Got a “new” scratch & dent Montgomery Ward 7.4 cu ft refrigerator with freezer. Freezer & frig compartments are separate, each has its own door, the freezer is on top, frig below. The refrigerator is frost free, the freezer needs to be manually defrosted. There are no vents inside the refrigerator or freezer to allow the cold air from the freezer to flow into the frig below, no interior vents at all, in either compartment, only a light and a temperature control in the refrigerator. The minimal instruction manual I downloaded says to allow five inches of clearance on all sides for air circulation. (The back of unit is flat and smooth, no coils.) There is a back panel on the upper part of the appliance but no back panel on the bottom part where the compressor sits, and there is NO fan. I haven’t removed the upper back panel to see what is behind it. I’ve plugged it in only once to see if it cooled and I heard no fan running, only the very quiet sound of the compressor. The freezer got cold right away, took refrigerator quite awhile to get cool, I’m assuming because there is no vent to allow flow of the cold air. It runs very quietly, I’m assuming because there is no fan noise. I’m uneasy about using it until I know for sure about fans and the lower back panel. The instructions say nothing about either and have no pictures that would tell me. My questions are: 1-Is it normal for these smaller refrigerators to have no fans? 2-Should I remove the upper back panel to see what’s behind it, if there’s a fan there that maybe isn’t working? 3-Is there supposed to be a back panel over the bottom part of the refrigerator, where the compressor sits, and, if so, would it be okay to replace it with one I can make myself, either from cardboard or some other material someone could recommend? 4-If I do make my own panel, should I cut ventilation openings into it? Thank you so much for your help.
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Yes.
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No, don’t do that.
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Leave it open.
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It doesn’t need any.