Hello All,
I have a Whirlpool Gold refrigerator/freezer and the freezer section has been icing up along the vents. At first I thought maybe it was left open slightly and overcompensated resulting in the problem. So I defrosted it in the problem areas with a hair dryer. Temp in fridge returns to normal. Then the problem came back again. So I did some research and decided it was probably something in the defrost circuit. I took the back panel off and found a huge section of ice in the upper right hand corner. The picture below shows this and was actually taken a little after I melted it some. The checked the black wires which run along the bottom, assuming they are the defroster. They measured low ohms and not open so I assume it is OK. The white piece hanging is shown in the parts diagram as a thermistor. Not sure if that could be causing this icing and whether or not this model has an actual defrost timer. If anyone could shed some light on it I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!
Rob
[QUOTE=robbeck67;799788]Hello All,
I have a Whirlpool Gold refrigerator/freezer and the freezer section has been icing up along the vents. At first I thought maybe it was left open slightly and overcompensated resulting in the problem. So I defrosted it in the problem areas with a hair dryer. Temp in fridge returns to normal. Then the problem came back again. So I did some research and decided it was probably something in the defrost circuit. I took the back panel off and found a huge section of ice in the upper right hand corner. The picture below shows this and was actually taken a little after I melted it some. The checked the black wires which run along the bottom, assuming they are the defroster. They measured low ohms and not open so I assume it is OK. The white piece hanging is shown in the parts diagram as a thermistor. Not sure if that could be causing this icing and whether or not this model has an actual defrost timer. If anyone could shed some light on it I would greatly appreciate it.
Thanks!
Rob
[/QUOTE]
Rob, Your issue is not a defrost problem. Based on your photo, and your basic description. You have a restriction in the sealed system.
You’ll need to have a licensed and certified refrigeration technician to evacuate and repair or replace the evaporator and capillary tube, and re charge the system with refrigerant. This may be covered by your factory warranty, so you may want to check your purchase information.
Thanks for your input Joe. I contacted Whirlpool and they are sending someone out to take a look at it.
Rob
[quote=robbeck67;799858]Thanks for your input Joe. I contacted Whirlpool and they are sending someone out to take a look at it.
Rob[/quote]
Rob,
Great, Hopefully they can help you out.
Good Luck,
UPDATE
When i searched for the whirlpool warranty online it gave me a copy that was about 5 years old for a different fridge. On it the sealed system and compressor were covered for years 2-5. When i found my book that was no longer listed and not covered. I talked to them (customer service) and they are sticking by their new warranty. Then today I got a call from Marc Bitzer’s offices. He is the president of whirlpool north america. I wrote a letter to both customer service and Mr. Bitzer. They are going to now cover the it 100%. So it pays to go to the top! Will update again with repair info.
[quote=robbeck67;804724]UPDATE
When i searched for the whirlpool warranty online it gave me a copy that was about 5 years old for a different fridge. On it the sealed system and compressor were covered for years 2-5. When i found my book that was no longer listed and not covered. I talked to them (customer service) and they are sticking by their new warranty. Then today I got a call from Marc Bitzer’s offices. He is the president of whirlpool north america. I wrote a letter to both customer service and Mr. Bitzer. They are going to now cover the it 100%. So it pays to go to the top! Will update again with repair info.[/quote]
Rob, Great !!!
We’ll keep an eye out for your next post, hopefully all goes well. Thanks
My church has a refrigerator freezer from whirlpool that has the same problem as Rob. I am taking courses to become an HVAC/R tech, when I told my instructor about it he told me the same thing that Rob suspected. He believes it has something to do with the defrost timer but I can not find the defrost timer I have looked everywhere i can think to look for it. What do you think?
[QUOTE=jesusman76@hotmail.com;854281]My church has a refrigerator freezer from whirlpool that has the same problem as Rob. I am taking courses to become an HVAC/R tech, when I told my instructor about it he told me the same thing that Rob suspected. He believes it has something to do with the defrost timer but I can not find the defrost timer I have looked everywhere i can think to look for it. What do you think?[/QUOTE]
Jesusman, Open the freezer drawer and remove the baskets and check the back wall of the freezer compartment for a heavy frost or ice build up on the back wall, this will indicate a defrost problem, if there is a build up.
Your particular refrigerator doesn’t have a defrost timer. the defrost cycle is controlled through the main control board
AP6022400
located in the control panel assembly in the ceiling of the refrigerator compartment. If you remove the lower kickplate grille, you should find the tech data sheet in a plastic bag taped to the frame work in the front of the condenser area. You can program into the test modes and verify if the problem is in the control board or defrost heater, etc.
