Fixing Refrigerator

by kshort on Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:12 pm

I know I posted about this on UF, but I thought I'd try again. I have a Kenmore refrigerator, with the freezer on the bottom. It is only 6 years old, and looks brand new. Right after Christmas it stopped making cold air-everything is room temperature. I unplugged it for a while, then plugged it in again-no cold air. I vacuumed it the best I could. There is no access to coils in the back (if they are even there). Just to get someone in to do an estimate costs a bunch because it is a service call. With no money, I can't have anyone come in like that. Does anyone have any ideas of what I might be able to do to figure it out without calling the service guy? I know nothing about nothing, but I can follow directions if I need to. I never realized how hard it is without a refrig. Can't have anything that needs to be refrigerated or frozen. A friend lent me one of those small refrigerators like college kids have, but it doesn't keep things very cold, so I can only use it for juice, butter, and stuff like that. I tried even putting stuff out in the snow, but that didn't work-treated myself to some ice cream back when the weather was so cold and snowy. I ate some of it, and put the rest outside. Later, I went to get some more, and it was all melted-what a disappointment! (I'm totally addicted to ice cream!). Boy, we take so much for granted, don't we? Thanks for any ideas. Kathy

by mrgolf on Tue Feb 15, 2011 12:34 pm

Wish you luck on getting the fridge fixed.

by Riled American on Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:41 pm

Did you maybe hit the air diffuser? or change any settings? Is the freezer getting cold at all? Does the fan inside or the compressor fan kick on? Does the fan running at all? Check to make sure the light is going out by pressing the button. Did you try changing the thermostat? UGH!!! It's so hard without being able to check hand-on And Cals a long ways from here.LOL Is there a switch for save energy or anything like that? This is all I can think of at this point.

by Guest on Tue Feb 15, 2011 4:54 pm

It probably needs the freon or refridgerant recharged. I would not recommend you do it yourself but you can get the kits to do it at a Lowe's, Home Depot or places like that. I would bite the bullet and get someone out to see what it is if you can.

by Angelika on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:10 pm

Hi Kathy, in times like these, and I've had a few since my layoff, I tap into my trusty Female In Distress persona -- her name is Honey. Honey West (haha) In my case, Honey New England.

Then I take Honey to Home Depot or Auto Zone, even the mechanic and smartly ask questions. I find the right intellectual and mechanical man to do the job and soon enough he's doing the job.

He gets some cash in his pocket and I get my repair done on the cheap.

Try it. I think you may get lucky.

Okay men in the forum, this is how women have been taking care of their families for centuries. On a shoestring, no man in the house.

But com'on if you got some zingers for me, lemme have it. bounce

by Guest on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:23 pm

Angelika wrote:Hi Kathy, in times like these, and I've had a few since my layoff, I tap into my trusty Female In Distress persona -- her name is Honey. Honey West (haha) In my case, Honey New England.

Then I take Honey to Home Depot or Auto Zone, even the mechanic and smartly ask questions. I find the right intellectual and mechanical man to do the job and soon enough he's doing the job.

He gets some cash in his pocket and I get my repair done on the cheap.

Try it. I think you may get lucky.

Okay men in the forum, this is how women have been taking care of their families for centuries. On a shoestring, no man in the house.

But com'on if you got some zingers for me, lemme have it.

i grew up in a single parent home...was just me and mom. she never remarried after my father left her when i was an infant. we had to resort to this as well LOL I never had to bring my car to a shop, i always found some nice man to do the work for just the cost of the parts. gotta do what you gotta do lol.

by Guest on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:34 pm

Post the make and model # so a few of us can do some research for you.
My bet is still on the auto defroster crapping out. Pretty common problem for the time frame. When it goes into the defrost cycle, it locks out the compressor from running. Hence, no cold air.

by Guest on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:41 pm

knarf wrote:Post the make and model # so a few of us can do some research for you.
My bet is still on the auto defroster crapping out. Pretty common problem for the time frame. When it goes into the defrost cycle, it locks out the compressor from running. Hence, no cold air.

Good point. Dont some refriges, and I'll bet Sears is one. have 10 year warranties on certain parts beyond the standard? I recall compressors being one of them? Just a thought!

by TR11005 on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:43 pm

If you don't have the manual that came with it. Find the manufacturer and model number, then go to the company's website. They usually have a troubleshooting area before you call someone. Perhaps a nice neighbor can help. Check your settings.

by Guest on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:49 pm

booniebeast wrote:
knarf wrote:Post the make and model # so a few of us can do some research for you.
My bet is still on the auto defroster crapping out. Pretty common problem for the time frame. When it goes into the defrost cycle, it locks out the compressor from running. Hence, no cold air.

Good point. Dont some refriges, and I'll bet Sears is one. have 10 year warranties on certain parts beyond the standard? I recall compressors being one of them? Just a thought!

Not on electrical components, as a matter of fact Sears Kenmore is made by Maytag, which is now made in Korea. Our last fridge lasted two years, and it sounds just like the one Kathy has. I think Amana is the only one still made in the states.

by Guest on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:52 pm

TR11005 wrote:If you don't have the manual that came with it. Find the manufacturer and model number, then go to the company's website. They usually have a troubleshooting area before you call someone. Perhaps a nice neighbor can help. Check your settings.

There is a forum I used to frequent, that has appliance gurus to post your questions to. Now I just gotta remember where that was.

by kjps12 on Tue Feb 15, 2011 5:55 pm

best thing to do is google refrigerator not cooling lots of stuff to read there

by MoInSTL on Thu Feb 17, 2011 12:58 pm

Refrigerator forum here with various makes & models: http://www.applianceblog.com/mainforums/forum12/ A few appliance techs run it.

I had a refrigerator problem and it was the defrost water tube iced over plugging it and causing tons of water inside. I removed the back freezer panel and eventually cleared the hose.

Sometimes even dirty condenser coils can cause problems with over heating and shutting down. I keep my floor clean which helps but I have a cat and I clean mine on a regular basis. Improves energy efficiency too. Has to be done carefully though like cleaning air conditioner fins.

http://www.familyhandyman.com/DIY-Projects/Indoor-Projects/Kitchens/Kitchen-Appliances/how-to-avoid-refrigerator-repairs/Step-By-Step
Vacuum the coils. Dirty coils can eventually cause the overload protector on the compressor to shut the fridge down. It'll automatically come back on when the compressor cools, but by then your food is usually warm.

The model number is just inside the door.

by mrgolf on Thu Feb 17, 2011 3:42 pm

kshort wrote:I know I posted about this on UF, but I thought I'd try again. I have a Kenmore refrigerator, with the freezer on the bottom. It is only 6 years old, and looks brand new. Right after Christmas it stopped making cold air-everything is room temperature. I unplugged it for a while, then plugged it in again-no cold air. I vacuumed it the best I could. There is no access to coils in the back (if they are even there). Just to get someone in to do an estimate costs a bunch because it is a service call. With no money, I can't have anyone come in like that. Does anyone have any ideas of what I might be able to do to figure it out without calling the service guy? I know nothing about nothing, but I can follow directions if I need to. I never realized how hard it is without a refrig. Can't have anything that needs to be refrigerated or frozen. A friend lent me one of those small refrigerators like college kids have, but it doesn't keep things very cold, so I can only use it for juice, butter, and stuff like that. I tried even putting stuff out in the snow, but that didn't work-treated myself to some ice cream back when the weather was so cold and snowy. I ate some of it, and put the rest outside. Later, I went to get some more, and it was all melted-what a disappointment! (I'm totally addicted to ice cream!). Boy, we take so much for granted, don't we? Thanks for any ideas. Kathy

Any luck yet?

by redjeepguy on Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:27 pm

Just an FYI....... You said access to the coils were not in the back. Many newer model fridges have the coils on the bottom not the back. Typically accessed by a panel below the bottom door at the floor. could be metal, many are plastic, may just snap on and off or a couple of screws to hold it on. Anyways, since you didn't find them in the back, look below, vacuum if necessary. My house, with several pets, tend to collect a lot of pet hair and " dust balls" in a hurry, especially being near the floor. I typically vacuum it 2 or 3 times a year. Worth a look anyways!

by Guest on Thu Feb 17, 2011 4:48 pm

This is the site I spoke of. They have their own forum with many pros answering your questions.

http://fixitnow.com/

by mrgolf on Thu Feb 17, 2011 7:52 pm

knarf wrote:This is the site I spoke of. They have their own forum with many pros answering your questions.

http://fixitnow.com/

Good site. Thanks for posting

by kshort on Sun Feb 20, 2011 12:31 pm

Thanks, knarf-hopefully this will help me.

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