Overheating? Running all the time? That’s me, you might say! Besides you, the hardest worker in your house might be your refrigerator. But after work, volunteer activities or running the kids all over Preston Hollow and North Dallas for everything from private-school teams to tutoring, the last thing you want to think about is cleaning coils and drains. But you know you’ll blow a gasket one day if you lose all the contents of your refrigerator and have to pay for a pricey Sub-Zero repair.

So before summer starts and the fridge and freezer work overtime, tackle refrigerator or Sub-Zero maintenance with these four steps:

1. Clean condenser coils. Pet hair, dust and dirt gravitate to warm condenser coils and clog air vents. That makes it difficult for the appliance to bring in and release air from the vents. And the coils work harder to dissipate heat. As a result, food and drinks don’t cool quickly.
2. Clear drain lines. A drain line directs water from the self-defrosting feature to the drain pan. Little crumbs, food debris or mold can get into the line and block water from flowing to the drain pan. You know this is happening when you see water puddles below the produce drawers.
3. Check the drain pan. Take off the kick plate or the vent by the compressor and look for a drain pan. Make sure it’s not cracked and leaking water on the floor. If you have a bad smell in the fridge that you can’t blame on leftovers or the kids, it may be caused by mold or dirt in the drain pan.
4. Inspect door seals. If the refrigerator or freezer doors open a little too easily or if you find you’re yelling at your family for not closing the fridge all the way, the rubber gaskets around your doors may have become cracked or dry. When this happens, cool air leaks out.

If the thought of routine maintenance on your refrigerator or freezer makes you overheat, then assign that task to a company that has been performing appliance repair and maintenance in the Preston Hollow for more than 50 years. C&W Appliance Service, the only Sub-Zero and Wolf factory-certified premier partner in Preston Hollow, North Dallas, Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio, will examine your refrigerator and freezer as well as your icemakers and outdoor refrigerators. Contact us online at www.cwservicesinc.com or call us at (855) 358-1496, and we’ll keep everything running smoothly so you can keep your cool.