My Amano top/bottom fridge freezer has no temperature in the fridge- my wife taped the light shut which left the control panel showing nothing but now the fridge works- my tech nician said I need to change the circuit panel as it is a defrost issue. what do you think - it is all working fine with the light taped down but that can't be the solution

From what I have read the control board has failed.

This is going to be a problem with either the thermostat control or the compressor relay from the freezer to frigde, either way, you will need to call a service tech.

FREEZER HIGH TEMPERATURE WARNING LIGHT DOESN'T GO OUT.HOW TO CANCEL OR RESET?FOR HOTPOINT FFA74.THANK YOU

Open the freezer and look for frost buildup on the back panel. If you see frost, you have a defrost problem. Possible causes are the defrost heater or evaporator thermistor. You will need a multimeter to test the components. The heater should show continuity. The thermistor should be between 10k and 80k? at fridge to freezer temperatures. Anything less than that, the thermistor is bad. Remove the back panel of the freezer to access. The heater is mounted to the bottom of the evaporator coils. The evaporator thermistor is mounted to the top of the evaporator.

If no frost, I would suspect the freezer thermistor. It's at the left lower rear of the freezer or behind a grill on the right wall of the freezer. Same thing, if it reads less than 10k? replace it.

If all the components check good, the only thing left is the main control board. You can find this behind a panel on the back of the fridge.

Part numbers: Defrost heater WR51X10055, thermistor WR55X10025, Control board WR55X10942.

DEFROST PROBLEM
The evaporator coil behind the cover on the back wall inside the freezer will ice up under normal conditions. Every 8 to 10 hours for around 20 minutes the defrost timer (or in most newer models the electronic adaptive defrost control) will turn the defrost heater on to melt the built up ice. There is a defrost thermostat which prevents the heater from overheating the freezer by breaking the heater circuit when the temp reaches close to 32 degrees F. The entire cooling system shuts off during the defrost cycle and starts back when the timer advances through the cycle.

If this ice is not melted it will continue to build up until the air can’t flow over the coil to circulate the cold air through the freezer and into the fridge. The temperature change in the fridge is usually noticed first followed by the freezer.

If the defrost thermostat is bad, it can prevent the heater from coming on OR it won’t turn the heater off when it gets too warm. It is clamped to the evaporator coil at the top to sense the temp. If it appears to be misshapen it is bad.
With an ohm meter it should show continuity when cold and none when warm.
You can also bypass(disconnect the two wires plugged into it and twist them together) the thermostat to see if the heater comes on then. If it does then you know the thermostat is bad and needs replaced.

The defrost heater is located on the evaporator. It is in a tube which is at the bottom and can also go up the sides of the evaporator. On some types you can see a burnt spot if it’s bad. With an ohm meter it should show continuity from end to end when disconnected from the wiring in the freezer. You can also test the wiring for voltage when it’s in the defrost mode.

If you have a defrost timer you can test it. It can be located under the fridge behind the kick panel on the front. Some are in the fridge with the controls at the top. 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 because that means the timer is not running. If it doesn't, check the heater and defrost thermostat. Turn the timer again till everything starts back up to end the defrost cycle.

If you have an adaptive defrost control instead of a timer, replace it if the heater and thermostat test good. It is located in the fridge with the controls in some models and on the back in others. You can post your model number into one of several appliance parts sites on the internet and search for defrost components to find your parts.

My wife solved it for me :-) You turn the alarm off with a switch at the bottom. The alarm turns off, but the light stays red for another 4 hours. After that the red light goes off too, and you can turn the switch back on without the alarm going off, if the freezer is back to operating temp.

I have a similiar problem with my LG refrigerator. The freezer settings get stuck on 6 and 7, while the refrigerator side is showing nothing. Pushing the buttons to adjust the temperature does nothing. The whole time, my food is getting spoiled.

These fridges have an evaporator fan motor on both sides - the freezer and fridge side. The freezer can maintain it's temperature because that fan is working fine. I had the same problem, and replaced the evaporator fan motor on fridge side, and it solved the problem. Also, if your fan motor is not working well, or stops working, the evaporator is prone to ice build up, and will prevent proper cooling. You may want to open up panel on fridge side and see if that's the case. Taking a blow dryer to the evaporator and surrounding area (while fridge is off), or letting it sit for a few hours might solve the problem. Ultimately though, it appears as if these fan motors are prone to failure, and need to be replaced.

Dear customer,

Please perform the following checks

• Check the temperature setting
• Assure that there is enough room for air flow in the refrigerator or freezer
• Check for air flow restrictions in vents
• Test the temperature control
• Clean the condensor coils
• Check the door seals
• Test the door switch
• Test defrost heater
• Test defrost timer
• Test evaporator fan
• Check for a clogged drain tube
• Check for refrigerant leak

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Generally the freezer temp is the REAL temp of the unit. Fans, dampers and manual control levers let some of that cold freezer air into the refer compartment to cool it. Check your owners manual for damper operations if you have one. If you have a refer temp control all that does is control a damper to let the cold freezer air into the compartment. Also make sure you don't block off any of those vents in the refer or freezer compartment or bad air circulation can occur.