Freezer works like a champ, refrigerator barely staying cool. Not cool/cold enough to store temperature sensitive food.

You probably have one compressor that cools the freezer section and the refrigerator section. Usually the freezer gets cooled directly with the cooling coils. A fan blows cool air to the refrigerator section. The air flow to the refrigerator may be modulated with some time of "air door". What you have written says to me, is that the fans and air doors are working but there is enough cold for the refrigerator but not enough for the freezer.

Here is what I would do:

1. Put a thermometer in the refrigerator and in the freezer.
2. Be sure the coils underneath or behind the refrigerator are clean. If they are very dirty, clean them.
3. Keep the doors shut for at least 12 hours and then read the thermometers and write down the temperatures.
4. Freezer temperature
   1. If the freezer has started freezing again, you fixed it by cleaning the coils
   2. .If the freezer temperature is between 0 deg F and 32 deg F, consider putting the food in a cooler and packing in some dry ice to try and save it.
   3. If the freezer is warmer than 32 deg f, throw away the food.
   4. Doctors and hospitals are pretty expensive. I would throw away the food no matter what the thermometer read.
5. Look inside the freezer at the cooling coils. See if they are ice coated or not.
   1. If the freezer is above 0 deg F, and the coils are ice covered, the defrost control is not working. Unplug the refrigerator for 12 hours and let the ice melt. (Keep the doors shut.) Then, plug in the refrigerator for 12 hours and check the temperature like in step 3.
   2. If the freezer is above 0 deg F, and the coils are NOT ice covered, the compressor is not working.
      
6. Call the service technician. When she comes out show her the temperatures and tell her what you found out about the ice on the coils.

Good luck

There is only one source of cold in many refrigerators. If yours is a top freezer, then most likely it is in the freezer.
But the thermostat that you set temperature with is in the refrigerator, not the freezer.
In the cold garages, what can happen is that the refrigerator stays cold enough that it does not call for cold. So the freezer does not get enough cold.
The freezer control works by diverting cold air into the freezer WHEN THE RERIGERATOR HAS TURNED ON THE COOLING. If it is not turned on, oh well.
The best you can do for this is to put both on max cold. Then the refrigerator will call for more cold at a lower temperature, and the freezer will get it more often and will divert more when it is cooling.
This can result in the refrigerator freezing things too. You can try raising the refrigerator setting JUST A LITTLE and see if both work, but keep freezer on max cool.
This works for my situation, but ambient temperature fluctuations in the garage make this dicey. We don't put things like lettuce in the refrigerator in the garage in the winter because freezing damages them.
Good Luck

During very cold ambient temperatures the refrigerator may stay cold enough to seldom need to operate the cooling unit. The thermister (thermostat) is in the refrigerator and tells the cooling unit when to operate. With the refrigerator staying cold enough because of outside temperatures, the freezer may not be kept cold enough. The Climate Control Switch keeps the light on in the refrigerator when the door is shut so the unit will operate more often, keeping the freezer cold enough. Dometic recommends turning the switch off during warm weather.

What is the model number?
The ice maker will only run if the freezer is at the correct temperature.
Do you see any ice buildup on the back wall of the freezer or behind it?

Hello,
A refrigerator not cold enough is a hassle, because you are at risk of spoiling the foods you store in there. Most often, this problem is caused by something easy to fix. 1. Faulty Door Gaskets
The door gaskets in a refrigerator ensure a sealed closure every time you shut the door. Torn or loose gaskets on the door of the refrigerator can result in a leak in the cold air. As a result, the refrigerator is warmer. Repetitive and frequent opening and closing of the refrigerator is also a possible cause, because the warm air from outside replaces the cold air in the refrigerator every time you open it. 2. Dirty Condenser Coils
Dirty condenser coils can result in improper functioning of the refrigerator. These coils are located on the back or the underside of refrigerators. If you find this to be the cause of the problem, unplug the refrigerator before you attempt any cleaning. 3. Frost-free Feature not Working
If the frost-free feature fails, it causes a buildup of frost around the evaporator coils in the freezer. This causes a malfunctioning of the evaporator fan that blows cold air around. The fan can also be damaged if it hits the frost. 4. Faulty or Incorrect Temperature Control
A faulty thermostat can lead to a refrigerator that is not maintaining the desired coldness. Check for this problem and also ensure that the temperature is set to the correct level. Normally, refrigerators are set to a temperature of about 0°C, whereas the freezer sections are around -17°C. 5. Inadequate Air Flow inside Refrigerator
A refrigerator that is loaded with too many food items can fail to maintain an adequate level of coolness across all the items kept in it. The surface items tend to be colder, and the items underneath do not become as cold. A refrigerator that has very few items in it can also fail to function efficiently. Try to ensure that your refrigerator has enough food in it at all times, but is not so loaded that the air flow gets constricted. 6. Vents between Freezer and Refrigerator Clogged
The vents between the freezer and refrigerating section blow cold air from the freezer across to the refrigerator. If these vents are clogged with ice, the air is blocked and the refrigerator does not cool down. If this is the case, you can unplug the refrigerator, wait for the ice to melt and then connect it back to the power supply. 7. Faulty Door Switch
The door switch is found on the bottom of refrigerator doors. It turns off the light in the refrigerator and resumes cooling action when you close the door. If this switch is not functioning properly, the refrigerator will not be cold and it will also be affected by the heat of the interior light. 8. Refrigerant Leak
A refrigerant leak is very unlikely. This problem can cause malfunctioning of your refrigerator. If you suspect this to be the cause, contact a service technician.
Hope this will help out....

Hello,

A refrigerator not cold enough is a hassle, because you are at risk of spoiling the foods you store in there. Most often, this problem is caused by something easy to fix.
1. Faulty Door GasketsThe door gaskets in a refrigerator ensure a sealed closure every time you shut the door. Torn or loose gaskets on the door of the refrigerator can result in a leak in the cold air. As a result, the refrigerator is warmer. Repetitive and frequent opening and closing of the refrigerator is also a possible cause, because the warm air from outside replaces the cold air in the refrigerator every time you open it.
2. Dirty Condenser CoilsDirty condenser coils can result in improper functioning of the refrigerator. These coils are located on the back or the underside of refrigerators. If you find this to be the cause of the problem, unplug the refrigerator before you attempt any cleaning.
3. Frost-free Feature not WorkingIf the frost-free feature fails, it causes a buildup of frost around the evaporator coils in the freezer. This causes a malfunctioning of the evaporator fan that blows cold air around. The fan can also be damaged if it hits the frost.
4. Faulty or Incorrect Temperature ControlA faulty thermostat can lead to a refrigerator that is not maintaining the desired coldness. Check for this problem and also ensure that the temperature is set to the correct level. Normally, refrigerators are set to a temperature of about 0°C, whereas the freezer sections are around -17°C.
5. Inadequate Air Flow inside RefrigeratorA refrigerator that is loaded with too many food items can fail to maintain an adequate level of coolness across all the items kept in it. The surface items tend to be colder, and the items underneath do not become as cold. A refrigerator that has very few items in it can also fail to function efficiently. Try to ensure that your refrigerator has enough food in it at all times, but is not so loaded that the air flow gets constricted.
6. Vents between Freezer and Refrigerator CloggedThe vents between the freezer and refrigerating section blow cold air from the freezer across to the refrigerator. If these vents are clogged with ice, the air is blocked and the refrigerator does not cool down. If this is the case, you can unplug the refrigerator, wait for the ice to melt and then connect it back to the power supply.
7. Faulty Door SwitchThe door switch is found on the bottom of refrigerator doors. It turns off the light in the refrigerator and resumes cooling action when you close the door. If this switch is not functioning properly, the refrigerator will not be cold and it will also be affected by the heat of the interior light.
8. Refrigerant LeakA refrigerant leak is very unlikely. This problem can cause malfunctioning of your refrigerator. If you suspect this to be the cause, contact a service technician.

Hope this help..........

Hi,

Many times a freezer and/or refrigeratordo not work right because of a dirty condenser coil...there are also many otherthings that can go wrong. If you are hearing a clicking or buzzing then check out thelast two tips.

If your refrigerator is running but warm, then...

Check out this tip that I wrote about that... it is a great place to starttrouble shooting your unit...and something that you can do rather then callinga repair person to do a simple thing for you...

Refrigerator Condenser Coil Cleaning Refrigerator Repair

Refrigerator Troubleshooting Refrigerator Compressor

Refrigerator Compressor Start Capacitor and Start Relay
Refrigerator or Freezer not Cooling or Getting Cold

heatman101

sfjfg

check if fan in freezer is running , stryo is air diverter leave alone. ck frz temp rkm

Is the fan in the freezer working?? Is there Ice on the rear panel in the freezer?

Unless specifically made for use in a garage most units won't work properly. The owners manual should say what the temp range for proper operation is (usually 55F is the low range). This is because the refrigerator section doesn't need to be "cooling" to maintain 37F if the temps on the outside are below 55F. These things are made to work in a 70F room and will not work properly if under 55F. Stupid thing thinks it's cold enough so it will never turn on, the refer section will stay cold/cool due to outside temps but since the compressor never runs the freezer will just be the same temp as the refer section (at best). Sorry, but in order for a freezer or refrigerator to work in an unheated space it must have the temp control device controling the freezer section NOT the fresh food section. In other words, that model will not work in a garage unless the temps are above 55F always.