Frost in Freezer

Name: John

City: Toledo

Inquiry Type: Appliance repair question

Comments: 

My GE side by side refrigerator freezer will not get cold enough and there is frost on back of freezer wall.

Hi John, 

Thanks for your note.
When you see frost on the back wall of a side by side it usually indicates a defrost problem. Timer, heater or terminator are parts in the defrost system and one of them needs replacing. You can remove the food, heat the back wall with a hair dryer and that will get you through for about 6 days. Newer models have a defrost system controlled by a mother board ( electronics ) . You may end up calling for a service technician. 
Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question: Water in Freezer

Hi, Joe,

I have a Maytag fridge with the freezer bottom drawer. I am getting an accumulation of water inside the freezer. What is causing this? How can I fix it?

Thanks,

Michael

A: Hi, Michael,

Thanks for your note.

You have a plugged drain! During the defrost cycle the snow on the evaporator melts, drips into a drain trough and then flows down a tube into the drain pan under the refrigerator. Take the back wall off inside the freezer, find the drain hole, use a turkey baster filled with hot water to blow it through.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question: Freezer Repair

Hi, Joe,

I have a compact refrigerator and one side of the freezer will not work. It is not getting cold anymore. Do I need to replace this unit?

Thanks,

Billy

A: Hi, Billy,

Thanks for your note.

Your question does not give me a clear picture of what product you have. The kind and model would help. 


In general, the compressor fan motor should be checked as well as the fan motor inside the freezer. Sometimes a defective light switch will cause the light to stay on inside the product and give you a poor cooling condition. Before you send a refrigerator to the appliance graveyard you need to be sure it is not worth repairing. It might require the need of a qualified technician.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question: Freezer Water Valve

Hi, Joe,

We are attempting to install an ice maker into our Whirlpool fridge (model #w1txnmfwq01, top freezer) and we're having a heck of a time!

We had a contractor fixing up our kitchen try to install the first ice maker. He had problems with the water not shutting off.  We assumed the ice maker was bad and returned it to the retailer. We purchased another one and tried again. The same thing happened - the water will not turn off! Any advice you can give us will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Sean

A: Hi, Sean,

Thanks for your note. 

The water valve at the back of the refrigerator controls the water coming in. It most likely needs to be replaced.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question: Ice Maker Repair

Hi, Joe,

I have a Kenmore refrigerator whose icemaker squirts water into the freezer which coats everything with layer of ice. I think the plastic line near the solenoid has split allowing water to spew in the freezer. I need a recommendation for someone to repair/fix this problem.

Thanks,

Dave

A: Hi, Dave,

Thanks for your note. 

You may be correct but I tend to think that the water valve is not shutting off 100% which is allowing water to leak through. As for service I suggest Doc's Appliance Service in the Yellow Pages.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

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

Consumer Question: Freezer Thermostat

Hi, Joe,

A couple of weeks ago I had my stand-up side-by-side refrigerator/freezer repaired. It had frozen over and the repairman replaced the part that was responsible for preventing this and told me to leave it unplugged for 22 to 24 hours. I did so and now the refrigerator and freezer is working fine but the ice maker is not producing ice anymore. Can you help me with this problem?

Thank you,
Jermaine

A: Hi Jermaine,

Thanks for your note. 

I am wondering if the technician really fixed your refrigerator? I really need to know what the temperature is in the freezer. The icemaker will not work if the temperature is not cold enough in the freezer. The icemaker has a thermostat inside of it which must be cold enough to let the icemaker begin to operate.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question: Freezer Drain

Hi, Joe,

We have a Whirlpool Refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom. Model #GB2FHDXWQ01. The drain freezes/plugs about every 6 months and we end up with water on our kitchen floor. Any suggestions to fix the problem?

Thank you,

Todd

A: Hi, Todd,

Thanks for your note. 

The system has a plugged drain line for the defrost system. You may have to take the inside of the freezer apart so I suggest you contact my son Mark at 734-953-6991 and give him the model number. He can tell you how to take it apart.

Regards,

Joe Gagnon

Consumer Question - Sears Kenmore Refrigerator

Q: Hello, Joe,

I have a Sears Kenmore Refrigerator 

Model#: 795.76209.901

Serial#: 010MRQK08548

It is a Full Load AMP 3.5A.

When the door is closed the refrigerator makes a loud noise (like a motor.) When the door gets opened it stops. You can also open the door but push in the little lever on the side that makes it seem like the door is closed and it will then make the same loud motor noise. It makes this sound constantly. Sometimes it is a little quieter than other times, but as soon as you open the door for something and then close it, it starts getting louder all over again. Could you help with this problem?
 

Thanks so much,
Delora

A: Hi Delora,

Thanks for the note.

The noise you hear is the fan motor inside the freezer section. It may have a bad bearing that needs to be repaired. The freezer comes apart and the motor is not hard to change out. Contact a parts store in your area and they can give you a price and a breakdown of how you take out the wall in the freezer section. Let me know how this works out please.

Regards,
Joe Gagnon