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Trying to troubleshoot my refrigerator. It doesn’t turn on until it reaches 44 degrees. Cools fine when it does start running, freezer is good but it will let the temp sit above 40 for hours and not start cooling even with the fridge’s adjustment knob turned all the way up. It seems like this knob only affects the low range of how far it will cool but not how warm it will allow the fridge compartment to get. I replaced the temp control/thermostat thinking that must be faulty but it does the same thing with the new one. I have verified the temperature readings with 3 different fridge thermometers and my instant read meat thermometer, it is definitely getting above the recommended 40 degrees in there. Any help or ideas would be appreciated.
hi @orourke By “… fridge’s adjustment knob…” do you mean air damper control setting? Looking at the parts for the refrigerator, there is an air damper control knob (link to show image only) in the panel at the back. The damper controls the amount of cold air being sent to the refrigerator compartment from the freezer compartment by the evaporator fan Can you hear if the evaporator fan inside the freezer compartment is running when the compressor motor is running? Do not confuse this fan with the condenser fan which is outside the compartment near the compressor motor. If not check if the fan is iced up. If it is iced up there may be a defrost problem. This could be due to a faulty defrost heater, defrost thermostat, a blocked drain leading from under the evap unit to the evap pan under the compartments near the compressor motor or or a faulty defrost timer. Update (10/22/2022) @orourke, According to the service sheet for the refrigerator, the refrigerator should operate between 35°F- 40°F so it’s unusual that it goes to 44° before it starts cooling as the compressor should be started at ~40°F and also that it goes down to 27°F before it stops cooling as it should stop at ~35°F (unless you have adjusted the thermostat for a slightly warmer temperature e.g. 38°F). The above values should be the thermostat’s pre set lower and upper temperature limit values Have you checked that the refrigerator light goes out when you close the door? With the door open, manually operate the door switch and make sure that it does. Just wondering if it stayed on whether this raises the temp in the compartment but not where the thermostat’s sensor lead measures it. Check the door seals in the refrigerator to make sure that there’s no leaks. Place a sheet of paper between the door and the door jamb and with the door closed normally, try pulling it out. It will come out with a bit of effort but it shouldn’t just fall out by itself. Try this at various places around the door, top bottom and both sides. Also check that the condenser coils under the refrigerator are free of dust etc, as this can reduce the efficiency of the cooling cycle by preventing the heat absorbed by the refrigerant as it passes through the evap unit from being dissipated more quickly as it passes through the condenser i.e. the cooling effect of the refrigerant is reduced Looking at the wiring diagram (click on wiring diagram section in the page that opens or check the service sheet above) for the refrigerator, there are only two ways that turn the compressor on or off. To turn it off if it is running: The temperature control thermostat should operate at its pre set lowest temp setting (or the slightly warmer setting selected by the user), as you don’t want it to get any colder.The defrost timer operates to start the defrost cycle. The defrost cycle lasts for 30 minutes and occurs after every 10 hours of compressor run time. During the defrost cycle the compressor and evap fan are both turned off. To turn it on if it is not running: If the defrost timer is not in the defrost cycle mode i.e. normal run mode then the thermostat should turn it on at the upper pre set temp of the thermostat.At the end of the defrost cycle mode if the temperature in the refrigerator is still within the normal lower and upper temperature operating limits of the thermostat, then the compressor won’t start. When the temp is above the upper pre set limit of the thermostat it should start.
