U-line origins 75R fridge not cooling

Hello Sandra;

My name is Peter. I am a retired field service refrigeration technician.

You just have a simple operational and maintenance issue.
Neither your compressor or fans should run continuously.

First, you need to clean your condensing coil. You did not provide a model number so you either have a flat cooling coil in the front bottom, or a canister type in the back right hand side. This coil dissipates the heat. If it is plugged up your compressor and fans will run trying to keep up with the unit temperature settings. This can make a difference as much as 40 degrees. The toe plate, bottom front is either held in place with a screw on each end. If no screws, there is a clip on each end. Just pull and it will pop out.

Second, You only have only one cooling source and that is your freezer. The freezer will try to satisfy itself first before the fresh food section. If you set the temperature controls beyond the unit design settings your compressor and fans will keep running. Set your freezer to -2 or +2 Deg. F., and set your fresh food section to 35-40 Deg. F.

Third, Check your door gaskets. make sure there are no gaps.

Check the condenser fan in the compressor department. The fan motor is know to fail. The refrigerator and freezer temps will be cool but not cold. I would start there.

pull the unit from the wall, remove the bottom back panel , see if the small fan is working ,if the fan is , there's probally alot of dust back there,unplug the fridg. and vacuum the area real good,use a flash light to make sure you get it all, if the fan is not working and the compressor is running the fan is the problem ,the fan keeps the compressor and coils cool so the freon can cool down so the unit works like it should,if the freon is hot ,the air the fridg.will be blowing will be hot. this should fix your problem, and YES its worth fixing.alittle p.m.saves alot of $$$$$$$$$

Compressor should rapidly bring pressure down from standing pressure to running pressure when switched on. If no change, compressor not pumping. Make sure the line tap valve isn't leaking, and the gas you used was correctly charged.

Hello Lisa,

Thanks so much for choosing my ad for your fridge problem. Even though you do not have model number I am not to worried about it. As I already know I feel your problem. Please read Below my solution and if you feel that this is the problem, then if you can rate my solution accordingly as well as some nice words, I would appreciate it very much. Feel free to save my information and call on me anytime for anything I can help you in my areas of expertize. Thanks, Mike.


I of course read your problem . A lot of times when fridge is running but not cooling it can be as simple as just cleaning the coil. Take off the bottom back panel. (make sure you unplug fridge) and once you get the panel off, look in there if you see the hoses/coils dirty, they need to be cleaned and use a shop vac to really clean it and sometimes I will use a can of that compressed air that people use for computers. ANYWAY, if it is at all dirty, it needs to have a good cleaning. IF your compressor motor is real hot, then it has overloaded. In other words, its working to hard because of the dirt build up. A lot of people say, hey my compressor is running, but its not getting cold. Most the time it is running, but not at full capacity because it is dirty the coils and vents etc... Now, you have to let the fridge compressor cool down completely after you have cleaned it real good, then plug back in fridge and keep an eye on temp to see if it gets cold like normal. IF not, then what needs to be checked or replaced is the starter relay and most likely the capacitor. that is the switches the plug right into the compressor. You trace the wires that go to the compressor, and you will notice it hooks into a couple parts that plug into the compressor, that is your starter relay and capacitor. This can be replaced yourself. But first lets try the good cleaning method. AS a note: even though the compressor is running and if it is cleaned and still does not cool, the starter relay and compressor could have gone out, and those parts are designed to kick start the compressor at higher amps to have compressor operate at full capacity. I hope this helps you. Mike from fixya.

Hi,

Compressor is one reason why your freezer may not get cold. The compressor which is usually found at the back of the freezer helps to pump out gas/ cold air and the fan circulates this cold air in the freezer. If this compressor is knocked/defective, the freezer won't cool. Also, gas in the compressor sometimes get's finished and needs to be refilled. So, the compressor needs to be checked in a situation like this.

Fan problem is one of the most common reasons for the freezer to start failing, this is called "frost free failure." Ice can build up on the evaporator coils over time, and this ice builds up until it starts blocking the fan. The fan is responsible for circulating cold air throughout the freezer, so if it is blocked the freezer will not be able to freeze any food. You can usually check this by removing an access panel in the back of the freezer to inspect the coils. If ice is built up on the coils, a hairdryer can assist in defrosting them.

It's also possible that the fan is not running at all. If the fan is burned out or the motor isn't running, cold air can't circulate through the freezer and everything will melt. You can normally hear the fan motor switch on and off from time to time. Listen for it and if you can't hear it coming on for an extended period of time, the motor may need repair or replacement. The wires connecting to the fan may be the problem, preventing the fan from receiving electricity.

Several other problems could be keeping your freezer from freezing:

There could be leaks in one or several of the hoses in the refrigerator, which results in the cold air being lost instead of circulating properly throughout the fridge and freezer.

If you have the freezer so full that the cold air can't circulate, your food will thaw even though the freezer isn't malfunctioning. Always leave some space open in the freezer and try to not store food right up against the cooling vents.

The thermostat might have shorted out, which means the freezer can't accurately determine how cold it is. If this is the case, the refrigerator would probably not be working, either.

If your defrost drain becomes clogged, the water in the line will just refreeze over and over again, which could damage the lines as well as the fan. Always check the drain and make sure no sludge is building up in it if you have a self-defrosting refrigerator.

Always try to keep the freezer door closed for long periods of time. The more the door is opened, the more warm air is let in and cold air is released. If the door is opened frequently, the freezer could be warming faster.

Good luck.

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If there is no cooling at all , before we go further we must confirm the first step of confirming the compressor and gas pressure. So shut off the fridge and leave it off while you clean and check the evaporator for frost. If frost is seen it is a good indication as the compressor is working with sufficient gas within.
Now after about 6 hours plug in the fridge to start. Observe cooling to happen in about one hour and ice to from under three hours.
Earlier make sure that the thermostat was set to normal mode for freezer and fridge. If there is no ice formation we have a big issue as the compressor and gas must be checked out. If compressor is running check the pressure, get help to test gas pressure. If not you will need to fill up ,If gas pressure is good the possibility of the compressor being inefficient is high. In such a case you must take consensus to estimate and decide, if RPM of motor is low check capacitor.
However if Ice forms then observe the fridge for about 24 hours for cooling to continue and the fridge to cut off. If not the auto defrost timer, or the thermostat must be checked.

The ventilation fan that circulates the COLD air from the evaporator coils could get clogged with frost and so could be jammed. Also the wires to the fan can be worn out due to the frost. If so check if the defrost timer works to switch the heater to remove the frost. Also the check if the compressor is shut down by the timer /thermostat . If the heaters are not working, check continuity of the heaters.
So attempt to test using a multi-meter / clamp tester from the outside and make your observations so that we come to the solution.

Please check this link for tips to work.

http://www.espares.co.uk/advice/fridges-and-freezers/a/2

Thank you for using Fixya.

If there is no cooling at all on the fridge section but the freezer works then it is confirmed that the compressor and gas pressure is OK. Now shut off the fridge and leave it powered off while you clean and check the evaporator for frost. If frost is seen it is a good indication as the compressor is working with sufficient gas within.
Now after about 6 hours plug in the fridge to start. Observe cooling to happen in about one hour and ice to from under three hours.
Earlier make sure that the thermostat was set to normal mode for freezer and fridge.
However if ice forms in the freezer then observe the fridge for about 24 hours for cooling to continue and the fridge to cut off . If not the auto defrost timer, or the thermostat must be checked. Frost formation without defrosting could block the air flow and so shut the air passage to the fridge. Also the blower fan must work and if this is not working then the fan can be faulty. Also a fault on the control unit is a suspect to non functioning of any one of these components.
If defrost timer works but frost keeps forming check while the compressor shuts if the heaters are working, check continuity of the heaters.
So try this test using a multi-meter on the defrost timer and the thermostat and make your observations so that we come to the solution.

ok well... those pipes coming from your compressor one of them should be hot. if not your compressor is not running.

You should be able to hear the fan if it is on (inside ) .If the compressor is running , then the fan inside the freezer should also be running .