Freezer too cold, refrigerator too warm


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Old 06-23-09, 08:34 AM
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Freezer too cold, refrigerator too warm

I have a Frigidaire side by side refrigerator, model FRS24ZRHW3. Last night, we noticed that our ice cream is much more solid than usual. This morning, we noticed that our refrigerator was not cold enough. I don’t know much about how these units work, but I put my hand up against the vent at the top of the interior of the refrigerator. I could not feel any air coming out. I removed the panel in the back of the freezer and found the evaporator covered with ice/frost and I manually defrosted it with a hair dryer. At this point, I checked the vent at the top interior of the refrigerator again, and it was blowing a small amount of air. I assume that the manual defrost somehow opened the vent, but I’m not sure. Even so, I assume there is still a problem with the auto defrost since there was so much ice on the evaporator. Can anyone give me steps to take in order to figure out the root cause of this problem?
 
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Old 06-23-09, 04:11 PM
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Your fridge has an electric timer for defrostng [iow- it does not have an electronic board]. When the defrosting system malfunctions, the culprit is usually:

1. the defrost timer fails
2. the defrost thermostat fails.
3. the defrost heating element fails

The failures are usually in the 1,2 3 order.

Turn the thermostat to its coldest setting. Locate the defrost timer; it should be behind the front grille on the bottom left. Turn the timer until you hear it click which should put the fridge in defrost. Did the compressor shut off? Listen inside the freezer to see if you can hear any water hit the defrost heater and sizzle. Wait about 30 minutes or so. The timer should advance to end of the defrost cycle. If it does not, you just found the problem. If the timer is working, locate the defrost heater at the freezer coil. Do an ohms test on just the heater. You should get something like 15 to 30 ohms. If the heater is bad, replace both the heater and the defrost thermostat. If the heater is good, replace the defrost thermostat.

parts manual:

http://manuals.frigidaire.com/prodin...n/95335618.pdf

Remember to reset the controls to their mid range settings when finished. Let us know how you make out. Thanks.
 
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Old 06-23-09, 04:36 PM
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Daddyjohn,

In your experience, have you found that such service calls go up in real hot humid weather?, and maybe with some brands more than others?
 
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Old 06-30-09, 11:51 AM
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Heater element appears bad

daddyjohn,

I followed your directions. After triggering the defrost timer, I heard the compressor turn off. Unfortunately, there was no "hissing" and the unit did not defrost. After about 25 minutes, the compressor turned back on. So it appears that the timer is fine. Next, I unplugged the refrigerator, and unplugged both ends of the defrost heater element to do an ohms check. It was unresponsive. So I assume the heater is bad. I think you recommended that I also get a new defrost thermostat. Why is that? Also, is the defrost heater something that someplace local might carry in stock? If not, where do you recommend I purchase it from online? Do I need to get the original Frigidaire heater, or are there generic replacements and would you recommend that? One last question: What is the replacement process for the heater? Do you have to remove the coil unit to install the defrost heater?
 
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Old 06-30-09, 02:09 PM
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We usually replace the element and defrost termination stat together because it's a cheap part and we don't want a callback for the same problem. It's pretty much a protocol. You should be able to buy the parts locally, on ebay, or at one of the online appliance parts vendors. I've used repairclinic.com before and had good service but they're a little pricey. The heater will have to be from Frigidaire [no generics] so you might as well get the Fridgidaire part # for the stat as well. The heater should be clipped to the coil. You don't have to take it [the coil] out but you might have to dismount it some. Be careful around the fins, very sharp edges. If you scroll down a couple posts, you'll see a link to a parts manual. Let us know how you make out. Thanks.

EC- only if they have the doors open too much.
 
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Old 07-01-09, 02:51 PM
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Replaced defrost heater -- all good

I replaced the defrost heater element. It was a little precarious removing the old (it broke in two in the process). There were two spongy type of braces holding the coil in place, and they seemed to be holding frozen water. I thawed them out before installing the new heater element so they would be more malleable. Everything seems to be working properly now. Thanks so much for your help, daddyjohn!
 
 

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