1 yr old Kenmore fridge (18 cu ft top freezer mdl 970-41924) has very long defrost cycle - freezer contents partially melt, fridge warms to 50-55 F. (Normally runs at 38-40 F.) We keep several litres of water/ice in closed containers in the freezer to act as ''thermal ballast'' to reduce temperature fluctuations. Is defrost timer not working correctly?

Is there any frost buildup on the rear panel inside the freezer? If so you have a defrost problem of a bad defrost heater, defrost thermostat, or defrost timer/ control board. If no frost then you probably have a clogged defrost drain. Remove the rear panel to access drain hole.

Sounds like the defrost circuit of your fridge has failed. If you remove the back panel of the freezer compartment, you will see the evap coil encased with ice. Normally the defrost circuit will turn off the compressor and turn on a heater to warm the coil to about 45 degrees to melt any frost build up. After about 40 minutes the compressor will kick back in to keep your fridge cool again.

The typical failures are that the defrost heater burns out. If you have an older fridge, the defrost timer fails to advance, causing the fridge to stay in cooling or defrost mode.

There is a drain line that discharges water from the freezer when the defrost cycle kicks in. It will be a plastic tube that runs from the bottom of the freezer to a tray under the fridge. It has come loose or become plugged I always blow air thru the line and make sure it is not loose. You can also get leakage from an ice maker but this problem will usually show up as ice formingin the freezer first. good luck

Hi,
There are a few reasons why the refrigerator part will not cool...here are a couple of tips that will help you to figure out why the refrigerantor is not cooling...

Refrigerator not Cooling or Fridge not Cooling
http://www.fixya.com/support/r3662945-refrigerator_not_cooling_or_fridge_not

How to Defrost Refrigerator Defrost Timer Problem
http://www.fixya.com/support/r3771673-defrost_refrigerator_defrost_timer

heatman101

drain hose is plugged... the freezer it need to drain water when if goes into defrost .the drain from the bottom freezer down to the bottom of the fridge... there is a pan under the fridge that holds the water until it evaporates

It sounds like you are having a problem with your defrost cycle. If your unit either does not go into defrost, or you have a defective defrost componet, it will cause your evap. to freeze. Hope this helps

After you taken the back panel off and see a lot of ice forming on the coil before you use your hairdryer you should locate the timer and turn the center of the timer manually into defrost cycle. If you can see or hear the ice melting then your problem is the timer defective. Change the timer and that is all. But if it doesn't do anything then you will need a little bit more on electrical knowledge to deal with the rest on defrost temperature control and the element itself. Hope this help, God Bless.

unplug overnight started OK

Your defrost timer is defective. Replace it.
It is located in the control panel near the off/on thermostat.

Hi. thanks for the question . check the freezer fan motor, is it running . is there frost build up in freezer, check that. pull fridge away from wall. remove back panel .clean all lint . thanks the appliance doc