Just was down doing routine maintenance in our kitchen area. Looking for condensing coil on this unit. Did not see one...grillls using special head screws. Used flashlight to look through the two side grills. Do not see condensor coil?

The heat at the opening of refrigerator is usually a sign the condenser coils are dirty. Check the condenser coils for a restriction underneath the unit. Dirty condenser coils will cause poor air flow over the coils and compressor. Poor air flow will cause a lot of problems, including overheating the compressor, the refrigerant and the copper lines. This will destroy your sealed system. The coils need cleaning at least once a year, more often if you have pets.
I couldn’t determine if your unit has an “energy saver” setting. If so, turn it on. Not all refrigerators have energy saver. This is on units with emilion heaters in the wall around the door gaskets. The heaters are to eliminate condensation around the door. Turning ON energy saver turns OFF those heaters. You should notice a change quickly if it’s the heater causing the heat, that is, if you have that model.
Cleaning the coils will need a day or two to allow things to cool down before you notice a change in the heat around the door.

Good Morning bigred140, thank you for allowing me to assist you!

From what you have described, it seems like you may be referring to the perimeter hot tube. It is normal to be warm to the touch; however, since it may feel hot to you, I would suggest verifying that you have the proper clearances around your refrigerator. You can refer to your owner's guide for those specifications. If you do not have an owner's guide, you can typically locate one on the manufacturer site.

If the clearance is fine, you may need to clean the condenser coils. As part of routine maintenance, you can remove the toe grille (located at the foot of your freezer) by unsnapping the sides and lifting outward towards you. Now, using an extended vacuum attachment and condenser cleaning brush, remove dust buildup from condenser coils on left side underneath freezer. Cleaning condenser coils typically resolves this issue.

But, if clearance is fine and the condenser coils are free from dust and you are still feeling too much exterior heat, you may need to check with a local service tech to determine what else could be causing this issue.

Best regards, Chris.

Good Afternoon Chuck, thank you for your inquiry! From what you have described, it seems like you may be referring to the perimeter hot tube. It is normal to be warm to the touch; however, since it may feel hot to you, I would suggest verifying that you have the proper clearances around the freezer. You can refer to your owner's guide for those specifications. If you do not have an owner's guide, you can download one at the manufacturer site.


If the clearance is fine, you may need to clean the condenser coils. As part of routine maintenance, you can remove the toe grille (located at the foot of your refrigerator) by unsnapping the sides and lifting outward towards you. Now, using an extended vacuum attachment and condenser cleaning brush, remove dust buildup from condenser coils on left side underneath freezer. Cleaning condenser coils typically resolves this issue.


But, if clearance is fine and the condenser coils are free from dust and you are still feeling too much exterior heat, you may need to check with a local service tech to determine what else could be causing this issue.

Hello Robert - From what you have described, it seems like you may be referring to the perimeter hot tube. It is normal to be warm to the touch; however, since it may feel hot to you, I would suggest verifying that you have the proper clearances around the refrigerator. You can refer to your owner's guide for those specifications. If you do not have an owner's guide, you can download one at the manufacturer site. If the clearance is fine, you may need to clean the condenser coils. As part of routine maintenance, you can remove the toe grille (located at the foot of your refrigerator) by unsnapping the sides and lifting outward towards you. Now, using an extended vacuum attachement and condenser cleaning brush, remove dust buildup from condenser coils on left side underneath refrigerator. Cleaning condenser coils typically resolves this issue. But, if clearance is fine and the condenser coils are free from dust and you are still feeling too much exterior heat, you may need to check with a local service tech to determine what else could be causing this issue.

Head pressure should be around 250#.
Be sure condenser is clean. Use a good foaming cleaner.

refrigeration systems are sealed. The only time you add refrigerant is when there is a leak. Maintenance wise, need to keep condenser and evap coils as clean as possible. Make sure all electrical connections are good and tight. Make sure that the compressor and/or condensing unit has good air circulation around it.
Hope this helps ya out.

when you have a slow leak in a refrigeration system .. there will come a time when there is not enough refrigerant to service the entire "evaporator" (cold coil) .. the symptoms would be: extra cold areas in the first part of the cooling coil and no or little cooling in the rest.
if its an older system then it likely uses R22 refrigerant (being phased out) .. newer ones use R134a .(also now causing some environmental concerns) . the system is normally sealed so the refrigerant has to be added through an "add on valve" (saddle valve) .. a dryer unit is often added to make sure no moisture has gotten into the system .. you need gages and special know how to do all this safely .. you should also locate and repair the small leak ..(soap bubbles or a special sniffer can be used). if its an older unit then it might be better to just replace it since newer ones are considerably more efficient ..

of course make sure that the external "concenser" coils are clean .. if those are clogged, cooling capacity and efficiency go way down .. even so its unlikely to cause yoiur symptoms ..

There are 2 or 3 things that would cause this. first make sure the condenser coils are not plugged with dust (vacumn or blow them out) next check to make sure the fan that cools these coils is running, (this is the most likely problem). if both of these check out ok then you would need to check to make sure your interior lights ar going off when the doors are closed as these will add extra heat and cause the center rails to run hot. last and most uncommon would be a freon system problem.  

fyi there is a hot gas freon line that runs in between the doors to prevent exterior sweating. when poor or no air flow problems for the condenser coil exist it causes this area to become hotter. 
One more thing. if you do determine that the condenser fan motor is bad you can put a normal house fan blowing on to the coil to help cool this area down until you can get the unit repaired. 
If you need any further assistance leave me a comment here and I'll gladly get back to you. Thanks Peyton 

There are 2 or 3 things that would cause this. first make sure the condenser coils are not plugged with dust (vacumn or blow them out) next check to make sure the fan that cools these coils is running, (this is the most likely problem). if both of these check out ok then you would need to check to make sure your interior lights ar going off when the doors are closed as these will add extra heat and cause the center rails to run hot. last and most uncommon would be a freon system problem.  

fyi there is a hot gas freon line that runs in between the doors to prevent exterior sweating. when poor or no air flow problems for the condenser coil exist it causes this area to become hotter. 
One more thing. if you do determine that the condenser fan motor is bad you can put a normal house fan blowing on to the coil to help cool this area down until you can get the unit repaired. 
If you need any further assistance leave me a comment here and I'll gladly get back to you. Thanks Peyton

If the freezer is not located in an area where grease vapors are present the unit can be cleaned off using a vacuum cleaner. Then use a flash light to look through the coils. If you see dust embedded deep inside use a small air compressor to blow out the dust. Dirty condenser coils raise the pressures and temperatures in the system. Cleaning the coils and scheduling them to be clean at quarterly intervals should keep it functioning for a long time. Operating with a restricted condenser takes its tole on the compressor life span.