RUNS A LONG TIME

Depends on how often and long the unit is left open, rule of thumb, fridge 4 deg C, freezer - 18 deg C.

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.

Is it a fridge or freezer, and what are the symptoms, in detail? Is all working normally, just not switching off? Check condenser clear and clean, and try turning thermostat down to 1 (if mechanical) or up to 40 (if electronic)

Check the fan vent to see it's not blocked or frozen. Sometimes a defrost will clear ice temporarily, but it will happen again if you have a bad fan.

start with the basics. Make sure the condenser coil is clean. If the unit is running, make sure the evap fan motor is running. You may have to hold the door switch with your finger to check that out. Let me know and we can go further.

When they replaced the evaporator coil they had to re-charge the unit. Sounds like there may be a small leak.

There may be vents that need to be closed and or opened a little for proper adjustment.

Is your circulating fan working?
Sometimes they stick and need a shot of WD 40 and then work
it back and forth a little until it wants to take off again. Keep me informed
and PLEASE give a Thumbs Up for the effort. The Raz Shack

Hi,

As the weather is getting warmer for many people their freezer and/or refrigerator do not work right because of a dirty condenser coil...there are also many other things that can go wrong. If you are hearing a clicking or buzzing then check out the last two tips.

If your refrigerator is running but warm, then…

Check out this tip that I wrote about that... it is a great place to start trouble shooting your unit...and something that you can do rather then calling a repair person to do a simple thing for you...

Refrigerator Condenser Coil Cleaning Refrigerator Repair
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4024657-refrigerator_condenser_coil_cleaning

Refrigerator Troubleshooting Refrigerator Compressor
http://www.fixya.com/support/r3885294-refrigerator_troubleshooting

Refrigerator Compressor Start Capacitor and Start Relay
http://www.fixya.com/support/r4023749-refrigerator_compressor_start_capacitor

heatman101

The first place to look is to check the charge. Using guages check the low and high side pressures and their relationship to one another. I'm assuming your unit is a R-404 unit which, if fully charged and the condenser is clean, and the fan is operating, should have about 210 to 250 high side pressure. Other things to check: evaporator coil ice/frost free; defrosting properly to obtain a clean coil; all evaporator fans running. If low side pressure is above 30 PSI you have a weak compressor. Whatever, fix the Traulsen unit, its head and shoulders above anything else on the market today.

cycling every 30 mins is normal. bear in mind that frost free are more noisy as there are fans running as well.
you appear to have temp in freezer too high - should be -18degC