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What would cause a fridge to quit working then start working again?
Posted on 3/3/18 at 8:36 am
Posted on 3/3/18 at 8:36 am
Thursday morning my daughter noticed a small puddle of water below the freezer side of our side by side fridge. I thought there might be ice stuck in the chute of the ice dispenser. There was a little but the ice in the tray was also slushy and melting. Some ice cream was melted too. I took what was still cold down to my chest freezer and tossed the rest. Thursday night the stuff in the fridge wasn’t super cold. I emptied it out as well. Friday when I get home from work I open the freezer and the mugs I leave in there are frosty again. And the drinks I left in the fridge were cold. This morning the bag of ice I put in the freezer last night is still frozen. I put it in a large metal mixing bowl in case it quit working again. I’m just scratching my head at how it could quit and then start back. Any ideas? I know I’m on borrowed time but trying to troubleshoot this.
9
Posted on 3/3/18 at 8:42 am to TU Rob
I don't think napolean visits the OB very often.
I give it a shot though. Maybe your defrost timer got stuck.
I give it a shot though. Maybe your defrost timer got stuck.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 8:47 am to TU Rob
Door left open?
Posted on 3/3/18 at 9:00 am to TU Rob
I had the same issue with mine. Ended up being the temp control slider. About a 10 year old kenmore side by side.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 9:04 am to rustyjohnson
No the doors were closed. Coils looked clean too. I checked them but I clean it off a couple times a year.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 9:45 am to TU Rob
I second the defrost timer. Run it until it dies and buy another.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 10:06 am to brew400
Yeah I’m thinking I’ll go ahead and upgrade in the kitchen. Take this one to the basement for a beer fridge and if it lasts, great. When it dies haul it off.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 10:37 am to brew400
quote:
Run it until it dies and buy another.
IIRC napoleon said a replacement timer is like $35. That was for the older but very common analog timers.
Some new machines have a much more expensive and complicated timers....ostensibly so they could squeeze a tiny bit more efficiency out of the unit.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 1:17 pm to TU Rob
Add a thermometer to see how cold it’s getting
Freeze glass of water in cup, place a penny on top, see if it stays on top or begins to sink into ice.
Will begin to help diagnose your problem.
Freeze glass of water in cup, place a penny on top, see if it stays on top or begins to sink into ice.
Will begin to help diagnose your problem.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 2:38 pm to TU Rob
You obviously don't have a digital temp gauge on it.
My fridge started doing just this, turned out to be a loose connection to the fan
that blows the freezer air into the fridge area.
Do a little You Tube research and next time it quits check the internal coils for ice.
The fan not working will allow the ice and everything thaws.
My fridge started doing just this, turned out to be a loose connection to the fan
that blows the freezer air into the fridge area.
Do a little You Tube research and next time it quits check the internal coils for ice.
The fan not working will allow the ice and everything thaws.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 5:08 pm to TU Rob
I had a relay going bad in mine last year. The freezer would would stop cooling and everything melted or thawed and then it would start freezing again. It was a quick enough fix by a repairman.
Put a bowl of water in your freezer and let it freeze. Then put a quater on top of the ice. Check it every so often. If the quarter is froze in or under the ice then yours is cycling on and off like mine was.
Put a bowl of water in your freezer and let it freeze. Then put a quater on top of the ice. Check it every so often. If the quarter is froze in or under the ice then yours is cycling on and off like mine was.
This post was edited on 3/4/18 at 6:25 pm
Posted on 3/3/18 at 7:25 pm to TU Rob
Start capacitor for the compressor. Super easy to change and inexpensive. This happened to my freezer two years ago. Replaced the component and running strong still.
Posted on 3/3/18 at 9:44 pm to TU Rob
Similar thing happened to me. I went to get some ice cream one day and noticed it was halfway melted. Checked all the meat and saw the edges were starting to defrost. Immediately moved everything to my chest freezer. Went back out the next day and the freezer was running fine. Moved the non expensive stuff back to that freezer and its been fine ever since
Posted on 3/3/18 at 11:04 pm to TU Rob
they have defrost timers, yours must have gotten stuck so it stayed in defrost cycle too long.
some do it every 12 hours, some every 8 hours, you need to replace the defrost timer to not lose everything you have in there.
the good news is the actual cooling function is all ok and that is the side that usually cost way too much to fix.
if you have modest skills with tools and common sense it "can be" a simple thing for you to replace, depending on where it is located. often its on the bottom behind the front grill or in the back near the compressor but "sometimes" they are in the freezer inside the ice maker
some do it every 12 hours, some every 8 hours, you need to replace the defrost timer to not lose everything you have in there.
the good news is the actual cooling function is all ok and that is the side that usually cost way too much to fix.
if you have modest skills with tools and common sense it "can be" a simple thing for you to replace, depending on where it is located. often its on the bottom behind the front grill or in the back near the compressor but "sometimes" they are in the freezer inside the ice maker
Posted on 3/4/18 at 10:38 am to keakar
Thanks. I’m going to replace the timer. This is a 2003 Frigidaire. I’ve got the model number and all that info on it so should be an easy part to find. Still going to buy a new fridge soon but at least I’ll have a larger beer fridge in the basement now.
Posted on 3/4/18 at 12:15 pm to TU Rob
When our fridge started cycling, we found the coils incased in dust and the fan motor had stopped working. The compressor was kicking off on high discharge pressure since the Freon couldn't condense at a lower pressure because of poor heat transfer. We cleaned the coils, replaced the fan motor, and it's been working ever since.
We clean the coils now about once a year. Our fridge is 40 yrs old (GE).
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