For the second time, the fridge section has stopped cooling while the freezer continues to freeze. The coils underneath unit were slightly dusty so I have cleaned them according to manual. It does not appear to be the condenser as freezer unit appears to be functioning normally and was replaced once already....

Your fridge is no longer working and you need to buy a new fridge.

Suggest lowering the refrigerator set point to a lower number such as 3. There is usually an indication of normal setting on the adjustments. Wait 24 hours and check the refrigerator compartment again. Use a thermometer to record the temperatures. The meat compartment will be normal just below freezing. If no success then read the following.

One reason that this occurs is that the unit is working near continuously to reach the freezer temperature. Another words the unit is not capable or cooling the freezer to the prescribed temperature. The result is the excess cooling eventually reaches the refrigerator section causing the refrigerator to freeze. The unit will if this is the case run nearly continuously. This situation is counter intuitive. Freezer not reaching set point, excessive cooling over cools refrigerator therefore refrigerator freezes.

The cause is either the freezer door/seal is not closing or sealing the freezer compartment or the compressor or defrost cycle is not functioning properly.

Check the freezer door seal using a strip of paper. Check to see if air is flowing from the vents in the freezer. Using a thermometer check the temperature of the freezer. Listen for and record if the compressor is running or not.

The normal freezer temperature is around '0' Fahrenheit. If no or little air is flowing from freezer air vents look for ice on the back wall. If ice is present it is likely the auto defrost cycle is not working. Attempt to defrost by hand which requires several hours with everything removed.

Check that lint and dust has not blocked the coils under the unit and that the lower fan is running. Usually warm air exits from the machine grill in the front. Remove the grill and check for air flow and debris buildup. Vacuum if necessary.

And unfortunately if the compressor runs continuously and no air blockage underneath would indicate that the cooling capacity is reduced requiring a major service or replacement.

Hope this helps?

Is the fan blowing in the freezer section? Also, check to see if you have airflow thru the damper (vent) in the frig section.

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

Refrigerator Troubleshooting Refrigerator Compressor

Refrigerator Compressor Start Capacitor and Start Relay


heatman101

Check your coils underneath the fridge to be sure they are clean.
Check your condensor fan (bottom rear of fridge) to make sure it is blowing air freely.
Make sure you have a good supply in the freezer, All of your cooling comes from the freezer section and a mostly empty freezer will result in more frequent running as ther is not enough stock to help maintian and hold freezing temperatures.
Check your freezer section to make sure there is no visible frost on the back wall of the freezer (down low on the panels behind and slightly above the lowest freezer basket. If you see frost starting to develop it means you have a defrost issue starting and will want to adress it rather quickly. Either a problem with the defrost control board (inside fridge/freezer control compartment) or the defrost thermostat (behind the freezer back panel on top of the evaporator coils).
Hopefully this helps!

A normal freezer temperature is 0 to -10 degrees Fahrenheit. And a normal refrigerator temperature is 38 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

The compressor (motor) will shutdown when the freezer temperature is achieved. The reason the compressor continues to run is the freezer is not cold enough to satisfy the thermostat.

You have a refrigeration problem that could be caused by many things. The things you can verify is that the condenser coil is clean. On newer model units, the coil is underneath the unit and because a fan pulls the air across it, gets very dusty. If dirty then clean it with a rag and shop-vac. Unplug the power before starting and be careful of wires and copper tubing.

Another possibility is that one of the fans is not running. There is a fan underneath (mentioned above) that is usually accessibility from the back. Check that it is running. If not, replace.

There is the internal fan(or evaporator fan) in the freezer compartment. Usually, if this is not running the evaporator coil (under the freezer floor) will ice over. Check that the fan is running and that this internal coil is not freezing up.

Other less mechanical problems will require a professional refrigeration technician. Problem can be low freon charge, kinked tubing, plugged metering device. None of these problems are fixable by the owner and all require federal EPA certification and a license to repair.

If this helps you, please select YES to one of the first two ratings questions. Thank you, and Good Luck.

Either the freezer continues to freeze up (most likely due to low refrigerant, due to a leak), or there is an obstruction between the freezer and the refrigerator (refrigerators get their cooling from the freezer).

Given that it works after you defrost it, I'm going with low gas. Call a professional to see if the leak can be fixed. If the unit is more than 10 years old, just get a new one.

sounds like its freezing up on you. check the drain outlet and make sure that its clear. also i would replace the defrost timer on this unit because its suppose to bring on the heaterfs to melyt the ice so thaat yoiu don't have to. they are around 30 mdollars at the appliancew repair store and all you need is the model number and serial number for the uit. after you get it it's either on the very top of the refrigerator section or in the very back. It has 4 wires going to it. good luck.

If you have frozen coil at the back of the freezer section, then the defrost thermostat is usually failing. Allow the fridge to defrost completely overnight. If the fridge restarts cooling immediately after defrost, then the problem was the defrost system. In that case the fridge will stop cooling again in a couple of days, as soon as the evaporator coils restart freezing and the condenser goes under stress with the whole cooling system loosing efficiency.

first...Check whether the ventilation gaps
have been covered over or become
dusty.
2. Check whether the metal grille (heat
exchanger) at the back of the
appliance has become too dusty.
It needs good area of circulation and clean coils/grilles.
it makes it hard to cool it down if dirty/dusty. I don't think the oven is doing it cuz operating in a room/outside which is too cold will cause the cooling system to switch
off for too long, causing the freezer
section to become too warm.
My best guess is vents and coils dirty/dusty.