Freezer temperature working fine fresh food

You didn't include a manufacturer or model, so I can only offer general help with your problem. If you choose to provide this info later, you may get better, more specific help. The freezer compartment contains the cooling coil for the freezer and fresh food compartments. This fan in many fridges are not visible - but yours may be. Yours may also have circulation fans specifically for moving air around the fresh food compartment.

Generally, the coil is located in a protected area of the freezer (behind the back panel). The fan is arranged to pull air from the freezer floor through the coil to be cooled and blown out the top of the freezer compartment. Openings between the freezer and fresh food compartment allows a portion of the cold air to be blown into the fresh food compartment.

The first thing to do is to see what the temperatures are in both compartments. The fresh food should be about 36 degrees and freezer -10 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a glass thermometer (capable of displaying 32 degrees and up) in a glass filled with cold tap water, and place in the fresh food compartment. Place another thermometer in the freezer (capable of reading -10 and up). You can also use thermometers designed for fridge / freezer temperatures if you wish.

If there is nothing in the fridge and the door remains shut, the temperature should be seen in an hour or so. If the temperature range is obtainable, it is not likely that there is a humid condition INSIDE the fridge. You may have moisture collecting on the OUTSIDE of the fridge near doors, etc. If so, locate a humidity switch and turn it on. Many manufacturers provide this switch to turn on electric heaters in the outer part of the fridge cabinet where moisture tends to form in humid climates. These heaters operate to evaporate the moisture on the cabinet and usually come on when the freezer defrost circuit is on.

I hope this helps and good luck!

If the refrigerator was tipped on back or side, even part way, it has to wit upright at least overnight, because of the freon flowing upward.
If you just moved in and it has been sitting and unplugged, then it may be low on freon.

Here are some tips


If you open the fresh food compartment of your fridge (the non-freezer compartment), you will most likely see two different controls. One refers to the refrigerator temperature and the other refers to the freezer. Different manufacturers use different wording, but the idea is the same.
The first thing you need to know in order to understand what these controls really do is that all the cold air in the entire refrigerator is made in the freezer compartment. A portion of that cold air is then blown into the fresh food compartment. How much cold air gets blown in is controlled by the "freezer" control, which is really just an air baffle that opens or closed to let more or less air into the fresh food compartment. The "refrigerator" control is actually a thermostat that feels the temperature inside the fresh food compartment and turns the compressor on and off according to the temperature that the thermostat feels.
Let’s run through an example. Suppose you decide that your ice cream isn’t hard enough. You adjust the "freezer" control to make your freezer colder. What you’re actually doing is restricting the amount of cold air that gets blown from the freezer into the fresh food compartment and so keeping more of the cold air in the freezer. As a result, the freezer will get colder but also the fresh food compartment will tend to get warmer because its cold air supply has been diminished. The "refrigerator" control (the thermostat) will feel this increase in temperature inside the fresh food compartment and will keep the compressor running longer in order to maintain the temperature setting on the "refrigerator" control. So, you can see that any change you make to one control will affect the other.
Many people then wonder, "Well, how do I know what the correct setting on the controls should be?" Since the temperature inside a refrigerator will vary according to lots of external factors such as frequency and duration of door openings, it is impossible to say where your controls should be set all the time in order to maintain a desired temperature in the freezer and fresh food compartments without knowing the actual temperature inside both compartments. For this reason, you should place two thermometers in your refrigerator: one in the fresh food compartment (the big one) and the other in your freezer. The controls should then be adjusted to achieve -10 to +10ºF in the freezer and between 36 and 38ºF in the fresh food compartment.
Keep in mind, too, that it takes 24 hours for any change in the controls to work through the system and reach steady state so don’t look for instantaneous changes in temperature when you make control setting changes. Knowing the actual temperature inside your refrigerator compartments is also a great way to save money on your power bill since you can adjust the controls to avoid running your compressor longer than needed to keep your food cold.

Hi, I'm Mark.
Check the position of the two controls at the top of the unit inside the fresh food compartment. SET BOTH controls to the 12 o'clock position. Wait about a hour, then check temperatures. Then wait another hour and check temperatures again. Record the values on a piece of paper. When you do check fridge temperatures, do so quickly as the compartments become warm just a few seconds after the doors are opened. Please let me know what happens to the fresh food readings.
Thanks, Best Regards,
Mark

Generic instructions to set temperatures in fridges:

Many manufacturers design these appliances to operate at 0 degrees F in the freezer and 34 to 36 degrees F in the fresh food compartment.

To set the temperature correctly, fill a glass with water (8 to 12 ounces) and place a thermometer capable of indicating 32 degrees and up into the glass with water (if the temperature goes below 32 degrees, the water will freeze - so no need to find a thermometer that indicates any lower). Place the glass with the thermometer in it on a shelf and wait. Putting the thermometer in a glass of water helps preserve the temperature reading while the door is open. You can skip the water and glass if you want - but you'll need to read the temperature as soon as you open the door.

The freezer will require a thermometer capable of displaying 0 degrees F. Place it on a shelf where it can be seen readily - but preferably in the rear - between items (to prevent the warm air from driving the indicator up when opening the door to read it).

It will probably be easier to set the freezer temperature first. Adjust both the freezer and fresh food thermostats to mid-points (if the fridge is empty - otherwise skip this step). Adjust the freezer thermostat up or down as needed to reach the desired 0 degree F temperature.

Once the freezer adjustments are complete, adjust the fresh food compartment thermostat as needed up or down to reach the desired temperature for it.

If you fridge is fully stocked, it may take some time for the temperature to stabilize and warm / cool the fridge's contents completely. This is further affected by how often the door(s) are opened and for how long. 24 hours is often claimed - but you might be able to sneak an 8 - 12 hour soak before reading the thermometers.

After the temperatures are set, you may find that the lower part of the fresh food area is partially freezing - simply adjust the thermometer up *slightly* as needed.

Please rate this reply if it was helpful - good luck!

Check to ensure that the freezer fan motor is operable (you may need to open the freezer door and activate a button inside the freezer door frame in order to make the fan operate). If the fan works, then you may have an issue with the damper assembly (located in the fresh food compartment at the top left side). It will either be a "manual" or "electronic" concept. Adjust the temperature settings for both the freezer and fresh food compartments at the "half-way mark". You should also have a vent or two at the bottom left side of the fresh food compartment (check to see how far they are openend or closed and adjust accordingly). If the aforementioned doesn't help, contact an appliance service company.

Manufacturers suggest that it takes approximately 24 hours for the temperature to stabilize in both your freezer and fresh food compartments after being turned off for an extended period of time. Adjust temperature settings to the "half-way" mark for both freezer and fresh food compartments. Allow a period overnight and recheck the temperatures. Also check the condenser coil (usually located underneath the appliance). If clogged with dirt/lint, it needs to be cleaned (carefully) with a condenser coil brush (can be purchased at Home Depot or Lowe's). Prior to cleaning condenser coil, turn off appliance (there is a condenser fan motor and blade operating while on). Be careful not to damage copper tubing (refrigerant in tubing)!

The fresh food compartment is cooled by air being blown from the freezer compartment into the fresh food compartment. Something is restricting that air flow which causes your fresh food compartment to stay warm.

There is a panel, or door if you will, that separates the freezer and fresh food compartments. The freezer temp control determines how much cold air is allowed to escape into the fresh food compartment by opening or closing this panel.

If the panel is restricted from moving (stuck closed, for example), the freezer will get VERY cold while the fresh food compartment will be warm.

Try thoroughly defrosting the refrigerator. Possibly an accumulation of ice is preventing the panel from moving and/or is restricting air flow from the freezer to the fresh food compartment. It's a free fix and may solve your problem altogether.

If that doesn't help, or helps only temporarily, you may have a problem with panel itself or the linkage that connects it to the control mechanism. Unless you're skilled in appliance repair, checking and repairing these components will require the help of a service technician

Hope this was helpful. Good Luck.

The fresh food compartment is cooled by air being blown from the freezer compartment into the fresh food compartment. Something is restricting that air flow which causes your fresh food compartment to stay warm.

There is a panel, or door if you will, that separates the freezer and fresh food compartments. The freezer temp control determines how much cold air is allowed to escape into the fresh food compartment by opening or closing this panel.

If the panel is restricted from moving (stuck closed, for example), the freezer will get VERY cold while the fresh food compartment will be warm.

Try thoroughly defrosting the refrigerator. Possibly an accumulation of ice is preventing the panel from moving and/or is restricting air flow from the freezer to the fresh food compartment. It's a free fix and may solve your problem altogether.

If that doesn't help, or helps only temporarily, you may have a problem with panel itself or the linkage that connects it to the control mechanism. Unless you're skilled in appliance repair, checking and repairing these components will require the help of a service technician

Hope this was helpful. Good Luck.

The fresh food compartment is cooled by air being blown from the freezer compartment into the fresh food compartment.

There is a panel, or door if you will, that separates the freezer and fresh food compartments. The freezer temp control determines how much cold air is allowed to escape into the fresh food compartment by opening or closing this panel.

In your case, the door must be stuck all the way open, allowing all the cold air to be diverted into the fresh food compartment. The compressor cycle is controlled by the thermostat in the fresh food compartment and thus 'short cycles' because the fresh food compartment acheives normal temperature while the freezer is relativel warm.

If the panel is restricted from moving (stuck in the extreme open position, for example), the fresh food compartment will get VERY cold while the freezer will be warm.

Try thoroughly defrosting the refrigerator. Possibly an accumulation of ice is preventing the panel from moving and/or is diverting all the cold air from the freezer into the fresh food compartment. It's a free fix and may solve your problem altogether.

If that doesn't help, or helps only temporarily, you may have a problem with panel/door/flap itself or the linkage that connects it to the control mechanism. Unless you're skilled in appliance repair, checking and repairing these components will require the help of a service technician

Hope this was helpful. Good Luck.

So your refrigerator section is cooling fine ? When the compressor motor is running and you open your freezer, is the fan running ? You might need a simple fan replacement - The most costly repairs to a refrigerator is usually the compressor - as long as your compressor is running and you have cooling, the other most common problems are control board faults, evap fans, defrost timers, all of which can be fixed.

Is your freezer iced up when this happened - turning the refrigerator off and unplugging it, try removing the back panel of your freezer and locate the fan - look for anything obstructing the blades - maybe ice or other......otherwise you may need this serviced.

Is it worth it ? It depends - how much did you nitially pay for this ? How long have you had it ? How much are estimated costs for the repair - if the problem is one thing needing replaced and doesn't cost you a lot of money, yes it is worth it.