Posted on 02/17/2014 9:51:29 PM PST by djf
OK about 6 months ago I get a new fridge. It's a Frigidaire HE model, with a small freezer on top and a regular refrigerator below.
It worked GREAT! I put a bunch of stuff in the freezer, and regular stuff below.
About 3 weeks ago I started to notice some minor icing inside the freezer door when I opened it. Didn't mean much to me... Lately, the freezer part seems to work fine, but the regular part below was about 50 degrees F no matter how cold I turned it.
So.... I unloaded the freezer. I then removed the very back panel, which has the blower motor attached, and has the cooling coils underneath.
The entire back part was one big chunk ice! Now right below the main freezer coils, there is an inlet that allows cold air to get pumped through to the regular refrigerator compartment.
I removed the back panel disconnecting some plugs, and used my blower to thaw out and melt all the ice off the coils, switches, etc.
I could have just let it sit idle and turned off and defrost, but it would have probably taken a couple days.
So for those out there who wonder if their fridge is working right, be advised a little maintenance and know-how can keep it operating at it's top efficiency!
Some people I know don't have the temperament or ability to start disassembling things. In that case, you should be able to find a neighbor or call someone who knows more about it.
So this is just a short blurb about my exciting evening!
;-)
I’ve got a feeling the unit is low on refrigerant. Mine is doing the same thing. These frost free units are supposed to be frost free.
Now, you may have fixed the problem but if the ice comes back you’ll know you only removed the symptom.
It will happen again. The system is low on Freon.
Interesting...
I’ve never seen a Jose Cuervo brand bambi of any variety, let alone a 12 point...
I have. 95% of the time, replacing the timer will fix it.
Since the unit is, basically, brand new; check the door(s) alignment and closure seal if it occurs again. Manhandling and installation will sometimes throw them just slightly out of wack.
The fridge is not defrosting. Defrost timer, bi-metal defrost terminating t/stat
(round disc w/ 2 wires mounted on coil) or defrost heater is bad.
It will freeze up again in a few days.
those refrigerators have coils built in korea or china somewhere.. they are known to be defective and the refrigerent leaks out.. exact smae thing happened to my whirlpool.. all the coils in refrigerators come from the same mfg.. so says my whirlpool dealer who gave me a new kitchenaide with the same coil but this one doesn’t leak...
our 4 yr old fridge does this - draining to the bottom drawer freezer where it collects - In the summer when it is humid, we have to lay towels in the bottom otherwise it overflows onto the wood floor...Ive noticed it does this much less in the winter when the air is dryer...Ive vacuumed the coils -, & cleaned everything yet it persists
I’m guessing either your thermistor or defrost coil needs replacing...maybe the circuit board, but it seems too knew for that.
Do you run an air conditioner in the house in the summer?
Exactly. The only maintenance there should be to a fridge is wiping the finger prints off the outside and a periodic cleaning on the inside.
Our GE Profile frig (bottom freezer/2 door)is 7 years old. This year it started to ice up on the back wall in the upper frig. Then the frig wouldn’t cool lower than 50 degrees. The first repair guy I talked to told me it would cost at least $500 to fix, and that my problems with it were just getting started. After serious consideration, I decided to put 2 frozen bottles of water in the frig to drop the temp. It went right down to 36 degrees in less than an hour. Now I keep 4 bottles (two below freezing/two above thawing) in the unit and it’s been working fine for 4 months. In the meantime, I have been looking for a new one. Every single frig out there now has a motherboard system that fails after a few years and almost all of them have the “Energy Star” logo on them...
Can I have your phone number???
And last night I pulled apart a 900WH UPS...
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OK... I’m admitting that I have no idea what a “900WH UPS” might be. Can you define in English?
I decided to put 2 frozen bottles of water in the frig to drop the temp. It went right down to 36 degrees in less than an hour. Now I keep 4 bottles (two below freezing/two above thawing) in the unit and it’s been working fine for 4 months.
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Hooray for you, Dixie!
I like hearing of incidents where people actually solve problems by logical thinking!!!
I did.
Had to replace the hamsters.
That sounds like a plan, just be very careful of the cooper coil if you have an icemaker. Those things are so delicate.
The whole icemaker thing is a pain I think, and we do NOT have a water dispenser, I hate those things.
Yeah, this is my first, and last with an in-door ice maker and water dispenser. I drink tap water, I can't taste any difference between the tap and the "filtered" water from the fridge - and yes I change the filter at the recommended intervals everyone! As for ice, I don't use that much. About the only time I use a few cubes is when I decide to have a little whiskey on the rocks. ;-) In the summer, if I'm going somewhere with a cooler I end up buying a bag or two of ice.
So for me, it is just more up-front cost; more mechanism to go wrong and need to be fixed; subtracts from usable space; and something else to have to clean.
Temps in the refrigerator compartment now at 36F.
The vents are clear and unobstructed, everything seems to be operating fine.
I will keep my fridge thermometer in the main compartment and watch for any build-up.
It will be a while before I put EIGHT newly cooked lasagnas in there!
(Everyone who eats my lasagna says it’s the best they ever had! EVERYONE!)
Thanks to all for the hints and tips!
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