refrigerator problem

[Taylortractornut]

My 5 year old Kenmore fridge died last night. Its coldon top and the bottom is cool but not cool enough. I wanted to know if theres a fan to direct the cool air down to the bottom. I got Sundays turkey out i nthe shop beer fridge. Its just a 200 yard walk to get milk eggs or tea lol. has anyone had this sort of problem with a fridge.

 

[ihuntbear]

sounds like the defrost heater isn"t working or you have to much stuff in the freezer.If there isn't enough air flow you won't get cool air for the bottom.The only fan is in the freezer

 

[Taylortractornut]

Thanks I bet thats the problem My wife has it packed. Im still getting used to the married life. I think I had it stocked with frozen pizzas lol.

 

[alchemysa]

I assume its a 2 door fridge. I don't know much about fridges but my old westinghouse beer and bait fridge has a fan that blows a small amount of cold air from the freezer down into the bottom cabinet to keep everything cold. The fan has siezed a couple of times and needed to be oiled up. The fan is behind a panel in the freezer section. You can hear it running when the fridge door is closed.

I'm not sure if newer fridges use a similar principal. Our newer kitchen fridge is very quiet, everything is insulated and pretty well concealed, but I think I can hear a fan turning on and off when I open and close the big door.

 

[nue2farm]

Take everything out of the freezer section, check for ice build-up around or on the "vents". Ice there usually means the defrost is not cycling like it should. Temporary fix is to completely defrost the freezer with a heat sourse, like a hair dryer. It should run good for a few days until you can decide to repair or replace..... This has happened to our freezer a couple of times, this what the repair person reccomended til they could get out to our house.

 

[tallyho8]

If it is iced up around the evaporator coils in the freezer it will do this.

If your freezer fan motor is working ok then the fault is in the automatic defrost system.

The most common part to go bad is the defrost timer. The standard timer can be bought at an appliance parts store for under $20 but some model Kenmores have the timer built in to the icemaker and you have to replace the icemaker.

Other possible problems are a burned out main defrost heater or drain heater or defrost thermostat. Any of these parts except for the icemaker can usually be bought for under $20.

Not knowing which model you have limits the advice I can give you.

 

[woodchuckie]

DEFROST PROBLEM
The evaporator coil behind the cover on the back wall inside the freezer will ice up under normal conditions. Every 8 to 10 hours for around 20 minutes the defrost timer (or in most newer models the electronic adaptive defrost control) will turn the defrost heater on to melt the built up ice. There is a defrost thermostat which prevents the heater from overheating the freezer by breaking the heater circuit when the temp reaches close to 32 degrees F. The entire cooling system shuts off during the defrost cycle and starts back when the timer advances through the cycle.

If this ice is not melted it will continue to build up until the air can稚 flow over the coil to circulate the cold air through the freezer and into the fridge. The temperature change in the fridge is usually noticed first followed by the freezer.

If the defrost thermostat is bad, it can prevent the heater from coming on OR it won稚 turn the heater off when it gets too warm. It is clamped to the evaporator coil at the top to sense the temp. If it appears to be misshapen it is bad.
With an ohm meter it should show continuity when cold and none when warm.
You can also bypass(disconnect the two wires plugged into it and twist them together) the thermostat to see if the heater comes on then. If it does then you know the thermostat is bad and needs replaced.

The defrost heater is located on the evaporator. It is in a tube which is at the bottom and can also go up the sides of the evaporator. On some types you can see a burnt spot if it痴 bad. With an ohm meter it should show continuity from end to end when disconnected from the wiring in the freezer. You can also test the wiring for voltage when it痴 in the defrost mode.

If you have a defrost timer you can test it. It can be located under the fridge behind the kick panel on the front. Some are in the fridge with the controls at the top. You can turn the defrost timer till it clicks and everything shuts down. The heater should now come on. If it does, replace the timer because that means the timer is not running. If it doesn't, check the heater and defrost thermostat. Turn the timer again till everything starts back up to end the defrost cycle.

If you have an adaptive defrost control instead of a timer, replace it if the heater and thermostat test good. It is located in the fridge with the controls in some models and on the back in others.

 

[MossRoad]

Also, the drain tube can be plugged, preventing the melt water from draining during a defrost cycle.

 

[Boiler74]

Also, the drain tube can be plugged, preventing the melt water from draining during a defrost cycle.

This. Check this first. Take the freezer apart and thaw it out. Use warm water to clear that tub first, then put back in service. See if that fixes it. I own and manage rental properties.... probably have over 100 fridges. Most of the time it's a blocked drain. Start there.

 

[SandburRanch]

I made the mistake, on a side by side once, of leaving the unit run while replacing a door gasket. The louver that supplied cold air to the fridge side froze nearly completely closed and I about pulled my hair out locating the problem. It was kind of one of those times - the more I work on it the worse it gets.