Fridge had a lot of frost at the back (top fridge/lower freezer), turned it down and it defrosted, however, the freezer doesn't seem to be working properly either. Defrosted it all last night and this am fridge is not cold at all, the freezer slightly cold but nowhere like freezing. 4 yrs old.

If your refrigerator is frost free and been running for a year or two then here is the solution.
Why would you need to defrost a frost-free freezer? Because they do sometimes get frosted up! This is especially common if the door gets left open for long periods without being noticed, then shut again, thereby trapping lots of moist air in the freezer, which can only come out as frost. The problem is that if their defrosting cycles don't manage to cure their problems they get frosted up at the back, out of sight. If your freezer seems to be struggling to keep things frozen but is otherwise working normally you should consider defrosting it before concluding it is broken.

I have found the best way to defrost my not quite frost free fridge-freezer is to empty the freezer compartment contents into the fridge and switch it off overnight, leaving the fridge door shut and the freezer door open. By stacking all the frozen food together as tightly as possible, ideally wrapped in something to help insulate them (such as newspapers) they stay cold for a long time. In the morning I get in my scruffy clothes and wipe up the puddles caused by the visible frost in the freezer and any puddles formed underneath the appliance. However this is only half the story. To ensure all the frosting has been removed from the hidden parts of the appliance I get my hair dryer and blast warm air into all appropriate crevices from inside the appliance and from behind it.

We had the same problem with our refrigerator just yesterday. Defrosting (even tho frost-free) cleared up the airflow problem-- If it's frost-free, when it defrosts enough to allow air flow, the automatic defrost can take over. Cause was stored food blocking the vent between the freezer and lower part of fridge.

Hi,

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Check your coils underneath the fridge to be sure they are clean.
Check your condensor fan (bottom rear of fridge) to make sure it is blowing air freely.
Make sure you have a good supply in the freezer, All of your cooling comes from the freezer section and a mostly empty freezer will result in more frequent running as ther is not enough stock to help maintian and hold freezing temperatures.
Check your freezer section to make sure there is no visible frost on the back wall of the freezer (down low on the panels behind and slightly above the lowest freezer basket. If you see frost starting to develop it means you have a defrost issue starting and will want to adress it rather quickly. Either a problem with the defrost control board (inside fridge/freezer control compartment) or the defrost thermostat (behind the freezer back panel on top of the evaporator coils).
Hopefully this helps!

Check for frost on the lower back wall of the freezer again.
You may have either a defective defrost terminating thermostat (located in freezer at top of evaporator coils behind lower back panel of freezer) this should read closed when testing for continuity with an ohm-meter. Another possibility is the defrost heater itself could be the issue but pretty rare on this model (the heater is a calrod style element like in an oven located at the bottom of the coils).
Good luck!

How to check everything
http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/refrigerator/refrigerator.php
If the evaporator coils behind the back panel of the freezer are icing up because of auto defrost failure that will stop the circulation of cold air and eventually affect the freezer too.

check defrost timer, defrost heater, defrost thermostat. In most newer models the timer has been replaced by an electronic control board. If the heater and thermostat are ok it’ll be the control.

You can turn the defrost timer till it clicks and everything shuts down. The heater should now come on. If it does, replace the timer. If it doesn't, check the heater and defrost thermostat. Turn the timer again till everything starts back up to end the defrost cycle.


Your evaporator coils frost up in normal use and every eight hours or so the entire unit shuts down and the defrost heater comes on to melt the frost. This cycle last about 20 minutes. The melted frost drips into a drain pan and through a drain tube to the drain tray under the freezer/refrigerator where it's evaporated by the condenser fan.

Your evaporator coils frost up in normal use and every eight hours or so the entire unit shuts down and the defrost heater comes on to melt the frost. This cycle last about 20 minutes. The melted frost drips into a drain pan and through a drain tube to the drain tray under the freezer/refrigerator where it's evaporated by the condenser fan.


Your drain tube may be stopped up with ice at the upper end because it drains too slow because it's stopped up at the lower end in the evaporator pan under the unit at the floor. It can get dust and mold in it. Once you get the ice out at the top a little pressure with a turkey baster will usually clear it out. Flushing it out with hot water and clorox may help.
Make sure it drains quick enough to prevent refreezing. . The drain should be located below the evaporator coils on the lower back of the freezer.

Fridge problem- How to check everything http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/refrigerator/refrigerator.php
The fridge gets its cold air from the freezer through a vent(damper) between the freezer and fridge.The fan in the freezer blows air through it. There is a flap you adjust with the fridge temp. control. Make sure it's opening and closing when you adjust the fridge temp .
OR
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If the evaporator coils behind the back panel of the freezer are icing up because of auto defrost failure that will stop the circulation of cold air and eventually affect the freezer too.

check defrost timer, defrost heater, defrost thermostat. In most newer models the timer has been replaced by an electronic control board. If the heater and thermostat are ok it’ll be the control.

You can turn the defrost timer till it clicks and everything shuts down. The heater should now come on. If it does, replace the timer. If it doesn't, check the heater and defrost thermostat. Turn the timer again till everything starts back up to end the defrost cycle.


Your evaporator coils frost up in normal use and every eight hours or so the entire unit shuts down and the defrost heater comes on to melt the frost. This cycle last about 20 minutes. The melted frost drips into a drain pan and through a drain tube to the drain tray under the freezer/refrigerator where it's evaporated by the condenser fan.


Door problem-The lower hinge on each door may have a door closing cam. It raises the door up ¼ inch when opening and this assist in closing the door. If it’s wore out and doesn’t work the door may not seal and the gasket can be damaged. Watch the operation of the door to see if it rises up when opened.

Defrost problem. Either defrost heater, defrost thermostat, or defrost timer is bad.

The problem is ice build up on the back wall. The noise you hear is the fan blades hitting the ice. On the back wall water gets trapped, it then builds up over time, and a big ball of ice forms and blocks the fan. Take off the back wall, defrost the build up and cut the insulation off as above. The water will no longer get trapped and the problem will not come back.
Sgt 48