Fridge/freezer freezing up- and no fan or air circulation:
first check the defrost terminator thermostat it may have gone out. Thus not allowing the heating element to melt the ice.
AT TIMES The fan usually stops working AND CAN MAKE FUNNY NOISES AS WELL due to ice obstruction when the defrost terminator has gone out and u get ice build up? u can check the terminator with a multi meter for continuity but do not check at room temperature. stick the terminator in cup of ice water for 20 minutes then check it for continuity, should be closed when cold and open at room temperature.
May also need to check the
defrost timer, The defrost timer is usually found behind the front grill "toe kick" of the refrigerator. Or in the fridge compartment near middle top section.
u can get by and test manually by placing a small screw driver into the tiny slot or hole underneath the timer and turn slowly clockwise till u hear 1 click. this will engage ur defrost cycle in about 15 minutes u should be able to come back and feel the heat in freezer as it melts the ice providing ur terminator is not bad?
Another way to test it is with a multi meter. Remove timer it from fridge and you will see 4 prongs numbered 2,1,4,3 in that order. Place ur meter prong on prong 1 & 3 (if your fridge has a capacitor wired in series with the windings, then u check for micro fares rather than OHMS) If u cannot confirm this test, still try the next.
Take ur meter prong and connect to prong 1 & 4, it should read resistance or ohms ( closed) now remove prongs and place on prong 1 & 2, this should now read infinity or open (no ohms) now take a small screwdriver place it in the tiny hole or slot under the timer. Turn it clockwise slowly till u hear 1 click. Now ur 1& 2 should read closed ( showing ohms or resistance) now place meter prongs on 1 & 4 and you it should now show open ( or no resistance - no ohms) this is how u know ur timer is good, Remember when testing for ohms ADJUST meter to use a high ohms rating in the thousands as the resistance is very high in OHMS. And adjusting to low ohms rating may give a false reading or not show the proper resistance..
Another item to check with a meter is the
heating element itself. Located under the evaporator coils. It should show continuity or resistance OHMS WHEN TESTED AT BOTH ENDS OF THE PRONGS .
Lastly check the
cold control thermostat with a meter for both OHMS and volts ( VOLTS is a live test with fridge plugged in so be careful) It must show 110 volts. An open or thermostat that reads infinity will not allow the proper cooling and defrosting cycles to operate and may in fact stop anything from happening as if there is no power to the unit?
ALSO CHECK THE AIR FLOW VENT SYSTEM and THERMISTORS At times it can get stuck to far closed or open. Some units feature a digital electric adjusting vent system while others are manually set. Check for any ice build up or other obstruction in the vent damper, see if u can manually open or close it. Some times when u have the settings set to the highest it closes off one area while allowing to much cold air flow to the other area!
THERMISTORS in the freezer and fridge section for continuity OHMS and for amount of OHMS current being put out. In most models around 1300 ( give or take 150 ohms) ohms is required
Freezer /fridge leaking water/ice frozen in fridge and or freezer, or leaks on floor
Usually due to
CONDENSATION due to bad door seals or a plugged evaporator drain line? Can use a soft flexable tubing and very hot water to clean it out. Bad door seals usually need replacement, but u can use a blow dryer and something to pry it closer to the door wall while blowing hot air on to it. To create a seal, to test for bad door seals place a dollar bill in between the door and wall of fridge where it closes. Then slide out the dollar bill with door closed. It should offer some resistance and not be easy to pull out.
Fix any gaps in the door seal.Pack out the seal underneath the areas where the door seal has the gaps. This can be done with a small strip of weather stripping, as shown here, or a bit of tightly rolled up paper under the door seal. Alternatively, you can heat the door seal up with a hair dryer to fix the gaps. This softens the door seal and allows you to stretch it.
Most all fridges have a drain. Look inside your fridge for a "V" shaped channel with a small hole. This hole leads to a tube and a small pan which sits on top of your refrigerator's compressor. The defrost cycle causes water to run into the channel, down the tube, and then it generally evaporates with the heat of the hot condenser/compressor.
However, if that tube is clogged with food crumbs, particles , debris etc, you will have to clear it to get back to a normal mode of operation. A toothpick, pipecleaner, straw or a cotton bud can often do the trick. Another trick one can use is to connect a copper tube wire
with one end going into the drain hole then attach the other end to the heater wrap it around heater a few times. That will take care of the drain problem when it comes to ice build up but not food build up.
Even a frost free freezer will still ice up at times in the areas away from the heated defrost area and the drain line can freeze. This icing causes the pipe work to the compressor to ice over or sweat and cause a puddle. Or if the drainage has frozen over, it will need to be de-iced. ( usually the line is under the freezer bottom plate covering. Towards the back of the unit) And there is another inside the fridge area also.
Give the freezer a good overnight defrost until it's totally clear of ice in addition to making sure the drain is clear to the pan at the back and then restart the freezer.
God is so good: so this is why I give free advice so please thank him not me.
OTHER THINGS TO CHECK ARE THE DEFROST TERMINATOR AND THE HEATER ELEMENT FOR COBNTINUITY.
