Freezer compartment fine, fridge warm. Any ideas?

[Barns]

Hi, I've got a fridge freezer and the freezer section is as cold as the Arctic but the fridge section doesn't get cold at all even though it's at the coldest setting. I thought the temperature of both was controlled by the same system so this wouldn't be possible but I'm no expert. Does anyone know why this is happening? Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Deleted member 9648]

Some fridge freezers have separate compressors for the fridge and freezer....yours is most likely one of those.

 

[malcolmsanford]

As WP suggests, also check the seals and make sure the thermostat is functioning correctly.

 

[Deleted member 26818]

A lot of the newer fridgefreezers have a fan and ducting that draws cold air from the freezer department into the fridge.
These fans frequently stop working.
Sometimes the opening for the duct ices over, preventing the cold air being drawn into the fridge.

 

[telectrix]

as spin says, seen this on the american nstyle f/f/s. defrost comlpetely and see if it cures the problem. if not, sould be the fridge stat. or call a fridge engineer.

 

[the pict]

Is this a side by side, Whirlpool, If so this is a common fault with various causes, No air circulation as mentioned is one, also this too has various causes, fan not working, not going onto defrost, defrost time not long enough and ice blocks air flow, if it's a maytag they are a doddle to work on if it,s Whirlpool or similar copy then most likley the control board has a issue, its round the back right hand side in a plastic box that is a complete ******* to get the lid off, some of these have a self test function that runs through a start stop sequence, IE comp on off lights on off fan on off but have differant ways of initiating it pressing two buttons at once and holding them is the usuall way although which two is any ones guess,

Pict

 

[MarkieSparkie]

Another possibility: Some fridges in a fridge/freezer use a defrost heater which is switched on periodically either by the thermostat or a timer. If the controller for this defrost heater is faulty and permanently ON then the fridge compartment never gets cold. Check to see if this defrost heater panel, on the inner back wall of the fridge, is running in moisture and/or warm to the touch. If so the controller, thermostat or timer, will need replacing.

 

[Barns]

It's a Samsung fridge/freezer (haven't got the model number here, the manual's in the office) with the freezer compartment on the top. I think the air duct between the two compartments being blocked with ice seems the most likely since the freezer compartment is a frozen waste, so much so you have to break the ice to move the thermostat knob thingy. I don't think it's ever been defrosted since I live in rural SE Asia these days and we usually have a natural defrosting system called power cuts! It's hard to even get fridges cold in the temperatures out here so I've never needed to worry about defrosting before.

I'll give it a go when I go down to the restaurant tomorrow.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

 

[Chr!s]

It could be many things hard to say.

Dual compressor.
Split capillary.
Single compressor, Fan cooled.

Then there's all the issues associated to the above. System faults, Pcb failures, Sensor Failures, solenoid failures, fan Failures, defrost timer failures.

So its too difficult to be specific without the relevant info.

Regards Chris

 

[Engineer54]

Where abouts in South East Asia are you Barns?? Even in rural areas you will normally find a guy or run down shop that caters for fridge/freezer repairs and the like. Actually found some to be pretty smart and knowledgeable. The only trouble being, is the spare parts if it's not a common make or model in your parts. But then again, they are not above putting in a quick temporary/permanent fix!! lol!!

As the others have stated, it could be one or even more of the things already pointed out to you. The only way really to find the fault is using the wiring schematic on the rear of the appliance and going through it methodically. Even then if it's a spare part you need, your still scuppered...

 

[malcolmsanford]

Ahhhhhhhh well I would not rule out seals especially in Asia and the Middle East, all you need is a slightly cracked seal or even a seal that lost it magnetism and with fans blowing air around it pushes the warm air into the compartment.

 

[Marvo]

My first suggestion is a complete defrost, this could take up to 12 hours with power off and doors wide open especially if it's so badly frozen up you can't get to the thermostat.

DON'T HACK AT THE ICE WITH A KNIFE OR ANY OTHER TOOL. This is quickest way to cause major problems, once you hear the hissing noise it's game over.

 

[Barns]

Where abouts in South East Asia are you Barns?? Even in rural areas you will normally find a guy or run down shop that caters for fridge/freezer repairs and the like. Actually found some to be pretty smart and knowledgeable. The only trouble being, is the spare parts if it's not a common make or model in your parts. But then again, they are not above putting in a quick temporary/permanent fix!! lol!!

As the others have stated, it could be one or even more of the things already pointed out to you. The only way really to find the fault is using the wiring schematic on the rear of the appliance and going through it methodically. Even then if it's a spare part you need, your still scuppered...

I'm in Laos and yeh there are local guys who can probably fix it with a bit of sellotape and a stick of bamboo but I just thought I'd check if it was something simple first since they charge an arm and a leg if you have a white face. I'll go and defrost it now and cross my fingers!

 

[Barns]

We completely defrosted it since all the holes did look frozen up but it's still the same. The top compartment quickly went back to being absolutely frozen even though I turned it down to less then half the max and the fridge compartment up to max.

It is a Samsung RT 45MA and only just over a month out of its 1-year warranty. Is there any way to tell if this model uses the system of sucking cold air from the freezer down to the fridge compartment?

I also noticed quite a loud bubbling sound when I opened the freezer door. It's coming from behind the back wall of the freezer compartment. Is that normal?

Thanks

 

[the pict]

Is the condensate getting to the outside ie melted water has to get to the outside if not it turns to ice very very quickly
Pict

 

[Barns]

Is the condensate getting to the outside ie melted water has to get to the outside if not it turns to ice very very quickly
Pict

I don't understand, sorry. There's no water on the outside of the unit i.e. there are no leaks. Is that what you meant?

 

[malcolmsanford]

I think what Pict means is that when the unit goes onto defrost normally the melted ice will go via a tube onto a tray normally fitted on top of the compressor that then evaporates it. If this pipe is blocked the defrosted water will not leave the compartment and will ice up.

 

[Marvo]

I also noticed quite a loud bubbling sound when I opened the freezer door. It's coming from behind the back wall of the freezer compartment. Is that normal?

Thanks

I wouldn't worry about bubbling or gurgling sounds unless you can hear them from a couple of meters away. It's probably just noise of expansion and evaporation.

If the problem is persisting I would defrost again and remove the plastic panel in the back of the fridge compartment. Somewhere between the freezer and the fridge will be an air channel that allows cold air into the fridge. There's sometimes a control flap that's operated by a bi-metallic device and it's probably jammed closed. I would take advantage at the same time and clean out the internal surfaces with some bleach and water. Also check any drain pipes are flowing freely etc. If there's any fans also check they run whilst you hold the door switch closed as they often stop intentionally when the door is opened.

 

[Barns]

I couldn't get the plastic panel off the back of the inside of the fridge. I managed to get the other two plastic parts off up the top, one with the thermostat to change the temperature and another bit but, even though I removed the two screws at the top of the panel I still couldn't get it off, there was very little room around it for leverage and it's quite flush with the back of the fridge.

Is there any special knack to it?

The only metallic thing I could see was a small, vertical metal cartridge (like a mini scuba diving tank) about 5 centimetres tall/0.5 cm wide behind a plastic grille which I could raise but would then drop back down with gravity. Presumably not what you meant by the bi-metallic device but thought I'd mention it.

I found the tray for condensate and it had a shallow pool of very dirty, oily water with a heating element in it, like a kettle, presumably to help it evaporate. It is next to the compressor rather than below/above it.

Yes, the fan goes on when I press the door close light switch and off when I release it so the fan's at least working.

Thanks all for your help so far!

 

[Marvo]

Hmmm, the oily water part is worrying. Is there actually oil and not just dirt? If there is oil you probably have a gas leak. Oil travels around the inside of the refrigeration system pipework loop along with the refrigerant gas so normally wherever there's a gas leak there's also an oil leak to some degree or other.

Just a word of warning, if there even might be a refrigerant leak please be very careful, some of the newer generation refrigerants are propane based and highly flammable when they mix with air.

I'm not sure how the internal panels come out but it might be time to get a professional to look at it if you've checked for all the obvious problems and drawn a blank.

 

[Barns]

Sorry, I hesitated before writing "oily" since it wasn't the rainbow sort of sheen you get with normal oil on water it was more of a black/dark brown scum floating on the top in sections, like continents on a map in a way, although it wasn't the standard seven continents of course! That's the best way I can describe it anyway!

But yes, I agree, I think I'll call a man in since I can't get that panel off. I sincerely doubt he'll be a "professional" though and I'm sure he'll charge me an arm and a leg just for removing the panel and reopening the jammed valve though...such is life!

Thanks ever so much Marvo.

 

[Marvo]

That sounds normal, the scum is probably just mold or fungus, where there's condensate water and warmth it grows. Splash a little bleach in there once in a while and Bob should be your uncle.

If you're out in the sticks then your local fridge guy will certainly charge you less if there's an ice cold beer in the freezer and a couple of decent sized chops tanning on the Barbie

 

[the pict]

This is common that you cant get the back panel off, most likey there is a foil sheet with a defrost element stuck onto it this sometime adheres itself to the back panel and removing it means destroying this foil sheet most domestic fridge engineers will carry a compatabile spare however given your loacation this may not be the case,
Pict