Our Kenmore upright fridge - only a year old is not cooling in the refrigerator section. Model number is 253.68822010
The freezer (upper section) is cold, and so we figured there may be an air flow problem between freezer (upper) and refrigerator (lower). The freezer was so cold that the adjustment knob would not turn.
We have warmed both sections up, and the freezer control knob is now free, but we are still not getting cooling in the lower refrigerator section.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have!
couple of possibilities. Is the evaporator fan working? That is the fan blowing air between the freezer and fridge compartments. Is the coil frozen up? That means the timer or heating element is not working. At one year, is it still under warranty?
You mention the knob was frozen. That leads me to think the coil froze over from one of the above reasons.
refrigerator section. Model number is 253.68822010 The freezer (upper sect ion) is cold, and so we figured there may be an air flow problem between fr eezer (upper) and refrigerator (lower). The freezer was so cold that the ad justment knob would not turn. We have warmed both sections up, and the free zer control knob is now free, but we are still not getting cooling in the l ower refrigerator section. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may ha ve! Dwight Gibb
Find some place to put your freezer and refrigerator foods for a day. First thing after you empty the freezer and refrigerator is to heat the frezer a nd refrigerator compartments up to at least room temperature. A little ext ra heat from a hair dryer on low will speed things up.
Let everything stand without extra heat of blowing for 3-4 hours. Then, fe el along the back wall of both the frig and freezer, see if there are any c old spots. If there are, wait one more hour and then check again for cold spots (not a plug for that brand of frig). Once everything seems to be up t o room temperature. Clean out any drippings inside the frig and freezer com partment. Check under the frig section, remove the kickplate, and see if t here is some water on the pan under the frig section. That will tell you i f ice from somewhere inside the walls has melted and that the drip pan hose is porably not clogged.
Now shut the dooors of both units and turn the thing back on. Let it go fo r a couple of hours and then check the temps. Hopefully they will both be correct and you can return the food to the proper location. Do nothing mor e, just keep a close eye on things and see if it reoccurs.
Now, to find the actual problem!!! There is a good possibility that a defr ost timer motor has failed. There are two types, one is a straight clock t hat turns off the colling mechanism and starts a defrost cycle once every 2
4 hours. A more common system uses a clock that turns off the cooling cycl e and starts the defost cycle after several hours of the cooling cycle atua lly runing.
We'll wait to get into that level of trouble-shooting after you tell us wha t happens when you run the first experiment.
On Friday, November 29, 2013 11:42:31 AM UTC-8, snipped-for-privacy@sbcglobal.net wrote :
:
he refrigerator section. Model number is 253.68822010 The freezer (upper se ction) is cold, and so we figured there may be an air flow problem between freezer (upper) and refrigerator (lower). The freezer was so cold that the adjustment knob would not turn. We have warmed both sections up, and the fr eezer control knob is now free, but we are still not getting cooling in the lower refrigerator section. Thanks in advance for any suggestions you may have! Dwight Gibb
st thing after you empty the freezer and refrigerator is to heat the frezer and refrigerator compartments up to at least room temperature. A little e xtra heat from a hair dryer on low will speed things up.
feel along the back wall of both the frig and freezer, see if there are any cold spots. If there are, wait one more hour and then check again for col d spots (not a plug for that brand of frig). Once everything seems to be up to room temperature. Clean out any drippings inside the frig and freezer c ompartment. Check under the frig section, remove the kickplate, and see if there is some water on the pan under the frig section. That will tell you if ice from somewhere inside the walls has melted and that the drip pan ho se is porably not clogged.
for a couple of hours and then check the temps. Hopefully they will both b e correct and you can return the food to the proper location. Do nothing m ore, just keep a close eye on things and see if it reoccurs.
frost timer motor has failed. There are two types, one is a straight clock that turns off the colling mechanism and starts a defrost cycle once every 24 hours. A more common system uses a clock that turns off the cooling cy cle and starts the defost cycle after several hours of the cooling cycle at ually runing.
hat happens when you run the first experiment.
I don't have this prob. thank goodness; just wanted to say that this kind o f TLC represents the best of ahr
Tegger's right. If you can turn this into an SEP (Someone Else's Problem), that would be the way to go.
But, if the fridge is off warranty, then I'd say what you should do is move the contents of your freezer into the trunk of your car (if it's well below freezing outdoors where you live), remove the access panel to the evaporator and evaporator fan and see what's happening. If the evaporator is frosting up uniformly and the fan is blowing so that you can feel a draft in the freezer compartment, then you know it's not a mechanical problem. Next thing to check would be for air circulation into the fresh food compartment.
If you see a duct running along the back of the fridge wall, then that duct brings cold air from the evaporator fan to the bottom of the fresh food compartment. From there, the cold air is drawn upward and sucked back into the evaporator fan. If something is blocking the air path so that air isn't coming out the bottom of the duct, of that air can't make it back to the evaporate fan, that will stop air circulation through the fresh food compartment, causing it to warm up.
I agree. I'd call them anyhow. It probably did start before you noticed it, and aiui companies don't always insist on exactly 365 days. You don't have to bring the topic up. They'll look at your record and tell you if it's too long ago. If they do, you can use the argument Ed and I gave.
possibility that a defrost timer motor has failed. There are two types, one is a straight clock that turns off the colling mechanism and starts a defrost cycle once every 24 hours. A more common system uses a clock that turns off the cooling cycle and starts the defost cycle after several hours of the cooling cycle atually runing.
after you tell us what happens when you run the first experiment.
Might take a week or more, for the problem to return, after the manual defrost process.
Classic symptom of a frozen evaporator coil. You need to empty the fridge and remove the back wall of the freezer. YOu will see a solid mass of ice that will need to thaw.
The problem is either a heating element (looks like one of the rods in an electric oven)
or
the "end of line" thermostat that looks like a small aluminum can clipped onto one of the refrigeration lines, both of which are in that ice.
There is one other possibility that has never been the culprit on any I've worked on which is the timer. It is usually down at the floor, often toward the front that tells that heating element to come on.
I would definitely call and complain that the fridge had been flaky for sev eral days and finally died and complain about losing money on the cost of r uined food. If they give you any flak, ask to speak to the store manager, t ell him/her the same story and don't take no for an answer. Too many folks just give in meekly, and while they may inherit the earth someday, they do n't get service when they need it.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.