could be faulty. You can speed up the cooling process by using the quick freeze function on the freezer, but you must remember to turn it off once the freezer has reached the target temperature.

A self-defrosting refrigerator should also be cleaned often enough. Vacuum clean the condenser behind the appliance regularly. Dust and poor air circulation around the appliance could even cause a fire.

Changing refrigerator light

Quick freeze

Most freezers have a quick freeze function. If you are not sure where the quick freeze button is on your freezer, you can try to find out by searching for the freezer's product details on Google.

Generally, an orange light will light up on the control panel of your freezer to indicate quick freeze mode. You can use the quick freeze mode after defrosting the freezer, in order to reach the required temperature more quickly. You must, however, remember to turn the switch off once the desired temperature has been reached. If the quick freeze switch is left on, the thermostat in the freezer is overridden and the freezer's motor will be running continuously, using electricity and shortening the appliance's lifespan.

If your freezer tends to form ice in large amounts over a short time or if it is always much colder than it should be, you should check that the quick freeze function has not been left turned on.

The refrigerator makes a loud noise

You might expect a new refrigerator to be quieter and less conspicuous than the old ones. So why is it that the new refrigerator sits in the corner making an awful lot of noise compared to older fridges? New refrigerators no longer use CFCs as refrigerants. They use other, more environmentally friendly compounds. This is why the noise level of new appliances may be higher than before. To earn a Nordic Ecolabel, the refrigerator's noise level has to be below 40 decibels.

If the refrigerator makes a noise, you should consider the source and type of the noise when you decide what to do about it. Is it a hum, a buzz, a clunk when the fridge motor stops, the sound of running water, or something else? For the most part, any noises a refrigerator makes are not signs of a fault, but rather a feature of the appliances and their refrigerants. When you hear the sound of running water, a hiss or a puffing sound, it is most likely caused by the refrigerant flow within the appliance.

If the rubber pads the refrigerator stands on are worn out, the sounds of the refrigerator may be amplified as it vibrates against the floor. You could try adding more cushioning between the refrigerator and the floor. It may also help just to change the refrigerator's location or position a little. If the pipes in the back of the refrigerator vibrate, you may be able to stop it easily by shifting them a little.

If the appliance runs as expected and the sound level is acceptable, the appliance will not be replaced, even if you are used to having a quieter appliance.