My Whirlpool Side by Side refrigerator is sweating on the frig side causing ice to build up where the cold air is blowing into the frig side. I replaced the defrost bimetal thermostat but that did not help. What is wrong?

Hello,
That can be the result of a couple things. Check to see if you hear the fan running in the freezer side? If not, since cold air falls, the cold air could be migrating from the freezer into the frig bottom section through the air duct hole in the back of the frig behind the crisper drawers. If the fan is running the check the air damper in the top left of the frig section. If the frig side is cold enough you should not feel air blowing through. Air flow is only very slight. You will have to remove some plastic cover or duct piece to see if it is closing. If the air damper seems to be working properly, you may have a refrigeration problem indicated by frost build up on the lower part of the freezer back wall. You may want to call in a pro at that point. Hope this helps point you in the right direction. Good Luck

This is a common problem, and worth fixing if the frig isn't to old. The frig is making cold air just fine, which is a plus! All we need to do is get that air to circulate throughout the entire appliance.

Behind the freezer wall is a fan called an evaporator fan. This fan simply blows the air straight up the back of the freezer. From here it enters the frig at the top left and sinks to the bottom. Then it re-enters the freezer and continues its loop :D

So, either the circulation is being obstructed by something (maybe ice build up), or the fan is out.

Behind the freezer wall is the evaporator fan (that has probably stopped moving). Either ice build up (or some obstruction) has stopped it, or it has just served its time and needs to be replaced. Generally I would just replace it. You never know if it has been damaged from ice blockage or whatever the problem may be. If the motor is trying to spin and it is being held in place, bearing could be wearing out or completely gone which will just cause you more pain in the near future. So replace that puppy and you should be all set! :D good luck!

P.S. Naturally, if the fan is fine but you have something blocking the air flow, just fix the air flow problem in an apppropriate manor :)

I can help you diagnose the problems with your GE. Several things can cause these symptoms. All you need is a voltage meter patience and a want to, to repair and do it better than a paid technician. In most cases with the PSS26MSRSS the defrost heater is the cause for this. Look into rear of your freezer and back wall. Is Ice or frost building on rear wall? If yes unplug and prepair to remove contents in freezer compartment. Remove rear panel in freezer and use hair dryer to defrost ice until the defrost heater is visible. BRB , Sea Breeze

If the freezer is staying cold it sounds like a defrost system problem. A bad timer, heater or thermostat can cause frost to build up on the coils and block air flow to the refrig side. Check out ACMEHowTo.com for troubleshooting the defroster problem.
There is a small duct between the freezer and refrigerator side if this is blocked the frig side won't cool.

Usually when the freezer is still giving cold but the frig is not receiving cold you have an ice build-up on the cold (evaporator) coil that is hidden behind the rear panel of the freezer compartment. If you push on this panel, you usually will hear a cruntch sound (this tells you there is ice/frost on the coil). There are 3 components that affect this problem: defrost timer, defrost stat, defrost heat coil. In other words, something is not working to remove the frost from the coil and it is building-up day after day (takes about 5-7 days to become full (blocked). When this happens, no air can move over the coil to take the cold away and blow it throughout the frig or freezer compartments.
To access the defrost coil or stat, you have to ren move the back panel (in the freezer) and remove all the ice with a hair dryer only or let the door open all day and allow it to melt. DO NOT PUSH OR PRY OR CHOP WITH ANY TOOL OR YOU WILL BE GARRANTEED TO PUNCTURE A HOLE IN THE COIL AND YOU ARE REALLY SCREWED. The time is either: under the front of the whole refrigerator, or in the frig compartment (towards the back or attached to the ceiling of frig compartment). If you have some experience with electrical parts, you can test to see which part is at fault. Good Luck. Macgivor

Look for the return vent near the bottom probably behind the crisper. You'll have to remove it to see the vent. There may be an adjustable flap in to to adjust the meat keeper area. Make sure it's open.

you did just fine defrosting it but, when you put everything back in don't overpack it, leave room for the air to circulate. the heat from the bottom unit will cause enough condensation to leak down the air vent and the it will refreeze blocking your vent again

Switch off the fridge immediately and allow the compressor to cool off. It is possible that the defrost element is not working, causing a build up of ice in the freezer side. But this should not cause the compressor to overload. The compressor thumping and then stopping can be caused by low voltage supply or a blockage in the refrigerant system

take back panel off inside freezer and check if there is ice build up. if so, melt off with a hair dryer and see if it works then. get back to me if you want

Don't let them tell you that the problem is related to "sulfur" in your water. It's a scam so that they don't have to repair the problem. The actual problem is that they don't use quality parts to build these units anylonger.