Update on Refrigerator Woes

[Cudedog]

I finally got around to looking up my Lowe's receipt on my "new-ish" fridge (purchased brand new only 18 months ago).

I was griping and complaining about this fridge giving up the ghost on this earlier thread:

http://womenrv.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=19142

Last night I noticed that the fridge was only cooling down to 42, and the refrigerator was hardly cycling at all, even when the temp was up to 42. Maybe not a terrible temp, but definitely not good enough. Even turning the knob down to the lowest setting wasn't getting the fridge any colder, or causing it to cycle more frequently. Which is when I finally dug out my receipt, and found that this thing is only just 18 months old. Of course, the warranty expired after one year, but (by some stroke of luck) I had purchased a 5-year extended warranty on the thing.

So I got on the Lowe's website to find out the number to phone my local store to get a repair started. As all of you might have guessed, the way to "apply" (?) for a warranty service these days is to fill out a form online. I don't know what people do that don't own computers, let alone have the experience to navigate such things.

I started the online form, and (of course!) they wanted the model number, the serial number, the make, the model and the name of my first-born child before I could make a service request. This didn't put me in a good mood - at all - because that meant that I would need to go into the kitchen, pull the fridge away from the wall, and try to find the metal plate on the fridge that has this info - as well as finding a magnifying glass and a flashlight in order to be able to read it.

It was 11:00 p.m., I'm getting steamed, and I wasn't in the mood to do any of that.

So, instead I decided to consult the World Wide Refrigerator Owner's Manual (yeah, you guessed it - Google), which meant I wouldn't need to get up off the couch.

After finding a page that looked promising, I scrolled down past all of the "replace fan" and "replace sensor" and "clean condenser coils" (they weren't dirty) and all of the other video links to the very bottom of the page where it said something like: "Before trying any of the above, be sure that the freezer vents are not blocked".

Freezer vents?! Wha. . .?

Do freezers have vents? Does the freezer on my unit have vents? And if yes, where the heck are they?? And why doesn't the owner's manual that came with my unit say anything about freezer vents??

Stinkin' freezer vents, eh? I DOUBT it!! Why on earth would a freezer have vents?!?. COME ON!! No way!!!

. . . But it did get me curious enough to get my buns up off the couch.

And guess what? I keep flour in the freezer compartment above the refrigerator compartment because flour keeps pretty indefinitely when it is frozen. Of course, one 5 pound bag, and another 10 pound bag of flour I had in there was jammed up about as tight as I could get it against the back of the freezer compartment, so as to leave a tiny bit of room in front of the flour for other items.

I removed the items in front, and moved the flour around so that I could actually see the back of the freezer compartment. . . and. . . How can I say this without seeming stupid? LOL. I guess I'll just go for stupid.

Vents back there, yep. Who knew?

To make a long story a bit shorter, I moved the flour around a bit, tossed out a few frozen things in there that I will never use, now leaving ample room between the flour (at least 3 inches) and the freezer vents so that the frozen air could circulate.

And. . . the refrigerator then immediately began to cycle normally. I set the fridge temp dial back to the "normal" setting marked on the dial (not leaving it down to the coldest setting as I had before) and within the hour the fridge was down to an acceptable 35 degrees (yes, I have a thermometer in there).

I'm guessing what was happening (although I don't know for sure) is that with the vents blocked, the air could not circulate (air was blocked by the bags of flour), so the fridge sensor "thought" the fridge was cold enough, so would stop cycling. (In my model of fridge, the cold is generated in the freezer compartment, then moves from the freezer compartment down into the refrigerator compartment).

I think. Anyway, the fridge seems to be (once again) cycling normally, is acceptably cold, and - best of all - I am not facing throwing out a fridge full of food. So it's all good. Also not facing a service call during the pandemic is another BIG bonus.

If anything changes, I'll post again.

Anne

[JudyJB]

OK, don't they know that people put food in freezers? Why do they put vents in places where people would logically put food??? It would make a lot more sense to put the vents in the top of the freezer compartment, not the back. At least on the top, it is much less likely that someone would jam food to block them.

This is a design flaw, and I would let them know about it! (Course they are no likely in China or Indonesia and do not read English.)

I complained to Cummins because they put a black switch way in the back of the side of my generator, which was in a black case, hidden in the dark recesses underneath my motorhome. Black switch on a black case made it almost impossible to find. I told them it should have been a white switch. OK, I doubt if anyone listened to me, but some of these things are just plain logic and intelligence. Made me feel better, mostly.

[MandysMom]

I am surprised the model/serial number tag is on rear! In mine it's on left side inside the fridge compartment. Might take a look snide your fridge . Then take a photo of it so you have it handy.
Velda

[Colliemom]

I bought a Whirlpool in 2019 and it wasn’t long after I got it that it wasn’t cooling down either. So I called a local repair company and they came out and found out that it needed a part and I don’t remember what it was. But I had to wait a couple days for them to get it so being that I don’t keep a whole Lotta food in my refrigerator and most of it is in my freezer I just stashed it all in my steel belted cooler and kept it on ice and put my frozen food over in my neighbors empty garage freezer. . Once the part came in he got it installed it has been working beautifully ever since. This was when Covid was starting up, but the repair guys wore masks.

My freezer vents are at the top in the middle if the top shelf, so I would have to fill it totally packed to cut circulation. I use freezer bins to keep my frozen stuff in and wrap poultry and meats in freezer paper. More compact, doesn’t slide around like plastic bags do and keeps the stuff from getting freezer burn and stays fresh looking. I keep stuff like butter, individual hamburgers and bacon in plastic bags though.



Although it doesn’t look like a lot in there, there’s enough meat and poultry to last for a few months. I quit keeping stuff for months on end as it gets past its freezer life after awhile. Better to use it and replenish as needed. Something starts going down and there’s a sale, I restock.

[OregonLuvr]

YAY Anne you got er done. So glad you were able to troubleshoot and avoid getting a new fridge for no reason. Good for you.

[Acadianmom]

I'm like you Anne, who ever heard of a freezer vent. My refrigerator has a bottom freezer so everything is in baskets. Hopefully I can't block anything. I have a small upright freezer. I'll have to look in it and see if there are vents.

Martha

[monik7]

When I had problems with my fridge cooling, I was told you need to vacuum the condenser on the back (at least once a year) to make sure it’s clear of dust, etc. All it involved was removing a few screws and taking a cover off the back at the bottom. The other thing I learned is not to fill the inside so full that all the stuff blocks the fan on the inside. Ice can build up inside if the fan isn’t working.
Sandi

[Bethers]

I've always known if I had a problem to make sure there is room for air to circulate. Anne, I usually have thermometers in both my fridge and freezer in the RV. I hate losing food. And sometimes I overbuy and then I carefully choose what to eat to make room lol

I'm thrilled that you found the problem. Like Velda said, every fridge I've owned has had all the model, etc info on the inside of the fridge. Check yours and maybe it's there. Really makes no sense that it would be on the back, but I would believe it if a manufacturer did it.

[snowball]

good for you Anne glad that is solved it does make me think about mom's fridge need to get a new filter for it as it does make ice and water. and now I guess make sure nothing is blocked I'd like to figure out a better way to organize it not sure how though it's a side by side don't think I like them ....
in the trailer I keep a thermometer in both the fridge and freezer ...
sheila

[MandysMom]

Sandi, I haven't seen exposed coils on rear of fridge in years! Every fridge I've owned in 30+ years has had them on bottom where it's very inaccessible or sealed inside a metal panel.
Velda

[JudyJB]

Good point about the model and serial numbers needing to be inside so you can see them without pulling the whole refrigerator out.

Also, a little sign in the freezer warning you not to block the vent would have helped.

[monik7]

Sandi, I haven't seen exposed coils on rear of fridge in years! Every fridge I've owned in 30+ years has had them on bottom where it's very inaccessible or sealed inside a metal panel.
Velda

Velda, you would not see the coils exposed. My fridge is an LG about 6 years old. It was very easy to find the condenser. As directed, I pulled it out from the wall and near the bottom of the back near the floor was a metal cover about the width of the fridge and about 8” high. I just removed the screws that held it in place and the coils were exposed. I used my vacuum cleaner to clean any dust away and replaced the cover with the screws. Very easy.
Sandi

[MandysMom]

Sandi, even empty, I'm not strong enough to pull out my 27 cf full fridge from its tight spot between cabinets and wall. But online research shows that vacuuming would not help these poorly designed Samsung refrigerator ice maker/water system issues. Over 285,000 people in a FB group, all with similar flooding and ice maker, water system freeze up, failure, flooding issues.
Velda

[Cudedog]

Sandi, I haven't seen exposed coils on rear of fridge in years! Every fridge I've owned in 30+ years has had them on bottom where it's very inaccessible or sealed inside a metal panel.
Velda

Hi Velda.

I wasn't exactly sure what "refrigerator coils" are, so I googled it. This is the image that I found:



If (and, again, I'm not 100% sure) this is an image of the coils on the back of a fridge. . . but this photo looks exactly like the back of my new-ish fridge, that I purchased new last year (2020).

So maybe it depends on the type of fridge. My fridge is a cheapo variety (as such things go - this one set me back "only" about $500.00). So maybe the more high-end ones have the coils inside (my old side-by-side did not have exposed coils), but the lower-end ones still have the coils on the outside.

Velda, I think it definitely makes more sense to have the coils contained inside, so that they stay clean - for sure, that would keep them from gathering dust and spiderwebs like they do in my house .

Thanks everyone for participating on this thread. This is what I love about this group - always something new to learn on here.

Anne