Amana Bottom Freezer Refrigerator Model BG21VWH Freezer temperatur stays on 20F despite adjusting the dial every 5 hours. Ice Cream stays suppy. Upper Frig works normal and holds temperatur setting. What could be the cause ?

Hi,

The answer to these questions lies in the way the fridge works. The freezer is where the cooling coils are located. Then air is moved over the coils and circulated through the fridge side by a small blower or fan. The problem arises when the air is not circulated for some reason.

The reasons the air is not moving is usually two reasons
The fan or blower has failed.
The coil is covered over with ice and blocks the air flow.

The first reason is pretty simple to fix, you simply replace the air circulator and things are good again.
The second reason can be more difficult.
1. The timing device that runs the defrost cycle of the refrigerator is defective.
2. The heater coil that melts the water is shorted or not working

Usually the first thing to check is the heater coil. If there is resistance through the coil then most likely it is still good.
The timing device can be an advanced defrost control board or a mechanical timing device.
If the heater coil checks out to be good then the problem should be the timer.

For most situations, unplugging the refrigerator and allowing it to defrost on it's own will get you going temporarily, till parts can be shipped to you. That will melt the ice and give you a few days or a couple of weeks till it ices up to the point where it will not work again.

So you can see here, the problem can usually be traced to one of three things.
The fan or blower
The timer device
The electric heater coil
By methodically checking these parts you can isolate your problem and fix it.


If your freezer cools but doesn't get cold enough, it may have a problem in one of several areas. To better understand the proper operation of a freezer, read about freezers in the How Things Work section of our website.

In a self-defrosting freezer, poor cooling often results from a heavy frost build-up on the evaporator coils. You can't see these coils without removing a panel inside your freezer. But if you see any frost or ice build-up on the inside walls, ceiling, or floor of your freezer, it's a sure sign of frost build-up. And that's a sign of a problem with the self-defrosting system.

Freezers should self-defrost three to four times in 24 hours. But if a component in the self-defrosting system fails, the freezer continues to try to cool, instead. Eventually, so much frost builds up on the evaporator coils that the circulating fan can't draw air over the coils. There's still some cooling because the coils are frozen. But with no air flow over the coils, the cooling is quite limited and the freezer isn't as cold as it needs to be.

An easy (though often inconvenient) test of whether the problem is with the self-defrosting system is to remove all of the perishable food from the freezer, turn the thermostat to Off, and leave the door open for 24 to 48 hours. (Keep several towels handy in case the melting frost and ice overflows the drip pan). This "manually" defrosts the freezer. When the frost and ice build-up has completely melted away, turn the thermostat back to a normal setting. If the freezer then cools properly, it indicates a problem with one of these components in the self-defrosting system:

The defrost timer. To test this, manually advance to the defrost cycle. The unit should advance itself out of the defrost cycle in about 45 minutes.

The defrost thermostat (or bi-metal switch). This thermostat allows current to pass through it at temperatures of 20 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit and prevents current from passing through it at 40 to 60 degrees (depending on its design). This is difficult to test, though, because it takes a prolonged, very-cold temperature to turn it on.

The defrost heater. You can test this for continuity using an electrical meter.

It's not cooling

If the freezer seems to be doing nothing, see the "It doesn't work at all" section, above. Otherwise, check these:

Is the thermostat knob turned to the proper setting?

Is the compressor motor running? It's a football-sized case with no apparent moving parts on the outside of the freezer at the back near the bottom. Is it humming or making any kind of continuous noise? If it is, but your freezer is still not cooling at all, there may be a serious problem with one or more of these areas:

The compressor
The condenser
The evaporator

You can't service these yourself. You need to contact a qualified appliance repair technician.

If the compressor isn't running but you do have power to the freezer, there may be a problem in one or more of these areas:
The compressor
The overload and relay
The defrost timer