When I went to get ice out of my freezer (auto ice maker) I noticed the ice container was low. Then I noticed that the frozen pizza wasn’t frozen.
I wasn’t home most of Saturday, but I think it was ok this morning (definitely not sure)
The fan is running, so I know electricity is getting to it. The air blowing in the freezer part is definitely colder than room temp. The freezer is about 40F – measuring the fridge part as well. (if it matters, it is a side by side unit)
It came with the house, it is at least 20 years old. Is it worth having someone take a look at it? Could it be stuck in defrost mode? Even if I get a new one, I cant replace it by myself.
Fridge part was about 60F. When I moved things around in the freezer to put ice in, I noticed the far back had significant frost on it. Not sure if it is more than when it was working though.
(I put ice in both compartments)
Eh, it’s possible. There are a lot of other possibilities as well.
There is typically a defrost timer somewhere in the fridge that controls the defroster. The timer turns the heating on and off to prevent ice buildup. The timer is also supposed to turn off when the evaporator temperature gets above a certain set point, typically 40 deg F. If the timer is stuck on, then the heater will be stuck on.
Off the top of my head, other possibilities are a broken thermostat, a broken or stuck evaporator or condenser fan, condenser coils covered up with dirt and dust (probably wouldn’t have a problem all at once like you did though), compressor has gone bad, starting capacitor for the compressor (not the compressor itself) has gone bad, or a refrigerant leak.
Is it a really fancy fridge? If it’s 20 years old and it’s a fairly basic fridge, the cost of repairing it may be more than it’s worth.
These days, if you get a new one from most major appliance places, they’ll deliver it and install it for you. Some charge an extra fee, others don’t. They may also charge to remove the old one.
I determined that the defrost timer was broken, as was one of the two defrost lamps. I did the repair for under $200, which sure beat remodeling my kitchen (new fridges are taller than my 24-year-old one).
Rule number one when dealing with any and all fridge issues: disconnect the fridge and let it sit for 24 hrs. This is an appliance that runs 24/7 for years upon years, unplugging it for a day is the equivalent of ‘unplugging it and plugging it back in’, for your electronics. Just do it.
Easily 75% percent of the time this totally resolved the issue.
Agree with unplugging it for a while. When our basement side-by-side had similar problems, I loaded everything into coolers and bought ice. I unplugged the fridge and let it sit over the weekend, doing a thorough cleaning. I eventually plugged it back in and it’s been fine since (5 years or so).
Hopefully, it’s not the compressor, generally it’s something else, those tend to be quite reliable. But first things first, I’d also recommend cleaning the condensor coils. When was the last time you’ve done so? if ever? Easy to do, remove front plate, brush or use air compressor and get that stuff off of of it. I’ve had some that had inches of a matt of dust and hair, and no telling what else that looked like a blanket. That might be all you need. It only cost you a little bit of time.
If that doesn’t fix it, it’s probably going to be the capacitor or relay that starts the compressor.
OK, everyone who is speculating…
Note what the OP said in post #2
This is a dead give-away to a defrost problem. Not a bad compressor, not dust on the evaporator coils, not anything requiring a “reset”, not a capacitor or a relay.
Just fix the defrost issue, and the fridge will start working correctly again.
Talked with one place and they think it is a defrost issue as well.
I did remove the toe kick and cleaned it some (will do more later)
I plan on manually defrosting tonight and seeing what happens after that. If nothing else I hope I can get to work for a week so I can shop for a new one with a little less rush.
Got the frost of the back plate, removed it (a non trivial task but not too bad) and yes, a bunch of frost on the cooling coils.
Using hot air popcorn popper (no hair dryer) and some scraping to remove
IME, you would be better off just letting it melt naturally. Scraping is bad, as you might damage the coils. Unplug it and let it sit overnight. It will melt and drain the way it is supposed to. It might leave a puddle, depending on how much ice there is, but some towels and a little time and it will be fine.
I have just heard too many horror stories of people who have killed their freezer or refrigerator by being too aggressive in their defrosting. I have done this many times, even with food inside (nothing frozen, though) and just unplugging until morning seems to work best.
I AGREE DO NOT SCRAP THE COILS. That is an easy way to buy a new frig right now.
Sounds like you have a defrost problem. Un plug it until the ice melts on its own. the plug it back in. It should return to normal operation. But maybe only for a little time until the next time it needs to defrost.
Possible causes.
Some where something is blocking air flow across the evaporator coil.
The defrost timer is failing. ( I had a frig with the defrost timer built in the ice maker, and it would hang up often. I had to turn off the ice maker.)
The Cal rod has failed. (the heating rod that melts the ice during defrost.)
A wiring problem or loose wire.
And there is also the low refrigerant problem. Cause by someone scraping the coils.
Stayed up late for Space X launch (until I saw it got pushed)
No ice on the coils, so I turned it back on before going to bed.
Ice in the ice maker, fridge is ~45F
I know of a fridge that had a broken tooth in the defrost timing gear.
I’ll monitor it closely – again the main hope was to have it working so I can think about a new one in less of a rush.
I did have to manually defrost again (still cold, but obvious frosting up)
Problem identified: One of the defrost heating elements registers infinite resistance (should be 7 or 14 ohms according to the schematic).
Since the elements (there are two) are in series, no defrost.
I know the defrost thermostat is OK. I am not 100% sure the timer is. I ordered some replacement elements.
