Older (20 to 25 years old) non-frost free Whirlpool refrigerator is not cooling below 60 degrees. I defrosted it and left it off with doors open in garage for 10 hours. Turned the cooler knob to 4 (goes up to 8) Freezer is at -5 F. Refrigerator is at 60 degrees with water droplets forming on the inside top of the refrigerator. DOORS appear to be closed and sealing.

Non-defrosting freezers are very cool...

Chest types are superior to the uprights... because your cold feet from opening the door on the upright... just cooled down your room... and WARM / MOIST air just re-entered the unit... again to be brought back to zero temperature with your precious utility dollars...

and...

Caused more frost to form.

All air coming into the cooled space will contribute frost build up.

Humidity or overly steamy kitchens will aggravate the situation.

A lot of frost (build up) can easily be caused by too much contemplation in front of the freezer... waiting for that INSPIRATION

Air intrusion can be caused by an ice cube, poor arrangement of food... or actual door obstruction (pizza-box)... or even where a wire or tube passes through the refrigerator housing.

An easy check for your door seal .. and PROPER DOOR ALIGNMENT is called the "DOLLAR Bill test".

((any piece of EQUIVALENT paper will work JUST FINE.. and one never really knows where a DOLLAR bill has actually been... I'm just saying!!))

A simple visual is the best start... the seal should be clean & in full contact with the entire area between the door and refrigerator compartments...!!. Open the door... and in ANY suspect area slip the "dollar bill" between the housing of the refrigerator DOOR SEAL.

Pulling the dollar out you will feel the proper contact provides
a modest amount of resistance to your pull on the dollar...
THE SEAL IS PERFECT... in THAT location.

Continue on with the entire inspection UNTIL you are CONVINCED that THE SEAL is good.

After that ... you are pretty much left to moving to a dryer climate...
but personally... I feel AUTOMATIC DEFROSTING is a controlled version of wasting your FROZEN FOODS.

That is why I think Non-frost free freezers are very cool...!!

Best regards!

Hi

If refrigerator is not cooling properly it can be due to a defrost timer, which is causing the fridge to go into defrost cycle. Usually it takes 45-60 minutes for refrigerator to come out of defrost cycle. If the timer is bad then it will not come out of defrost cycle and can result in this kind of issues. It can also occur due to defrost thermostat, it 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. This is difficult to test, though, because it takes a prolonged, very-cold temperature to turn it on. The defrost thermostat is snapped onto the top portion of the evaporator. The thermostat sends temperature information to the processor. The defrost heater must be replaced when replacing the thermostat.
1. Remove the lower fan duct work from the evaporator cover.
2. Remove the 1/4-in. evaporator cover screws and remove the evaporator cover.
3. Disconnect the defrost thermostat wiring connector.
4. Remove the defrost thermostat from the evaporator.

Hope this helps...please post back for further assistance.

Daniel

if your noticing frost on the back wall you have a defrost problem and need to address it immediatley before u get warm in freezer and refrigerator sides remeber that a refrigerator is just a cold air duct from the freezer.... defrost heater bimetal defrost thermostat ot timer defrost control is bad ...

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Check out these tips...they can help you figure out whats 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

heatman101

Poor cooling is often the result of a heavy frost build-up on the evaporator coils. You can't see these coils without removing a panel on the inside of your freezer. A sure sign that there is a build-up is the presence of any frost or ice build-up on the inside walls, floor, or ceiling of the freezer. Such a frost build-up usually indicates a problem in the self-defrosting system or damaged door gaskets. The refrigerator is supposed to self-defrost approximately four times in every 24 hour period. If one of the components in the self-defrosting system fails, the refrigerator continues to try to cool. Eventually, though, so much frost builds up on the evaporator coils that the circulating fan can't draw air over the coils. There may still be a small amount of cooling because the coils are icy, but with no air flow over the coils, cooling in the refrigerator compartment is quite limited. Here's an inexpensive, though inconvenient, way to determine if the problem is with the self-defrosting system. Remove all of the perishable food from the refrigerator and freezer, turn the thermostat in the refrigerator to Off, and leave the doors open for 24 to 48 hours. (Be sure to have several towels ready in case the melting frost and ice causes the drip pan to overflow). This allows the refrigerator to defrost "manually." When the frost and ice build-up has completely melted away, turn the thermostat back to a normal setting. If the refrigerator then cools properly, it indicates a problem with one of three components in the self-defrosting system: The defrost timer The defrost thermostat (also called the bi-metal switch) The defrost heater If it still does not cool properly, there may be a problem with the refrigerant level or the compressor. You may need to consult with a qualified appliance repair technician to further diagnose the problem

unplug your freezer. Move the fridge 1 foot from the wall. Wait 15 minutes and plug again . if it works good , ok . if not you will need to call the technician who will check the starting relay and the compressor

Verify condenser fan is running. Check evaporator coils for frost. IM will quit if freezer does not go below 5 degrees. The cooling was slowly dieing and finally warmed enough to defrost the food.
Eric

Hello TraciK,

It is likely you could fix it YOURSELF
for less than the cost of your ruined food...
(we can do this).

Refrigerators... while divinely simple... are self
sufficient (noble) appliances that are designed to
take care of themselves. Clean them, love them & they
will serve faithfully for DECADES...

ELSE... comment me back (I do love'em).

I have a '94 Amana.. Counter depth, STAINLESS,
water/ice door service...
(the only appliance that survived our "kitchen refresh")

Likewise mine also DOES NOT have a DEFROST TIMER...
but an electronic PC (printed circuit) CONTROL BOARD...

Mine (of course) is MANUFACTURER DISCONTINUED
so count yourself "LUCKY" ...

NOT only are your parts available... but
reasonably priced... (see below).

If you "refrigerator" has been UNPLUGGED for
three days... (and I am right) it should run NICELY
for a week or 10 days... before FAILING on the "REFRIGERATOR" side...
(frosting up... blocking AIR FLOW).

You are most likely suffering from a DEFROST
circuit FAILURE.

Not unlike the simple TIMER the DEFROST circuit
operates 2 or 3 times each day...
(about 45 minutes).

As the entire interior of your "FRIG" is soft
plastic... going above 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit
could/would case serious damage to your
REFRIGERATOR'S soft plastic interior...

Ergo... your defrost heater is under the
control of a DEFROST THERMOSTAT... designed
to go "OPEN" (no connect) at temperatures
above 55 degrees (room temp (chilly))...

This is ENOUGH to melt frost but not affect your
food... nor cause damage to the soft PLASTIC
REFRIGERATOR'S interior.

To test for DEFROST issues on a single EVAPORATOR
refrigerator (yours)... you need only look through the vents of one that has been running a COUPLE of WEEKS.

You will likely see an EXCESSIVE build-up of FROST.

/If you look into your defrost pan... it s likely quite DRY...
Testing with a clean, fresh piece of typing paper ..
would QUICKLY leave water marks on a fresh [piece
of paper...
(Same as testing for a leaky valve under your sink).

~~

((a single drop will QUICKLY mark the paper)).

There are only 3 parts to YOUR defrost circuit:
- Defrost PC Board
- Defrost Thermostat
- Evaporator Heater element

The only other (REMOTE) possibility would be the
AIR-FLOW is being blocked by a bad "DAMPER"
(also has video instructions (see below)).

Video
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-board-jazz-wpw10503278-ap6022400.html#autoplay

Part: PC Board (WPW10503278)
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/01-cabinet-back-parts-for-amana-abc2037des.html

Damper Control (part number WP67003903)
http://www.appliancepartspros.com/whirlpool-control-damper-wp67003903-ap6010385.html

Happy hunting!
Carnac the Magnificent

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Check condenser for dirt or dust, check back wall of freezer section for frost, if you find frost there is a defrost problem. Frost buildup on the surface of the back wall indicates that the coil inside the back wall is frozen over. Inside the back wall on the coil are heaters which the timer energizes to defrost at certain intervals. These heaters could have an open circuit, the defrost thermostat could be open, or the timer could be malfunctioning. To test the timer manually you can rotate the clutch head screw clockwise untill you hear one click. The heaters should come on and defrost for 18-22 minutes. The refrigerator should return to cooling after that time. If it does not automatically restart turn the screw once more to a second click and it should start.

Defrost the freezer. Door being ajar allows moisture to build on the freezer coil and stops air circulation. In frost free units this condition should clear itself after about 8-12 hours max. Locating and advancing the timer by rotating the clutch head screw clockwise slowly until you hear one click. This will start the automatic defrost manually.