Extending the life of an old fridge

Rosalie Lavender's fridge-freezer is even older than she is, but Phil Hewlett has added years to the old Kelvinator's life.

Miss Lavender, a 22-year-old Hamilton East resident, didn't want to spend hundreds on a new fridge, but when pools of water developed on her kitchen floor, she knew she had to do something.

"I bought it off a workmate for $60, so it was in terribly poor condition," Miss Lavender said of her fridge.

"We noticed food spoiling, and the door not shutting, and we knew that was dangerous."

Enter Mr Hewlett, the Hamilton franchisee for Seal-A-Fridge, who specialises in replacing fridge and freezer seals. His business has thrown its weight behind the Hamilton Environment Centre's Energy Blitz 09 campaign, providing Seal-A-Fridge services for winners of the campaign's Fill A Fridge competition.

Mr Hewlett said business continued to grow for him as many of his customers were in the same situation as Miss Lavender – they can't afford a new fridge, and need to extend the life of an old one.

"We're certainly up about 10 per cent on last year," he said. "The last two months have also been very busy."

Mr Hewlett spends about an hour on each job, although some small chest freezers can be re-sealed in as little as 35 minutes. Of late, he has been doing between six and nine jobs a day on units ranging from small beer fridges to large commercial units for restaurant and fast food chains.

"In quite a number of cases, the fridges actually work reasonably well," Mr Hewlett said.

He said a fridge door which did not close properly required the fridge's electrical motor to work harder.

"As long as it's going, they ignore it," Mr Hewlett said.

A fridge with knackered seals means it consumes more energy, and pushes up power bills, placing more strain on household budgets. His customers have reported saving between $20 and $30 a month on their power bills after having their fridge resealed, which offsets the cost of having seals replaced. Resealed fridges can have their life extended by up to 15 years, "providing the mechanical side of things keeps working".

Fridges are supposed to operate between 0 degrees and 4 degrees, and an internal fridge temperature any higher than that can lead to food spoilage and possible health affects, Mr Hewlett said.

"The best way to check it (fridge internal temperature) is to put a thermometer in the middle of the fridge, and leave it overnight," he said.

Miss Lavender was happy with the result of Mr Hewlett's labour, particularly the cost savings she'll make from having a fridge which closes properly.

"I trust that it will keep going as long as we're saving for a new one!"

Visit www.sealafridge.co.nz or www.envirocentre.org.nz.

- © Fairfax NZ News