Posted on 05/29/2015 6:28:50 AM PDT by PennsylvaniaMom
Need some expert FReeper advice on Refridgerators...
Here is my problem. Several weeks ago our whole house, central air unit broke. It's 23 years old, and had a major repair two years ago. We knew we were in borrowed time the last two summers. It's been fairly warm in SW PA, but finances don't permit us to buy a new HVAC system (and I won't finance a new system unless the furnace goes in the Fall and it is an absolute necessity). We are getting by using fans and open windows upstairs windows overnight.
Now here is my Refridgerator issue, since the house has been consistently in the low to mid 80s temperature wise, our almost 10 years old Maytag has been freezing everything. I have the fridge settings down to 2 (on a 1-10 scale) and we have to keep everything forward to prevent a hard freeze. There is NO leakage on the floor, but there is an frost build up on the rear interior. This is how the previous one went bad.
My question is, does the outside room temp affect how a fridge runs? And if so, if no AC repair (but I have to purchase a new refeidgerator) will the room temp warmth affect (read shorten the life span) of a new unit. OR am I just experiencing a run of bad luck?
I'm at work, so I probably can't respond with a "thanks" til later this evening, but please know I appreciate any guidance a fellow FReeper can give.
Refrigerators of the last 15 years or so are pretty much closed systems. You don’t see many with the cooling grids on the back any more. The more modern ones are more or less closed from a maintenance stand point: Cooling grids on the right side with a fan at right angle behind them that blows the exhaust back over and evaporation pan that catches the frost free melted water that it accumulates.
Keep the grids clean and the airflow increases. My wife often puts machine washed sneakers on the left side at the bottom to dry them.
Keep the dust and lint out of the bottom, keep the compartments from being blocked and they will work for a long time.
Your door seal suggestion is good also. I try to take a hot washcloth to them every once and a while to remove grime and buildup that allows moisture to escape too.
Excellent suggestion suggestion you offered.
Also, perhaps and obvious point is much can be done to conserve cool air in the house, by way of drawing all sun facing window blinds from sun up, until late afternoon.
I used to get such a kick out of colleagues complaining about their central air $300+ per month AC electric bills and winterization service calls, while my summer electric bill peaked peaked at about $100.
I love saving money to put toward travel and fun!
Talk to a repair company for info. Then make your decision.
One possibility is the fridge may be low on freon.
“Then close the oor. “
Ooooooooo! You trumped my response on that one!
I will take partial credit as you stand on the shoulders of giants... :-)
$100! I can’t wait for our first bill, LOL.
Absolutely agree with your advice to close the window blinds. We did it, and although I hated the gloom, it did help to keep out some of the heat.
Have you done one recently?
I used to do it for a living. Open door, loosen screws behind gasket lip. pull off gasket. Slide new gasket lip behind inner retainer. Tighten screws. Use heat gun to remove wrinkles.
Not anymore. Doors w/ urethane insulation (most newer models) have to be taken off the cabinet. Then lay them on a flat surface, table etc. Remove all the screws, remove old gasket, reverse procedure to install new gasket.
Very much more difficult than older models. I've done one, that was enough.
I trust this is an automatic defrost unit. If everything in the fridge is freezing, it sounds like the thermostat is failing, although the presence of frost is a symptom of another problem. With the freeze problem, this tells me the airflow from the freezer is good which removes any auto-defrost problem. If this problem has not been ongoing for any length of time, the drain could very well be plugged, but left unrepaired it will choke off the airflow to the frige section and the temp there will rise. If you can remove the rear panel covering the evaporator, you could see if you have a small iceberg growing under the evaporator [behind the frost on the panel]. Of course, without seeing the unit, telephone diagnosis is spotty at best...
I haven’t ever done one, but as it’s an older model, I assume it would be easier..of course, it’s up to the person if she’s willing to try. She’s trying to save money..the gasket/seal isn’t that expensive..But I assume I’m correct that it could be the cause of her problem..
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