Refrigerator Question

Bay_Kat

Bay_Kat

Tropical
I thought there was a thread, but couldn't find it.

I have a fridge in my garage, been there for about 3 years, always worked perfect. Now the fridge part isn't cooling below 50* no matter how cold I have it set. The freezer (which is on top) is working fine, everything is frozen solid still. I know it's hot, but this thing has been out there for at least 2 summers before this one. I pulled it away from the wall, the back is clean as a whistle, I used the shop vac and vacuumed underneath really good, that was about 5 minutes ago, so not sure if that worked. But if it didn't, what else could it be? I didn't push it back against the wall all the way like it was, I left it about 5 inches from the wall, maybe more.
 
struggler44

struggler44

A Salute to all on Watch
Bay_Kat said:
I thought there was a thread, but couldn't find it.

I have a fridge in my garage, been there for about 3 years, always worked perfect. Now the fridge part isn't cooling below 50* no matter how cold I have it set. The freezer (which is on top) is working fine, everything is frozen solid still. I know it's hot, but this thing has been out there for at least 2 summers before this one. I pulled it away from the wall, the back is clean as a whistle, I used the shop vac and vacuumed underneath really good, that was about 5 minutes ago, so not sure if that worked. But if it didn't, what else could it be? I didn't push it back against the wall all the way like it was, I left it about 5 inches from the wall, maybe more.
Click to expand...

If you have only 1 compressor the likely causes could be a bad fan on the evaporator, bad tstat on the refrigerator side(if they are separated) which could control a flap to get cooling from the freezer, could be a number of possibilities; hope this helps
 
U

USWWarrior

It's a Jeep thang!
Bay_Kat said:
I thought there was a thread, but couldn't find it.

I have a fridge in my garage, been there for about 3 years, always worked perfect. Now the fridge part isn't cooling below 50* no matter how cold I have it set. The freezer (which is on top) is working fine, everything is frozen solid still. I know it's hot, but this thing has been out there for at least 2 summers before this one. I pulled it away from the wall, the back is clean as a whistle, I used the shop vac and vacuumed underneath really good, that was about 5 minutes ago, so not sure if that worked. But if it didn't, what else could it be? I didn't push it back against the wall all the way like it was, I left it about 5 inches from the wall, maybe more.
Click to expand...

Remove the contents, unplug it for at least one day to let it thaw out, plug it back in.

The freezer cools the refrig part. If there is ice build up in the "vent" that the cool air flows into, then the refrig part will be warm while the freezer appears to be working fine.
 
PJumper

PJumper

New Member
Bay_Kat said:
I thought there was a thread, but couldn't find it.

I have a fridge in my garage, been there for about 3 years, always worked perfect. Now the fridge part isn't cooling below 50* no matter how cold I have it set. The freezer (which is on top) is working fine, everything is frozen solid still. I know it's hot, but this thing has been out there for at least 2 summers before this one. I pulled it away from the wall, the back is clean as a whistle, I used the shop vac and vacuumed underneath really good, that was about 5 minutes ago, so not sure if that worked. But if it didn't, what else could it be? I didn't push it back against the wall all the way like it was, I left it about 5 inches from the wall, maybe more.
Click to expand...


Looks like the temp control thermostat is acting up. If you don't have a lot of stuff in it, turn it off for 12 hours then turn it back on to de-frost the thermostat. Being outside it would probably only take 4-6 hours to defrost it.
 
Bay_Kat

Bay_Kat

Tropical
struggler44 said:
If you have only 1 compressor the likely causes could be a bad fan on the evaporator, bad tstat on the refrigerator side(if they are separated) which could control a flap to get cooling from the freezer, could be a number of possibilities; hope this helps
Click to expand...

Here's something I didn't mention, when I turn the knob for the fridge all the way down, I can hear it shut off, I turn it the other way, I hear it turn back on. There is a separate knob for the freezer, but I'm not messing with that since it's working so well. I'm starting to think it's the tstat now.
 
struggler44

struggler44

A Salute to all on Watch
Bay_Kat said:
Here's something I didn't mention, when I turn the knob for the fridge all the way down, I can hear it shut off, I turn it the other way, I hear it turn back on. There is a separate knob for the freezer, but I'm not messing with that since it's working so well. I'm starting to think it's the tstat now.
Click to expand...

Could very well be but what do you hear turn on and off with the stat is the question? Do you have air coming from the vent in the fridge? If so does it increase or decrease when you change the stat setting? There are a lot of variables to the cooling that effects the temp; as someone else stated, it could be that your not getting cold air from the freezer section, why is the question. Put your hand in and see if your're getting air and does the volume change when you change your stat would be a good starting point
 
U

USWWarrior

It's a Jeep thang!
struggler44 said:
Could very well be but what do you hear turn on and off with the stat is the question? Do you have air coming from the vent in the fridge? If so does it increase or decrease when you change the stat setting? There are a lot of variables to the cooling that effects the temp; as someone else stated, it could be that your not getting cold air from the freezer section, why is the question. Put your hand in and see if your're getting air and does the volume change when you change your stat would be a good starting point
Click to expand...

And check the back wall of the freezer for ice build up. If ice is present, my bet is on a clogged vent.

I learned this from my "beer" fridge doing the same thing. Went to grab a cold beer to find out they were warm but the freezer was ice cold and everything frozen solid. Did some google searches and found an online handyman support site that identified the issue. When all was said and done, it took 24 hours to fix and not $300.00 for a repairman to come out...:yahoo:
 
M

MadDogMarine

New Member
USWWarrior said:
Remove the contents, unplug it for at least one day to let it thaw out, plug it back in.

The freezer cools the refrig part. If there is ice build up in the "vent" that the cool air flows into, then the refrig part will be warm while the freezer appears to be working fine.
Click to expand...

I just had to repair my refrig with the same symptoms. Ice build up in the freezer vent will prevent cold air flow into the frig section. This ice build up was due to a "stuck" defrost timer that is supposed to periodically shut off the compressor and activate a heater to melt the ice off the freezer coils.
Unplugging the unit will defrost but if the timer is stuck, it will freeze up in a few more days all over again.
An easy test is to open the frig door and place your hand near the vent coming into the frig, usually on top-toward the back. That air is probably at low or no flow. While holding your hand at the same location, crack open the freezer and see if you get increased air flow(not necessarily cold). If the air flow increases then you have a a blocked freezer vent preventing air flow from the freezer into the frig. Most frig's have a round hole near the temp adjustments where you can insert a screwdriver and turn the defrost timer or advance it in stages. You can hear it click as you turn it. You can turn it only one way. While the frig is running, advance this until the fridge turns off, that should be the stage where your defrost timer now turns on the heater for defrost. Remove frozen food in front of the freezer vent so you can see the frost start to melt. If it doesn't, then you may have a broken heater or temperature sensor in the freezer section. As my case, a lot of these timers just get stuck and moving them with the screwdriver loosens them up and it has been working fine since. Otherwise you are going to do some in depth troubleshooting.
 
RPMDAD

RPMDAD

Well-Known Member
Bay Kat, have a fridge in my garage that does the same thing. Once a year i totally empty it. Turn it off for 24 - 48 hours and leave the doors open, totally clean it up. Plug it back in and good for another year.
 
Bay_Kat

Bay_Kat

Tropical
RPMDAD said:
Bay Kat, have a fridge in my garage that does the same thing. Once a year i totally empty it. Turn it off for 24 - 48 hours and leave the doors open, totally clean it up. Plug it back in and good for another year.
Click to expand...

I just went out and got everything out, a lot of stuff got tossed, too bad I didn't notice this yesterday, I could have tossed a bag of squid so I wouldn't have to put it in my good freezer, but I'm not putting it out in the trash, today was trash day and they already picked up. I'll give it a day or two, clean it good and plug it back in.
 
L

limblips

Well-Known Member
PREMO Member
There is a fan behind the inside of the fridge that blows air across the refrigerant coils and into the freezer, that "pressurizes" the freezer and the cold air from the freezer is then vented through a plenum with an adjustable vent (fridge temp adjust). If the fan is bad (a $20.00 part) or the plenum around the coils is iced up you will get your exact symptoms. Mine in the garage does it on occasion but it is usually because somebody stacks stuff on top of it and something will prevent it from closing completely in high humidity weather. It only takes a small crack to let the humidity in.
 
Bay_Kat

Bay_Kat

Tropical
It worked. I plugged it back in about 3 hours ago and it's already to the right temp. I'm wondering if maybe the freezer was set to low, I've got them both set at 5 which is what the sticker recommends. My husband had two gallon bottles of water (ice) in the freezer and a huge bag of ice (we use them in the coolers), so maybe that was keeping the freezer too cold. I'll keep checking it to make sure the temps for both are correct. Thanks everyone for you suggestions and help.
 
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