Update on my Fridge Problem

[Question]

Hi all, my original post is below;

"I have a problem with my fridge, it is a side by side. The top half of both sides are not cold, all the food in the top half of the freezer side is thawed and only the stuff in the bottom half of the fridge side is cold. Anyone know what could be causing this? Should I call someone in or just go look for a new refrigerator? Thanks."

All that replied said it seems like a problem with the circulating fan. Last night I starting pulling things a part and I found that all the parts in the back behind the cover were covered in dust, I cleaned it out. Then I took all the spoiled food from the freezer and threw it out, after doing that I noticed a frost build-up on the metal plate that covers the coils, I removed that cover and there was a lot of frost there, I manually defrosted the freezer and that frost is forming back again. I put 3 bowls half full of water in there and they are freezing fine.

Is it normal for the frost to form on those coils? Could the excessive dust have caused this original problem?

I have left the cover off for now so I can watch it for a while.

As you guys can tell I am very inexperienced with fixing things but willing to give it a shot.

Thanks!!

[Stormin Mormon]

Is it normal for the frost to form on those coils? CY: The coils inside the freezer normally do have a light frost. But, they should not be a block of ice.

Could the excessive dust have caused this original problem? CY: No, excessive dust causes them not to frost at all.

I have left the cover off for now so I can watch it for a while. CY: Bad move. The covers are necessary to direct air flow. The cardboard on the back by the fan, and the metal plate covering the coils in the freezer. both are essential.

As you guys can tell I am very inexperienced with fixing things but willing to give it a shot. CY: We reccomend .44 magnum with armor piercing bullets. FMJ with tungsten core would be good way to shoot a fridge.

Thanks!! CY: You're welcome. Incidentally, from what you've written, you didn't actually repair the problem.

[Art Todesco]

I'm going to guess that there is something wrong with the defrost cycle. I had a similar problem where gradually the freezer and fridge got warmer and warmer. The Kitchen Aid authorized no-nothing wanted to charge me $1500 for a new compressor. I guess he actually knew a lot .... how to get $1500 from a sucker. BTW, this was a built in unit. Anyway, he basically looked at nothing. I noticed, when he turn the unit back on, that it was pouring out cold air in both sides. It worked after that for almost 3 years, until it did it again. I disassembled the covers in the freezer and found a solid chunk of ice. The defrost heater was not on. I checked the heater with an ohmmeter and it seemed ok. The thermostat went from a closed circuit to open as the ice melted away, so it was probably good. Only one component left in the defrost hardware, the timer. I replaced it and never had the problem again. And actually, the unit worked better with the new timer. I think the original was defrosting way to often, where as the new one did it based on actual compressor run time. Of course, it hasn't been more that about a year and I sold the house, so guess I'll never know.

[Stormin Mormon]

Wow, that sounds expensive. I can understand why you didn't tell him to go ahead with it.

[Dan Lanciani]

| I'm going to guess that there is | something wrong with the defrost cycle. I | had a similar problem where gradually | the freezer and fridge got warmer | and warmer. The Kitchen Aid authorized | no-nothing wanted to charge me | $1500 for a new compressor. I guess he | actually knew a lot .... how to | get $1500 from a sucker.

I had a problem with a Kitchen Aid except in my case it clearly (to me anyway) _was_ the compressor and I had an extended warranty. It's amazing what they went through to avoid replacing the compressor. They started with the door switch and then the defrost timer and then the fan. In between each "repair" of course they made me wait a few days to a week to see if it would "settle in" or such. At that point I was using a little dorm fridge because the Kitchen Aid wasn't cooling at all. Finally they replaced the compressor and it worked (well, at least as well as it ever worked) for a few years. I suspect they don't get to charge the warranty place quite what they would charge us directly so they don't have an incentive to do hard work...

Dan Lanciani ddl@danlan.*com

[Art Todesco]

Well, as soon as you say the magic words, "built in" it increases the cost many fold. When the guy came to my house, the 1st thing he did was yell at me for shutting the unit off. I told him that if I left it on, he would have told me that I broke something. Of course he said that he wouldn't say that. But, when he turned it on, I felt very cold air coming out of the freezer and fridge vents. His exact words were, "well it's been 7 years since you had the compressor replaced, so that's what is needed!" No diagnostics. That made me extra suspicious. I figured we could probably buy a non built in for a whole lot less. So we paid him his $75 and showed him out. The rest I already told. BTW, the defrost timer cost me $40 and it was in stock at the local appliance parts place.

[mm]

Speaking of fridge timers, we had a Crosley Shelv-a-dor refrigerator boought around 1951 - 54 that had a defrost timer along with defrost heaters.

My current fridge doesn't require me to do this but that one required the owner to set the time, and then it would defrost at 3 in the morning. Unfortunately, my mother didn't read the manual, or the label next to the timer, and she kept setting it to the time she wanted it to defrost. Since she never did this at 3 in the morning, it never defrosted when she wanted it to. :)

(Had it as a second fridge from 60 to 66, when my mother moved)

[mm]

Pitiful.

big grin.