Hotpoint side-by-side Frig/frz won't get cold.

Jason,
MOST refrigerators get there cold from the freezer side and circulate it via a fan that's also normally inside the freezer. There are three motors normally in a refrigeration system. The inside Evaporator fan motor that circulates air across the evaporator coil inside the box, the Condenser fan motor near the compressor that cools the freon after compression, and the compressor itself. If you open the doors (and sometimes you may have to hold in the door switches) do you hear a fan running? If not you could have a couple things going on: 1. The fan(s) has failed. 2. The freezer Evap coil may of iced over and the fan too is frozen stopped. 3. Your condensing unit:(compressor, condenser fan, condenser coils) has a problem.
It is important to know if the compressor itself is running. If there is a loose connection to the compressor via the start/over load relay (normally attaches directly onto the compressor), or if the start/over load otself is bad the compressor will not run. Best way to tell is via gauges but I doubt your frig has ports. Check to see if your compressor is really hot. Could be bad start/over load relay or bad compressor. Try unplugging your frig for say 30 min then, with your hand on top of a cool compressor, plug the frig back in and see if compressor smoothly vibrates for at least 5 min without becoming very hot or shutting off even though fan continues to run. The fact your fan is running TYPICALLY means the thermostat is calling for lower temps and the fan/compressor kick in together.



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dead if the compressor is running and theres no cooling or frost on the evaporator you have leaked out all your freon only way to fix is call a pro about 600$ to fix

You'll need to get in touch with the store you bought it from but Cut everything off for a few minutes then turn it back on and listen for a click from the compressor relay as the compressor tries to start.
Is the compressor motor running.If no check starter/overload relay. Check to see if the condenser fan at the back underneath near the compressor is running. If no check fan.

Are the condenser coils near there warm or room temp. should be warm




Is the evaporator fan in the freezer running. It blows cold air into the fridge side through a damper in the wall between the freezer and fridge. Make sure the damper is open.

Below the evaporator fan is the evaporator coils. Remove the back cover in the freezer to observe the frost pattern. Light frost everywhere(NORMAL) or a partial pattern of ice(LOW ON FREON) or nothing(LOW FREON OR COMPRESSOR PROBLEM).

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Is the compressor motor running.If no check starter/overload relay.
Check to see if the condenser fan at the back underneath near the compressor is running. If no check fan.

Are the condenser coils near there warm or room temp. should be warm


How to check stuff>
http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/refrigerator/refrigerator.php


Is the evaporator fan in the freezer running. It blows cold air into the fridge side through a damper in the wall between the freezer and fridge. Make sure the damper is open.

Below the evaporator fan is the evaporator coils. Remove the back cover in the freezer to observe the frost pattern. Light frost everywhere(NORMAL) or a partial pattern of ice(LOW ON FREON) or nothing(LOW FREON OR COMPRESSOR PROBLEM). Heavy frost indicates defrost problem.

Do you hear the freezer fan working when you push in the light switch manually ? If not , then probably bad main control board (99% chance ) Pt # WR55X10656 . If you do hear the fan , then probably (90% chance ) the defrost heater is bad . Pt # WR51X10101 .

The fan that is under the frig is the condensor fan(the fan the cools the condenser coils and the compressor. It does not have a direct effect on the chilled air circulation inside of the frig. The evaporator fan is the unit that circulates the chilled air thru your freezer and frig. I am not sure what make model unit you have, but I have found that this fan motor is 90% of the circulation problems i have seen.

Make sure both condenser and evaporator fans are running. Is it possible that you might have something blocking the air flow from the freezer to the fridge?! Can you hear the fan running up on top?

Often times the defrost termination switch (which opens when it gets warm enough) will hold the fan off until it closes again when the freezer runs. It is possible that the switch is not closing, but be sure the freezer is getting cold enough for it to close.

You know the freezer is likely cold enough when you see frost covering the entire evaporator coil after a few hours of operation. A partial frost pattern could indicate low refrigerant, or a restriction of refrigerant.

yes do the check for the baffle. set the controoler for the thermostat to off and the freezer to the coldest setting while have the doors open. take the cover off the baffle and observe if its closed . should close in 10 seconds, also the compressor should be on, as should the evaporator fan and the condenser fan. turn the controls the oposite and the baffle should open. Also make sure that you have seperation of product so that you haev adequate air flow in frig.

There is one compressor, condenser and evaporator in all refrigerators. The part that makes the cold inside the unit is the evaporator. It's in the freezer, behind a barrier on the back wall. It's a "coil" with many small fins. There is a fan that blows air over the evaporator which makes the air cold. This air comes from the freezer and stays in the freezer. The cold food section (the refrigerator) has a control that opens a hole for air to pass from the freezer to the fridge. This being said...you can rule out the "temperature control" for the fridge.

The sound you hear could be the compressor relay, the evaporator fan or maybe something else. It could be bad, it could be not too bad. (Like a fan blade a bit unbalanced with dust)

OK,,, back to the evaporator. There is a little heater next to the coil that turns on every 8 hours or so to defrost the coil. That's called the "defrost cycle". Makes sense, no? If the defrost timer (common problem) or defrost control board (common problem) go bad, your evaporator coil freezes up, and that's not good for anything in your refrigerator. But it can often keep the freezer section cold. You can easily disassemble the evaporator cover in the back of the freezer and take a look. If it looks like a block of ice, you probably have a defrost issue. An even, thin coat of frost is OK, but lots of ice is a no no.