Refrigerator's freezer compartment doesn't work properly

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Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Yeah, the fact that the frost is concentrated on a few components in your photos does NOT tell you whether the cause is low coolant level, nor does it tell you there is a flaw or leak at that particular spot. That is just the location where there is poorest air flow to prevent frost build-up AND poorest heating to melt the frost in the auto-defrost cycle.

ALSO: I forgot an important idea that Torn Mind called up. A VERY common cause of poor cooling in older fridges is the door seal gets leaky so there is constant heat and room air (carries humidity to form frost) entering the fridge. This causes both warmer interior temperatures and fast frost build-up requiring frequent defrost cycles. There is a simple test for this. Get a single sheet of plain paper - maybe cut it to a strip only about 5" wide. Carefully go around the edge of each door in many spots. At each test spot, open the door slightly, insert the paper and close the door. Pull that paper out of there slowly. There should be modest drag to keep the paper in the seal zone between fridge frame and rubber seal strip. It you find any zone where there is almost NO drag, that it a significant air leak zone. SOMETIMES this can be caused by door misalignment in one zone, and you may be able to fix that by adjusting the hinges. But more commonly there are a few leaks in unrelated zones because the seal itself has lost flexibility and can't stick to the frame. (Usually there is a magnetic strip inside the seal). The fix is to buy a new seal. Get the exact one for your fridge, using maker and exact model number, from an appliance parts shop. For most by turning the seal "inside out" you will be able to see how it is fastened in place all around the door. Remove the old seal, install the replacement, and re-test with the paper strip.
 

Torn Mind

Lifer
Nov 25, 2012
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@Paperdoc Sometimes it is easy to slip into nerd mode and overlook the simplest of fixes.

These are durable fridges in terms of the "main hardware", but they have a few weak points engineered in by the manufacturer.

The mechanism is pretty simple in these fridges. The fan is key to blowing the air down into the refrigerator compartment. A dead or weakened fan means no airflow into the refrigerator compartment. Ice builds up in the slot when there is a dead fan and you have a warm lower compartment.

That the fridge temp IS maintained after a melting session suggests the coils are still getting cold. However the freezer being very warm and on all of the time suggests massive air leak.

Also, those used Panasonic compressors still command a pretty price on Ebay.
 

lantis3

Member
Oct 18, 2023
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I did the paper test and the seal of freezer compartment is very tight. Refrigerator compartment however is only a bit loose.

The picture of freezer currently, and the fan is blowing strong.

The weird thing is the temp. is always around 42F/5C in freezer and 18F/-5C in refrigerator compartment. always around 42F/5C in refrigerator and 18F/-5C in freezer compartment.

 

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Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Wait! You said at first the freezer could get down to only -5C, and the fridge to +15 C. Later you said the freezer could not even get below 0C. Now you say the FREEZER sets to +5C, but the fridge is at -5C?? The fridge if much COLDER than the freezer? Maybe you got that reversed?
 
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Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Your Nov 19 post said 40F in the freezer, but you improved that. Anyway, back to where we ARE now.

The frost accumulation on only the lowest coils in your recent photo MAY indicate that those coils are much colder than the upper ones. IF that is the case, I would start to suspect low coolant level so that there is not enough coolant evaporating in those coils to chill them all. BUT it also may indicate poor air flow from inadequate fan action if the fan is running too slowly. OR it might indicate that the flow of cool air from the fridge section up into the cooling coil area is very humid, pointing to a leak in the fridge door seal. (The way it works is there IS flow of air from the fridge, through coils, and back down. There is a baffle between the freezer and fridge chambers in the path of air flow down to split the cold air circulation between the two chambers.) You say your paper test does indicate some leakage on that lower door. You MAY be able to adjust the fridge door mounting to get it tighter to the frame and reduce the leak, especially if the leak areas you found are along the hinge edge of the door. For the other possibilities, you might need an experience refrigeration tech to tell you the real cause and cost to fix.
 

Paperdoc

Platinum Member
Aug 17, 2006
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Wow! That first video linked by Torn Mind appears to be exactly the same model of fridge OP is working on! Its emphasis is that a VERY common cause of this performance issue is a failed timer module that controls the auto-defrost system. I note that, unlike others I have seen, it appears the defrost cycle is not initiated by a frost build-up sensor in the coil area. It is based on a fixed timer system that runs the defrost on a repeating schedule. So of course, if this timer fails, defrosting does not happen. As shown in the video, it is not difficult to verify that the defrost heater can work if given power. And it also is not difficult to replace the timer module. Great help for OP's problem!