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Why is my fridge not blowing cold air?

I have an Americana fridge with model number A3316ABSERWW. The fridge motor is still running and everything sounds fine. However, I opened it and neither the freezer nor the fridge part were cold. I replaced the evaporator fan motor and the problem still persists. I can feel that air is still blowing into the freezer, but it's not cold. I also do not feel any air blowing into the fridge (I am guessing because it comes from the freezer portion?). Do you have any ideas what the other issues could be? Thank you.

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Hi. I meant I replaced evap demand motor. Sorry. Thank you so much for the help.

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Cause 1

Condenser Coils are Dirty

The condenser coils are usually located under the refrigerator. They dissipate heat as refrigerant passes through them. If the condenser coils are dirty, they won’t dissipate the heat effectively. As debris builds up on the coils, the refrigerator becomes less efficient, causing the refrigerator to work harder to cool down. If the coils are significantly dirty, the refrigerator will not be able to maintain the proper temperature. Check the condenser coils to determine if they are dirty—if the condenser coils are dirty, clean them.

Cause 2

Evaporator Fan Motor

The evaporator fan motor draws air over the evaporator (cooling) coils and circulates it throughout the refrigerator and freezer compartments. Some refrigerators have more than one evaporator fan motor. On refrigerators with only one evaporator, the evaporator is located in the freezer compartment. If the evaporator fan is not working, it will not circulate the cold air to the refrigerator compartment. If this occurs, the freezer may still get cold, while the refrigerator will not get cold. To determine if the evaporator fan motor is defective, try turning the fan blade by hand. If the fan blade does not turn freely, replace the fan motor. Additionally, if the motor is unusually noisy, replace it. Finally, if the motor does not run at all, use a multimeter to test the motor windings for continuity. If the windings do not have continuity, replace the evaporator fan motor.

Cause 3

Condenser Fan Motor

The condenser fan motor draws air though the condenser coils and over the compressor. If the condenser fan motor is not working properly, the refrigerator won’t cool properly. To determine if the fan motor is defective, first check the fan blade for obstructions. Next, try turning the fan motor blade by hand. If the blade does not spin freely, replace the condenser fan motor. If no obstructions are present and the fan blade spins freely, use a multimeter to test the fan motor for continuity. If the condenser fan motor does not have continuity, replace it.

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2 comentários:

Mayer, I appreciate the help! I replaced the evaporator fan motor already. I went and checked the condenser fan motor and the fan is freely spinning.

The main issue I am still having is that air is blowing into the freezer compartment but it's not cold enough to cool anything. Also, when I open the fridge, there is ZERO air flow going into the fridge portion. Are there other issues it may be? Since it's a garage fridge, I may just have to cut my loss...

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How cold is your garage and where do you live? Does it have anything in it now?

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I wish there was an answer to this issue because it's the same problem I'm having. I replaced the inverter. I checked all the coils, the fan motor, and everything is in working order. I have a new motherboard and thermistors on the way and I'll see if that resolves the issue.... very frustrating that there isn't more information out there on the specific problem of air blowing to the freezer that isn't cold and no air blowing to the fridge....

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Possible the defrost cycle is not working, ice can build and restrict air flow to the fridge. Is there ice buildup on the back panel of the freezer?

If so that may a possibility to consider.

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Hi @christran123

Just verifying that it is the evaporator fan that is operating?

This fan is located behind a panel inside the freezer compartment. Do not confuse this fan with the condenser fan which is located outside and under the compartments near the compressor motor.

The evaporator fan should be running if the compressor is running, but it will stop when a door (either door) is opened and start again when the door is closed. The condenser fan can run whether a door is open or not.

You can test if the evaporator fan is operating by either listening to it stop and start when you open and close a door or if you manually operate the door switch, located in the door jamb which should turn the lights on and off and also turn the fan off and on when a door is opened and closed, you should feel the air come out of the vents. Operating the door switch just fools the controls into thinking that the door is shut when it is open.

If you can’t hear the evap fan or feel the airflow, it may be iced up, faulty or there may be a problem with the fan power circuit.

Disconnect the power from the fridge and then remove the panel, inside at the back of the freezer compartment (go in from the front of the fridge) and check the evap unit and the fan.

If the fan is not iced up and not operating when the power is reconnected and the compressor is running and the door switch is manually operated you need a multimeter -example only to measure the fan motor resistance. Disconnect the power to the fridge and then disconnect the fan motor from the wiring harness and use the Ohmmeter function of the meter to measure the motor’s resistance. If the fan motor is OK then you will have to do “live” testing of the power to the fan. Connect the meter as a Voltmeter (set to 500V AC range) across the fan’s wiring harness connectors - you can leave the fan unplugged - reconnect the power to the fridge and when the compressor is running, operate the door switch and then check the voltage reading on the meter. If it is not there then there is a problem further back towards the control board or in the control board.

Apologies if you know how to use a DMM.

Be safety aware as the fan operates at mains supply voltage which can be lethal

If the fan is iced up, it may be a faulty defrost heater or a blocked drain between the freezer compartment and the evaporator pan under the refrigerator.

Do not use a hair dryer on hot to defrost the evap unit and fan as this can damage the evap unit. Let it defrost naturally by disconnecting the power to the fridge and leaving the door open and occasionally using a hair dryer on the coolest setting for short periods at a time. You’ll need plenty of towels etc because if the drain isn’t blocked then the evap pan will overflow under the fridge due to the amount of ice melt

After you have defrosted the evap unit and fan use the DMM to test the heater element using the same method as for the fan motor. You can test its’ resistance (usually 25-50 Ohms) but testing the power supply for the heater may be problematic as it is only powered during the auto defrost cycle and I don’t know how to manually force an auto defrost cycle to occur for your model fridge Again be safety aware as it also operates at mains voltage potential. If the heater element is OK and there wasn’t any water coming out underneath the refrigerator then pour a measured amount of water (small glass?) down the drain hole which is located beneath the evap. unit and check that it all gets to the evap pan under the fridge. Some drain tubes have a J curve at the bottom just above the evap pan which can get clogged and this blocks the whole tube and prevents the meltwater from the defrost cycle getting out to the pan and it backs up and refreezes when the cycle is finished and so on every defrost cycle until the fan is completely iced up

Hopefully a start.

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2 comentários:

Thanks for such a thorough answer. Found ice on the evaporator fan and damage to a wire connecting the condenser fan. Defrosting overnight and then will be fixing the wire.

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Hi @elca

The condenser fan is usually thermostat controlled and only operates when necessary to cool the refrigerant flowing through the condenser because it is too hot. This improves the cooling efficiency of the sealed system

Ice on the evaporator fan is not a good sign though.

Follow the directions above to test the defrost components - heater, drain tube and maybe the defrost thermostat (depends on make and model - I didn't mention this earlier because the answer was for a model that doesn't have a defrost thermostat as the ending the auto defrost cycle depends on the control board and not the thermostat, whereas with some fridges the defrost thermostat can also affect the defrost heater.

What is the make and model number of your refrigerator?

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I took off panel from inside freezer and sure enough the fan motor had a part Melted

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I have a GE that the freezer is below the set temp and the fridge is room temp. took off the damper. when I open the freezer the cold air comes up to the fridge,as soon as I open the fridge the cold air stops coming up

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@mluksich

The evaporator fan (located inside the freezer compartment behind a panel) is used to blow the cold air into the compartments to cool them down to the set temps is stopped whenever a door is opened.

This is to prevent the cold air from being blown out of the compartment(s) to try and maintain the temp when the door is open.

When the doors are shut (both doors) the evaporator fan is started up again. Listen for it stopping and starting when you open and close a door or if your fridge has a door switch visible in the door jamb, manually operate it with a door open. This should turn off the lights and start the fan again

It will run as long as the doors are shut and the compressor is running.

Do not confuse this fan with the condenser fan which is located outside the compartments near the compressor. It can run whether the doors are open or not.

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I have the Frigidaire top refrigerator. The refrigerator and evaporator fan are running. There no air coming out from the freezer and to the bottom section. Checked everything . Just replaced evaporator motor . It’s still not working.

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@christran123

What is the model number of the refrigerator?

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Hi Jeff,

I have The Whirlpool Refrigerator WRT518SZFW00. It was bought in June 2017. I had a 3 yrs extended warranty but COVID 19 hit, so they did not come out. Now, it’s expired. I can’t afford the service call. I did check the continuity of the wires/circuit board, etc.. Need to buy multimeter unit. What brand do you recommend on multimeter?What else should Check? Could it be Freon? Everything else is working. Thank you

@jayeff

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