Fridge & Freezer nor cooling

New side by side layout is fridge side by side upper 2/3, with lower 1/3 pull out freezer
Normally in modern frost free systems only the freezer has the evap, and the fridge thermostat operates a duct, allowing freezer air to blow into the fridge.
The compressor runs until the freezer is satified, the thermostat powering the compressor is only connected to the freezer. If the fridge requires cooling but not the freezer, there's plenty of freezer air to circulate into the fridge after the compressor has turned off. Eventually the cmpressor will start again when the freezer temp gets too high.

On twin evap models, the fridge fan motor cuts out when the fridge gets to it's setpoint, so no air circulation through the fridge evap, though liquid refrigerant flows through it to the freezer evap. Likewise, if the fridge needs cooling but not the freezer, then the compressor will start but the freezer fan motor will not run.

Old school cyclic defrost systems had the thermostat in the fridge, and the freezer kept running until the fridge coil was low enough to make the fridge cabinet down to temp.


Refrigerator Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Most frideges get all their cooling from the freezer. There will be a fan and duct in the back of the freezer that pushes cold air down into the fridge. If the duct is blocked with ice or the fan motor has quit. Your freezer will work fine but the fridge will barely cool at all. Check that the fan runs when the compressor is running, ( turn both temp knobs to the highest cooling and leave door open until comp. comes on). If the fan runs your duct is plugged. If not you need a new " Freezer Fan Motor". Most are simple to replace and cost around $100.00.

I had a similar problem. my samsung freezer would only cool to 20 degrees, which also resulted in the freezer ice maker not functioning. (fridge door ice maker still worked) If you hold the power freeze and power cool buttons down together for 8 seconds it will a diagnostic. found the answers on http://appliancejunk.com/forums/index.php?topic=8206.0 , as too what the codes meant. Mine was throwing a freezer fan code error. ordered one online $30 and replaced it. seems to be working. TIP -The fan is located behing the rear panel in the freezer. I had two fans. The regular looking one is the freezer fan, the squirrel cage fan feeds the fridge ice maker. Also the new fan motors don't come with blades, just pull the blades off the old one and put it on the new motor. Don't push it on too far, make sure there is enough clearance so it spins freely.

Hi,

Check out these tips...they can help you figure out what is going wrong withyour refrigerator and why it is not cooling

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heatman101

Hello Nickel129,

I understand that you are having a problem with the refrigerator. The freezer is cooling just fine however, the fridge is not cooling enough or at all.

1. Check to see if you here the fan in the back of your freezer compartment turning.
a. if you do not here the fan then you need to replace it.
1. Unplug unit (fridge)
2. Remove the screws holding the bottom (if any) and the back cover.
3. Locate the fan and remove the wires
4. unbolt the fan and remove the fan blade (some new motors do not come with the blade)
5. Purchase a new motor at a local hardware/appliance store
2. If the motor is running you need to check the air tunnels (pasages in the frezzer)
a. Remove the covers in the freezer as above. There will be one, two or three holes that go thru the bottom and into the fridge. If these holes are full of ice defrost (w/water, hair dryer, etc.) so that air can pass thru the holes.

The above should help you to fix your refrigerator.

Thank you for choosing Fixya.com for your questions

Justin

Hi,

Check out these tips...they can help you figure out what is going wrong with your refrigerator and why it is not cooling

Refrigerator not Cooling or Fridge not Cooling

How to Defrost Refrigerator Defrost Timer Problem

Water Running in refrigerator from Freezer

Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

If you have an error code showing or flashing then try is Powering off the FF at the AC mains supply and leaving it standing for 30 minutes. Make sure that you do not open any of the doors or touch any of the controls during this time. Then reconnect the power and wait for 30 to 60 minutes to see if the fault remains or is cured.

Try completely defrosting the FF as despite common belief these units are not totally frost free.

If the Freezer and the Fridge are not cooling enough then check that the condenser is not iced up and that the fan is running correctly. These are located behind a panel in the lower half of the freezer at the rear and can be accessed from inside the freezer compartment.

In modern uprights if the freezer part is working OK and the fridge is not working correctly it means that the air vent from the freezing unit to the fridge compartment has stuck in the closed or partially closed position which causes the fridge to not be any where near as cool as it should be. If it is too cold then the vent is stuck in the open position and the fridge temperature will continue to fall and become the same as the freezer, thereby freezing the contents of the fridge compartment. It can also get stuck in another position so that if the temperature is adjusted on the front panel then nothing happens to the temperature in the fridge compartment. The vent is controlled by a small sync motor and either the motor has become faulty, the control module is faulty or the vent is iced up. It can be come iced up by putting too many hot items in the fridge so the steam condenses and freezes the vent in position and then the motor cannot open or close it causing it and / or the control module to become faulty. Other times it is just old age that causes the motor and / or the control module to fail. If the sync motor and vent are working Ok then there may be a fault with the fridge temperature sensor or main on board controller that will mean that the sensor or the controller will need replacing.

In stand alone fridges the answer could also be that the cooling panel at the rear is dirty and needs thoroughly dusting / cleaning / unblocking and checking that there is enough space around it to cool properly and that it is not near any heat sources such as an oven, air vent, microwave exhaust, etc.. It could also be caused by a problem that has resulted in a loss of the refrigerant gas and will need regassing by a service engineer. Also check that the thermostat is working correctly, turn it up and the fridge compressor motor should kick in, turn it down and the motor should turn off. Also make sure that the fridge is not iced up, or overloaded, so cool air cannot circulate inside it. Best call a service engineer asap.

your defroster seems to be out. This is located in the space between your freezer and fridge where your temp. control is. This defroster can be purchased at an appliance parts supply take model number and serial number with you in order to get the correct part. Once part is obtained follow instructions and unplugg unit before servicingf

ok what he was trying to say is that the freezer does all the cooling for both sides as nothing in the fride side cools and in order for the fridge to reach its proper temp the freezer should run any where between -0 to-10 then the fan in the freezer draw-es air from the fridge and cools it and circulates to the fridge now i need to know a few things is the compressor running is the freezer fan running do you see any frost on the back wall of the freezer section is the fan running in the back that's near the compressor to cool the condenser coils then i can better advise pleas hold my rating till we are done where did you purchase the unit

The compressor behind the fridge should cycle on and off as the machine maintains temperature, but the evaporator fan inside the freezer will keep running, except when the fridge goes into defrost. If the noise is coming from the fan inside the freezer, there could be some ice on the frame of the fan and the blades are touching the ice. If the noise is coming from behind the fridge it could be the condensor fan motor. This fan is situated behind the fridge in front of or next to the compressor. It keeps the condensor cool by blowing air onto it. Check this fan. The blades could be touching the pipework or something.