Ice keeps building up in bottom of freezer and on vent inside fridge and now fridge won't stay cold.

You do not have enough air flow. make sure you do not block the vents inside the freezer and also around the outside of the freezer. It needs to extract the heat from inside to keep it cold. If you have no air flow, in and out, ice will build up.

Have a look inside fridge compartment (especially the "roof", if it's a top-mount freezer) & see if you can see any ice build-up (look inside vents that allow cold air into fridge from freezer section. Also, if top-mount freezer, look inside the freezer compartment for ice build-up on "floor", inside vents, or on back wall. These symptoms, combined with water dripping from lots of the "roof" of fridge section (in a top-mount freezer model), can mean several different problems, so best to re-post with more info/symptoms included.
If there's no ice build-up (& the dividing area between fridge & freezer sections isn't particularly cold, which otherwise might indicate hidden ice build-up), it can be as simple as a plugged or obstructed drain tube, which is VERY COMMON. Easiest solution for this latter problem is to use a flexible plastic tube (think similar type as attached to aquarium air pumps), stuff it into drain hole, and blow on the other end. Sometimes you have to blow quite hard to clear an obstruction or complete blockage. If you can't clear the drain tube, it's likely a different problem. Again, a re-post with more info/symptoms will help narrow it down.

Hello Nicole,

Their are a few things that couldbe causing your refrig.troubles.

1) their is ice build up in the return air vents that is not allowing air to flow correctly
you can see the air vents under the crispers in the ref.floor and can see if they
blocked with ice.

2) the freezer fan is bad and not circulating cold air into and out of the ref.

3) In addation to the defrost timer,perhaps the deforst heater and defrost thermostat are bad and frost is building up in the freezer,Do ya see frost
build up in the freezer??


GENE

Try clearing everything away from the bottom venting in the freezer and check for ice build up in the vents. Defrost it like you would in the "good old days" and to ensure it doesn't happen again, keep a 1" to 2" clearance in front of the vents in the freezer. If need be, set a cookie cooling rack on it's side to act as a barrier for the vents to ensure proper air flow.

I have this problem as well, only nobody is leaving anything open. The defroster is defective of these things and the duct between the fridge and freezer gets frozen over and the cold air can't get in the fridge, so the freezer keeps working until it's blue in the face.

Ok do this. Boil some water in a pot then use that to defrost the freezer. This is caused by ice build up in the vent that is keeping the cold air from coming into the refrigerator. Make sure it is defrost completel though cause the ice that is built up is mostly inside and can't be seen. That will solve ur problem I guarantee. Then set the temperature to normal. Like half way. This keeps the frost from building up. Believe it or not as refrigerators get a bit older they actually get even colder and therefore frost build up is more likely. Since no refrigeration can be made completely leak proof, small amount of the freon has leaked out older fridge, and this actually cause it to get colder. You don't need a service technician just defrost then set to a lower setting thats it.

Usually on bottom freezer fridges, there are two vents at the bottom of the freezer compartment where the cold air goes back into the freezer (cold air enters the fridge through the vent at the top/back of the fridge.)

If the vents at the back of the fridge are covered, the cold air will settle to the bottom of the fridge after it enters, and freeze your vegetables. The problem could be caused by ice build up in the evaporator coil of the freezer section also, but this will probably warrant a checkup from a pro.

One thing that can cause ice to build up inside those vents is moist air seeping in through a faulty door gasket. A thin coat of ordinary Vaseline on the gasket surface can help it make a better seal.

There is ice buildup in an area that you cannot see.

The interior wall may "bulge" a little if the ice builds up a lot.

1. You may have the cooling dial set too high (use lower numbers)
2. The blower vent into the fridge or freezer maybe blocked (move items away from vents inside)
3. Defrost the fridge. The water pan underneath the refrigerator may overflow.

If there is no "defrost" setting, unplug for an hour (don't open refrigerator or freezer during defrost)

Plug back in, food will not spoil.

Remove the back panel from the freezer to verify no ice behind the freezer panel. Look inside the air vent on the freezer panel for ice buildup. Make sure the freezer control is set to minimum not coldest freezer.. Make sure the freezer fan motor is working.

The top part of my fridge is not working properly.It is not keeping food cold. The bottom freezer unit is working fine. I have cleaned the back and I have unplugged the fridge and plugged it in again. I have also turn the buttons off and on inside the fridge.