I have a Kitchenaide Side by Side KSRA25ILSS02 fridge and it gets ice build up inbetween the freezer and the fridge inside the panel. This causes the air baffle inside the fridge to iceup. The freezer gets super cold and the fridge starts to warm up. Any ideas how I can prevent the ice inbetween the panels and what is causing it? We have replaced the air baffle in the fridge and we have replaced the defrost control in the freezer. Everything works fine for a while after totally defrosting but within a couple of weeks it all starts over again! We are frustrated with this fridge!!!!

SOURCE: KitchenAid KSRS25QXAL10 Side-by-Side (1992) won't defrost

HI. There are two causes here, in this situation. The most common will be a faulty defrost timer, or adaptive defrost control board. The defrost mechanism will vary from unit to unit. Most newer units will be equipped with an defrost control board. This will be located in the control housing, just above the heat shield, in the upper right had side. Older models will have a standard defrost timer mechanism. If this device fails, the evaporator heater Assembly will not receive the command to defrost the coil, on time. The easiest way to isolate the cause, will be to test the heater element. If the element is functional, the defrost timer/board, will be the culprit.

Defrost heater assembly test procedure:

The defrost heater is usually located at the back of a side by side freezer or under the floor of a top freezer. It will be necessary to remove obstructions such as the contents of the freezer, freezer shelves, ice-maker and the inside rear or bottom panel of the freezer, to access.

The panel may be held in place by retainer clips or screws. Remove the screws or depress the retainer clips with a small screwdriver. On some older top freezers it is necessary to remove the plastic molding to access the freezer floor. Removal of that molding can be tricky, so try not to force it, if possible. If you decide to remove it, you do so at your own risk. it will break, if forced. Warm it first with a warm towel, or hair dryer, set to low heat.

There are three primary types of defrost heater elements; exposed metal rod, metal rod covered with aluminum tape or a wire coil inside a glass tube. All three elements are tested in the same way.

The heater is connected by two wires. The wires are connected with slip on connectors. Firmly pull the connectors off of the terminals (do not pull on the wire). You may need to use a pair of needle-nose pliers to remove the connectors. Inspect the connectors and the terminals for corrosion. If the connectors are corroded they should be replaced.

Test the heating element for continuity using a multimeter. Set the multimeter to the ohms setting X1. Place a probe on each terminal. The multimeter should display a reading somewhere between zero and infinity. Because of the number of different elements we cannot tell what your reading should be, but we can be certain of what it shouldn't be. If the reading is zero or infinity the heating element is definitely faulty, and should be replaced.

TESTING YOUR DEFROST TIMER MODULE


To test whether the defrost timer is simply failing to advance, locate the advance screw and turn it clockwise until you hear it click. This advances it to the next mode. If it was cooling before, it is now in defrost mode. Simply wait about 35 minutes and check whether it has left defrost mode and has resumed cooling (listen for the compressor). If it does not advance, the timer motor is probably bad and the entire timer needs to be replaced. If it advances as it should, then you can follow the steps below to test the switch electrically. Test the timer for continuity using a multimeter. Set the multimeter to the ohms setting X1. The timer has four terminals. Locate the common terminal, it should be labeled "3" or "C". If the terminals are not labeled, determine which terminal coincides with the white wire in the connector plug.

Once you have located the common terminal, touch one probe to it. Touch the other probe to each of the three remaining terminals. The multimeter should display a reading of zero or near to zero ohms (which indicates continuity) for one pair of the terminals and possibly two pairs. The third pair of terminals should show no continuity (infinity).

Locate the timer switch and turn it clockwise until you hear it click. Now retest the timer as you did above. One pair of terminals should indicate continuity (possibly two pairs). At least one pair should give a reading of infinity. Note however, one of the pairs that showed continuity in the first test should now read infinity and one pair that read infinity should now show continuity. If the defrost timer does not pass these tests, it should be replaced.