Hi. I just found your group. I have a Danby refrigerator which works fine except the freezer is icing up, which it didn't do before. I've had the frig over a year. I scrape the ice off with the little plastic shovel ice remover that came with it but the ice keeps coming back. Does my refrigerator need repairs or is there something I, a non-technician, can do? Thanks for any advice.
Wow. I guess we don't need this advice group then, do we? Who needs one on one help from people who've had the same problem when you go look it up? Brilliant.
I think the clue you're missing is "didn't do before" - the door seals *may* be an issue and should be inspected, or the OP *may* be quick freezing huge open bowls of steaming rice and should stop. (-: More likely a frosting problem that's just started to show would indicate to me that there's an issue with the defrosting system. Perhaps our resident refrigeration "rocket surgeons" will tell us what the most likely modes of failure are. I'll take two guesses based on modes I've seen.
If the self-defrosting system is not working, there are three parts that might have failed: the defrost timer, the defrost heater and the defrost thermostat. I would diagnose the problem further by seeing if the frost builds up most where the freezer coils are.
Another vector is a fan failure. I was looking at a 20 year old Panaflo fan I pulled from some electronic gear and it's incredibly sturdy and well-shrouded against dust compared to newer China low-ball specials that go into modern gear. Loading food that blocks the vents and hampers air circulation can also cause this problem.
-- Bobby G.
It could be that the defroster heating element, for some reason, it not coming on. That reason could be a defective heater, timer, fuse, or wiring. Then, too, the fan may not be working.
Search the net for your model and/or step-by-step instructions for diagnosing and correcting the problem.
I had this problem with a fairly new Whirlpool fridge. After two service calls under warranty I de-iced it myself several times using a hair drier. Then I bought a new Frigidare fridge and the old one went to recycling.
---MIKE---
Many refrigerator freezers are designed to be "frost free". They have a timer, and a heater to melt the frost from the inside of the freezer. When the coils in the back of the freezer frost over, very often the refrigerator side warms up.
The diagnoisis and troubleshooting is dificult to explain. But, there are some good web sites that will do a better job than I can.
If you're good with electricity and troubleshooting, you may be able to do your own repairs. Many people call appliance repair shop, and get someone who is experienced with refrigerator repair.
I didn't expect anyone to type 100 pages. I thought someone would say "It sounds like this needs replacing" or recommend something I could do myself, like defrost the freezer and de-ice the freezer drain with hot water. A clogged one can cause ice buildup. I just found that out and am going to try it. It took a lot of searching to find that. Hope it works. But who needs discussion groups?
It sounds like something in the defrost system needs replacing. Just troubleshoot what the problem is, and replace the bad part.
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