My Hotpoint Side-by-side temperature flucuates(model #HSS25GFTA). Items in freezer melt at times and then re-freeze. Same is noted for the fridge. Service tech added freon; however, problem continued. He stated that the computer "is ok", no leaks detected, and diagnosed the compressor as the problem and stated there must be a circulation problem. I suspect that the service tech is not correct and the problem may be the defrost timer or thermostat. Any suggestions?

Hi Reginald

Most refrigerator / freezer units chill the fridge area by venting some fraction of the very cold air from the freezer into the fridge compartment through a channel that has a mechanical air valve in it. In this way, it can control the chilled air flow, and aim for the set temperature, all the way down, in some cases, to freezing, or even colder, on the fridge side.

That vent unit, depending on your model, sill be somewhere in the wall that separates the freezer from the fridge. What can happen is that moisture condenses into the louver that slides to control the airflow, it freezes, and then system is stuck, since it's cold on the freezer side, and this keeps the louver frozen stuck. If that is the case, shutting the unit off for a while may recover function, though getting it to where ice is melting in an interior wall may be more risk of food spoilage than you'd want. Otherwise, use a search engine to look for 'how to test freezer / refrigerator vent in make/model', and you'll likely come across all sorts of youtube and step-by-step tutorials.

Good Luck!

D

First you'll need to determine whether it's a sealed system issue or failure of some other part. Troubleshooting system problems is beyond the scope of this media. YouTube has literally hundreds of such videos.

have a fridge technician as the power surge from the outage may have damaged the power board.

If the machine is running all the time a few things could be happening, The defrost timer could be bad, but if that is the case then you should see a build up of ice forming on the wall that covers the evaporator coils. Another situation is that your machine is low on freon and not reaching a temperature cold enough for the temperature control to shut the machine off. Third and last the temperature control itself could be bad and thinks the machine isn't cold enough. in that situation you would notice ice build up as well. Hopefully this helps.

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/jason_4570d45317834dd3

Make sure the two vents from the top of the fridge that run into the freezer are not blocked or obstructed in anyway, that's what the problem was in ours. Also do not allow ice to build up on the vents in the freezer.

If the defrost thermostat is bad it will need to be replaced, otherwise you will have to continuously manually defrost the unit. The noise you hear is probably the fan hitting the ice. The defrost thermostat assists in melting that ice about every eight hours.

Either the defrost thermostat heater or control board.

Sounds like the source of your refrigerator freezer temperature problem is due to a faulty evaporator fan motor. This fan circulates the air from the freezer to the refrigerator and back to the freezer. When it fails, temps are warm at the top, cold at the bottom, so the ice melts, and the water tank inside the fridge, near the bottom, freezes. I looked up your model #, but it shows no results so i cannot give you a part number.
Also, its possible if you have a control board microcomputer, its bad as well. Some model GE refrigerators the fan burns out part of the computer, necessitating replacing both.

Hello:
It is very common to have the line in the freezer door freeze up. I would start there first. If that's not it then next step would be your water valve which is located in the back/bottom of the fridge. It is a dual valve( one side for ice maker the other for water dispenser). you can check that by taking off the front kick plate and on the bottom freezer door hinge you will see the line entering the door. Follow it towards the under the fridge and you will find a coupling. Disconnect it and see if there is any water coming out when you press actuator on the door .. If yes then its frozen if no your valve is Kaput.

Cheers

The ice maker water inlet valve has failed allowing water to pass when it is not supposed to pass. The water valve is item 800 of this link. http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?model_id=5203104&diagram_id=24933031#d24933031

Changing the water valve most always returns the ice maker operation back to normal.

Kelly