In the freezer portion of my fridge I've started having a problem with frost build-up. I went on a four day trip, and when I came back everything in the freezer had a thick coating of frosty ice crystals. I thought perhaps I had left the door cracked a bit so I cleaned off the frost, checked the door seals - they seem air tight, and closed it back up. But the frost continues to build no matter what I do. My first thought was an air leak letting humidity into the freezer, but the seals seem fine. It cools fine - i can turn the thermostat down cold enough to freeze everything in the fridge portion too.
Another thing you can do to ensure the seals cling tightly is to take a little dish soap and smear it on the door seal. It gets and stays tacky as it dries, and that can often be enough to stop a small air leak without having to replace the door seal. I got that tip from a fridge repair guy and it worked for me when the problem was that the seal was leaking just a little. It wouldn't hurt to give it a try.
So how do I check them? I inspected them visually, I ran my fingers along their entire lengths to check for cracks, warping, etc. I took a damp cloth and cleaned the seals and the frame where it goes. It all seemed good...
That would be my suspicion too. Door seals don't fail on 3 year old fridges and with a failing seal, the problem comes about slowly, not all of a sudden. If the door is closing properly, then the automatic defrost is likely not working.
But, if it were the defrost cycle, it would not usually cool properly. I have had that problem recently with a Kitchen Aid built in .... well actually, 2 years ago and now again recently. Both the fridge and freezer stopped cooling properly. 2 years ago, I shut it down and called the service company. They came out, complained that I shut it off, said I needed a new compressor (because it was "5 years since last replaced") and left. After they left (leaving the unit on) I noticed it was cooling normally. So I watched it. It worked for 2 years perfectly. And then about a month ago it iced up. The coils were nice and frosty. I disassemble the coil area in the freezer, checked that the ice melting heater had continuity and checked the defrost temperature sensor, which click at about 32 degrees. I assumed it must be the 3rd and last component in the defrost cycle, the timer. For $20, I replaced the timer and it has been working since. Also it now runs much less with this newly designed timer. I think the old design timer defrosted much more than necessary.
Anyway, when my defrost cycle was bad, I really didn't get too much frost on anything except the coils ... maybe a little more. But, if it were really humid in the OP's area and the door opened a lot, that may account for the frost, if the defrost was not properly working.
well, i had exactly the same problem as the OP, and it was the defrost relay. it would get cold, but would build up 2" of ice in a couple of days on the back wall of the freezer (humid part of summer in phoenix). it still kept good temps in both the freezer and fridge.
Typically, the defrost timer turns on the heater after an amount of time, sometimes compressor run time, some just plain real time. The defrost thermostat shuts off the heater once the coils reach a temperature above freezing .... no sense in adding extra heat to the freezer. If the thermostat button is stuck open, the heater won't go on at all. I guess if the system was designed to be just barely enough, some ice would probably cause a reduction in air flow and reduced cooling. However, if there's lots of extra cooling and air path, it might keep cooling for a while until it gets completely blocked up with ice and no air flows ... no cooling.
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