refrigerator too cold

[J.Lef]

I have a frost free refrigerator, with the freezer on top(separate door) Lately the last few weeks, a lot of things in my refrigerator have begun to freeze. It has been used as always. The setting has been on 5 which is mid range. I took the temp of the freezer and the front and back portions of refrigerator. The freezer was at 5 degrees, from on refrigerator on about 35 degrees, and rear of refrigerator was about 30 degrees. I turned the control switch from 5 to 3 and waited overnight. I retook the tems, and the freezer was now up to about 24 degrees(which shows the control switch functions) The front of the refrig was about 38 degrees, but the rear was still below freezing. Any ideas on what could be causing this to happen. Its a hot point, apartment sized unit.

Much thanks

[udarrell]

For some reason the run time is too long & some areas of the fresh foods area will drop below freezing.

There may be a problem with the air circulation inside the refrigerator. Make sure the condenser coils are clean. There are other causes but would rather you didn't pay any attention to what I say. Call a tech, they need to make a living. - udarrell

[sosessyithurts]

hmmm, just a short answer here.. hard to say

you know freezer air is what keeps the fridge side or portion cool

it's not like there are two compressors in there.. only one...

consider putting a damper over where the freezer air enters the fridge compartment

like say.. a thin towel.. you know.. dampen the flow a little... but don't bind any fans.. and maybe only cover half... experiment with it

my first thought was that your thermostat is going bad..

maybe you have air leak in the door seal?

air leaks are evidenced by large quantities of ice build up (snow looking ice)

[aenewhouse]

Did you try turning the temp-control dial up to, say, 7, and then measuring the temp? On our fridge, 9 is coldest, but at this point it sounds like you have nothing to lose. Good luck, Andy

[udarrell]

The control thermostat is in the fresh food compartment (FFC) area, & is usually located where the temperature is warmer, -near the top.

Proper unrestricted Air circulation is Critical to proper TH functioning, which is usually near the warmer top of the FFC. Make sure there is NO blockage of air anywhere in the fresh food compartment & in the freezer compartment.

Eliminate all obstructions to free airflow & Set both settings at the mid point & let us know if it helped. Does the evaporator have good airflow to the FFC?

Clean the condenser! It may be a little low on refrigerant or the compressor is becoming inefficient causing excessive runtime that allows some areas (usually low areas) of the fresh food compartment to assume too much of the evaporator's temperature. - udarrell

[udarrell]

The control thermostat is in the fresh food compartment (FFC) area, & is usually located where the temperature is warmer, -near the top.

Proper unrestricted Air circulation is Critical to proper FFC TH functioning.

Make sure there is NO blockage of air anywhere in the fresh food compartment & in the freezer compartment.

Eliminate all obstructions to free airflow & Set both settings at the mid point & let us know if it helped.

Does the evaporator have good airflow to the FFC?

Clean the condenser coils! It may be a little low on refrigerant or the compressor is becoming inefficient causing excessive runtime that allows some areas (usually low areas) of the fresh food compartment to acquire too much of the evaporator's temperature. - udarrell

[Stormin Mormon]

Sounds like the evaporator fan is slowing down. Or, soem kind of restriction in the holes that circulate the air. Slow evaporator fan is a killer diagnosis. It runs.... but not enough.

[J.Lef]

Just to followup. I think I may have the problem. About a month ago, I had service on the refrigerator(just a month short of its extended five year warranty) The refrig light bulb was dangling, due to the plastic fixture that holds it up. What I didnt realize, is that to change the fixture, the entire thermostat is replaced at the same time. The new thermostat(and piece attached to it), must either not be good, or they put a used piece in it, and it was defective. I am waiting for them to call, to take care of the bad piece they put in, at no charge) I hope this fixes the problem. Even at number 2 setting my refrig is at 2 degrees now.

Thanks