Appliances need repairs on occasion and refrigerators are no exception. When your refrigerator is not working right, there may be times that you can fix it yourself.  When should you call the professional appliance repair person or can you fix it yourself?

If you hear noises from your refrigerator, it could be caused by several things. There are fans in your refrigerator, condenser and freezer, which could be having issues. A fluttering noise could mean that something is caught in the fan unit. You can check and clean the appliance in just a few steps.

• Take off the back panel
• Clean out the fan area
• Clean anything that may have dropped behind the refrigerator

If the noise is more of a squealing or screeching sound, it is a more serious problem. You should call the professional for repairing the unit. Don’t attempt to fix this type of issue yourself. Thumping or banging noises could be compressor related and may require you retiring your old refrigerator for a new one.

If your ice maker is not working you can check these things before calling your repair service.

• Check the lever-it may be turned to the off position
• No ice-the water valve could be clogged
• Flecks of metal in your ice cubes-the unit is probably deteriorating

The last two items require professional assistance. Call the pro in to assess the situation.

One of the most common calls that the pros get is when the refrigerator is not keeping things cold or the freezer doesn’t stay cold. Before you call the pro check these things.

• Make sure your thermostat is in the correct position
• Clean the condenser coils-located under the kick plate
• The gasket (seal around the door) may be bad-check by placing a piece of paper or dollar bill in the door. If the bill doesn’t stay in place a replacement is needed
• Frost is building up in a frost free unit

Replacing the gasket is not difficult, however, you may want to call a repair service if you are not comfortable doing the job. The frost issue is trickier, a professional needs to be called in to either replace a bad thermostat or in the worst case scenario, tell you that the compressor is bad. A compressor can be replaced but depending on the age and cost of the refrigerator, you may want to consider purchasing a new one.

Keep in mind, before you attempt any repair, check your warranty. You don’t want to invalidate your warranty and risk having to pay for the repair if your refrigerator is covered.