It is a apartment size refrigerator. It is always running. Never turns off. It seems to have a good gasket that seals the door. Coils are on the back and warm/hot to the touch. What could be the problem? Can it be repaired? I live in a country where labor is less.
The obvious answer is that it’s low on coolant. It probably has a slow leak that will entirely deplete the coolant soon.
I can’t imagine any other diagnosis really.
Is it getting too cold? If not it’s not operating efficiently for some reason. The gasket may not be as good as you think. A fan on the coils isn’t operating, the coils are dirty, or as Leaffan says, it’s lost refrigerant.
Seems to me… wouldn’t there be a (now-faulty) thermostat to tell the motor when to shut off, periodically? Maybe some technician can confirm my suspiciion that this is the case…or, at least one valid answer.
If it was otherwise in good repair, everything inside would freeze if the compressor never shut off.
How is the temperature inside the fridge? About right? Too warm? Too cold? Is there a lot of condensation or ice inside the fridge?
You said the coils on the back (the condenser coils) are warm, that’s good. Are they clean or full of dust. If they’re caked with dust, you need to clean them off.
What about the evaporator coils? The ones that are supposed to get cold. I don’t know what style of fridge you have, so they could be inside the box (sometimes it’s the shelves themselves), they could be outside the box with a fan that circulates cool air into the the fridge or they can be integrated into the walls and the walls get cold.
It’s rare for them to get dirty, but if they’re open to the the air (not in the walls), it’s common for them to get iced over and that can cause all kinds of problems. Can you gain access or see the evaporator coils (the cold ones) and see how they look.
Also, and this is important. If there’s ice on them, is there a nice even coating of ice or a big chunk on one part and none on the rest of it.
Another thing, if the fridge uses a fan to move air over the condenser coils and into the interior of the fridge and that’s not working, that can cause a problem. It’s not likely that it would cause the compressor to run continuously, but it’s worth taking a peak at as long as you’re looking. It’s just one more thing to rule out right away.
- Dirt
- Bad differential switch
- Bad seal
- Refrigerant leak
Oddly, also good answers to the questions “Why won’t my car go in reverse?” or “Why does my car skip when I make hard turns?”
It is an older fridge. Not frost free. Everything is cold inside. The condenser coils in the back are exposed and clean. The evaporator coils are exposed and encircle the freezer compartment. They are covered with ice, but uniformly. Maybe it just needs defrosting? I’ve always had frost free refrigerators. I thought, well, ice is good…its cold. Thank you all for posting.
Just a thought, maybe it has a rapid chill function that is permanently on. Could be an on/off switch to disable that function.
Do you know what make and model it is?
Nope, if they are totally covered in ice, that’s bad. If this is a big thick layer of ice, it’s probably the problem. The ice creates a layer of insulation, the freon travels through interior of the freezer (but behind the ice) without collecting much heat and the t-stat (on the other side of the ice) keeps calling for the compressor to run.
So, the easiest way to deal with it, if you have the ability, is just to totally line the bottom of the fridge with towels and unplug it for a day and let everything melt.
The less easy, but faster way is to drag it outside and do it with a hose. (But moving a freezer comes with it’s own set of rules).
Whatever you do, no stabbing at the ice. If you put a hole in one of the coils, the freezer is garbage. so don’t go after it with a screwdriver or putty knife.
It is clearly time for a new fridge.
The only things you should try before throwing it out:
defrost it,
clean it,
check the seal of the door.
If that doesn’t do the trick you’re SOL.
Newer refrigerators are more energy-efficient so this will probably save you money in the long run.
When you say “Apartment size” I take it you mean the size that fits comfortably into an apartment, not a walk in model the actual size of an apartment?
Gas leak (refrigerent), compressor, thermostat or fan.
If Labour is cheap get a couple of quotes to look at it. Some will charge for a call and to look at it and you’ll be out of pocket before you compair repair vs replacement cost.
If you have to get rid of it, and you have an outdoor area, they make a great esky (ice chest) laid on their back up on a couple of bricks for outdoor entertaining.
yes defrost. the machine has to work extra to extract heat through the ice layer. turn off for a day or two, let the ice melt, come to room temperature and let totally dry. plug in and see if it works better.
Thanks everyone for your help. I put all the contents in a ice chest and turned it off with the door open. I have never had a refer that wasn’t frost free. I am hoping defrosting will solve the problem.
It is a GE, capacity 3.7 sq/feet. I can’t see a manufacture date. I just noticed on the label that it is an auto defrost, but clearly that is not working, and that is probably the root cause. Maybe that can be fixed?
It’s possible the defrost timer is broken. If that’s the case, it’s an easy fix and worth looking into only because if it gets stuck in defrost mode and uses an electric defrost, you’ll end up cooking everything in your fridge, literally.
Of course, the timer may be working and something else with the defroster maybe broken.
I rent a room and live in Mexico. The refrigerator belongs to the landlord. Here in Mexico, after one year, all repairs are the responsibility of the renter. I elected to buy my own refrigerator. Went to 8 retail stores today and found one on sale. The other refrigerator was consuming $5 US per day. The new one consumes .8 amps and is very energy efficient. I am happy. Got cold beer! When I move, I can sell it.
Thanks all for your help in diagnosing the problem and taking time to post. I really appreciate your contributions. This is a great MB.
Abrazote.