I have a Hotpoint side by side refrigerator Model HSS25IFMD WW. The freezer side works great but the refrigerator side stopped cooling. Things I have tried: Unplugged the unit and removed the back vent, Vacuumed around the motor and surrounding area to remove all dust. Replaced vent cover and plugged unit back in. Turned temp control up to above normal settings. Waited at least 30 minutes to see if unit would kick on to cool the refrigerator section. Nothing. Could there be a problem with the temp control module?

SOURCE: right side of refrigerator not cooling; frezzer working great

Ice build up on back wall could be defrost thermostat or faulty defrost heater

SOURCE: Kenmore Elite model 73503201- FRIDGE DOES NOT COOL, FREEZER WORKS

Look in the back of the freezer, there will probably be a metal panel with a plastic vent on top.

Look through the vents in the metal panel, and you should see the shiny metal fins of the evaporator. If the fins or the vents are plugged with frost, that is your problem. The freezer will stay cold because a small amount of cold air will be forced through the frost but that will not be enough to make it up to the refrigerator portion. You can defrost the unit by removing the metal panel and allowing the frost to melt. Careful use of a hairdryer can speed up this process. This will likely be a temporary fix. The root cause of excessive frost can be caused by a bad door seal or a defective defrost circuit.

First check that the door seal is good by closing the door on a dollar bill at several points around the door, both on the freezer and refidgerator door. If you can pull the bill out with no resistance, the door is not making a good seal. Inspect the seal and make sure there isn't anything stopping the door from closing such as food, or a shelf not pushed in all the way.

If the door seal is good, the defrost system is likely defective. The defrost system has three main parts, the defrost heater, thermostat, and timer. If either one of the parts fails, the freezer will plug up with frost every few weeks. If you can troubleshoot this by manually starting the defrost cycle. Let me know if you would like this procedure.

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• 117 Answers
• Posted on Feb 14, 2009

SOURCE: refrigerator not cooling

Check in the freezer section by removing the food exposing the rear inside panel. DO you see frost beginning to build upon the rear inside panel of your freezer section? If so, the is a simple defrost problem and can be repaired easily. For testing purpose, st both control to the middle setting and do not move them during the entire testing period. Moving the controls only makes things worse.... Let me know what you find....

Waiting to hear from you,
Eric Campion

SOURCE: HSS25IFMD quit cooling--was plugged with dust/dirt

Hi: When both sides get warm it is a bad sign. I wish I had better news. Hope all works out for you, Jeff

SOURCE: Refrigerator not cooling

We had a similar problem - it was the compressor start device. Ordered a new one from repairclinic.com, and it works great now. The old start device rattled when we shook it. We opened it up and found lots of burnt little bits. Check to see if your compressor kicks on & off a lot. Ours would run only about 10-15 seconds, then go off for a minute or two - then back on for a few seconds. If that is happening, it could be the start device. Hope this helps.