Consumer Question: Freezer Not Cool

Hi, Joe,

Our Amana side by side (SX22NE) is not cooling properly - the freezer only gets to @ 30F.  We replaced the thermostat as the old one did not have continuity when placed in ice water; the new one does. The evaporator lines are not frozen over. We cleaned off the lint from the bottom coils and the condenser fan. The evaporator and condenser fans are both working properly.  The compressor is hot to the touch, but is running quietly. At this point we're wondering if the unit is low on coolant or if the overload relay is bad. There's also an adaptive defrost control board that could potentially be faulty. Any advice would be most appreciated.

Thank you,

Bill

A: Hi Bill,

Thanks for your note. 

It sounds like you have covered a lot of the basics. It could be a leak in the system. Take the back wall off inside the freezer and note the evaporator coils. After the compressor has been run for 30 minutes that coil should be good and cold. So much so that a wet finger should stick to the coil. Do that test on different sections of the coil. If the finger doesn't stick, you can be sure that it is a sealed system problem, either a leak or the compressor is not pumping properly. If the relay overload was defective, the compressor wouldn't run. Let me know what the end result is please.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon