Kenmore/Whirlpool refrigerator not cold in hot weather

[DHogan]

Hi. Seeking your advice. Has anyone had experience w/ the Kenmore/Whirlpool side by side refrigerator? Ours periodically in hot humid weather stops opening the door that sends cool air into the refrigerator part. This happened to us before w/ the same refrigerator--we had it replaced. Before, we went through a series of repairs before declaring it a lemon.

Has anyone had similar experience and insights?

Any recommendations on other similar type refrigerators that work well?

Thanks!

[RS]

Yes. It's a known issue in humid areas. According to Sears tech support, there's nothing that can be done besides running your home's A/C to control humidity. We get incredulous looks from homeowners when we tell them that.

We've had limited luck with inserting a plastic knife or similar object into the open damper to provide a minimum level of air circulation. The folks at the factory (and it isn't just Whirlpool, but Frigidaire, Maytag/Amana, and GE as well) say their newer, more energy-efficient models do not run long enough to provide for excess moisture removal and when it is operated in high-humidity areas, problems associated with humidity (frozen dampers, ice crystals on air towers and evaporator covers, condensation on the liners) will show up.

The preceding assumes you have checked to make sure your door gaskets are sealing and are not torn, the ice dispenser chute door is sealing and is not torn, your water storage tank is not leaking, you do not have an overabundance of food with high moisture content that is not sealed, and all holes in the cabinet (for wiring or for water tubing) are air-tight.

As far as suggestions for other refrigerators, try the Whirlpool-designed models WITHOUT the automatic damper for the refrigerator. They are less expensive and have fewer features....but will have a MECHANICAL damper as opposed to an ELECTRIC one which will freeze. Frigidaire has added a heater to their dampers and, after having replaced several dozen original designs with the updated heater-added styles, I haven't seen a repeat failure. But there are so many other things to fail on a Frigidaire that it doesn't really qualify.....

Sears Refrig Guy

Kenmore/Whirlpool

[maradcliff]

This may just be coincidence, but my Whirlpool refrig took a dump in the hot weather. In my case the compressor just fried. It was an old refrig, so I suppose I should not complain, but this is the first refrig I have ever owned that just "fried". After this experience I am not too keen on Whirlpool........

Mark