My fridge seems to be having trouble keeping the fridge and freezer

>>1133374
That will be $300 for an inspection maam, after that we will be able to tell you what needs to be fixed and how much that will cost.

>>1133374
Check the coils in the back and clean the crud off them if needed. Check the freezer compartment. Is it iced up? Defrost it. That is basically all you can do. If your compressor is failing or you have a coolant leak it will be cheaper to get another fridge than to repair your existing one. See if your locality has some kind of refrigerator exchange program. If your fridge is old enough they might give you a more efficient model for free. Don't mention that it is broken.

>>1133381
I keep the coils clean and the freezer frost free. The only exchange I am aware of is a $25 rebate. The fridge is the same model as the OP (Westinghouse RJ522), pretty old one but nice size and worked well until now.

Could something in the freezer department be obstructing airflow?

Replace thermomostat.

>>1133420
this

pull up the model on ereplacementparts and get the part number. search on ebay for part and save a bunch of cash

>>1133377
You've been getting screwed.
I can call an appliance repair technician, they drive out to the middle of nowhere, charge $75 to diagnose, and that fee is dropped if they do the work.

>>1133389
>Could something in the freezer department be obstructing airflow?

If the fan in the freezer fails no air will be forced across the evaporator coils and into the refrigeration compartment.
Both compartments will be higher temp than normal.
Check to see if the fan is running.

There are other things to check but check the fan first.

>>1133425
Just checked, the fan is working.
Even after turning the settings to the highest cold setting it does not seem to have changed much. How long should I wait before I expect to see some change? Would it still be the usual 24hours even when changing settings on an already, albeit not sufficiently, cold fridge?

>>1133433
If you are using a thermometer to check you should see a change in a couple of hours.

You should be able to locate one or two places in the top of the fridge compartment where air is coming from the freezer.
It won't be 'blowing' from them but you should be able to feel a draft if you hold your hand under them.

>>1133435
little more:
The fridge temp control adjust how much air comes from these vents.
The freezer temp control is the actual thermostat which controls the compressor and cooling cycle.
If the freezer isn't cooling properly it can't get cold air into the fridge.

>>1133437
Yeah, I currently have it set with max cooling and the flow of air from freezer to fridge at the minimum. Things in the freezer are defrosting which would be more disastrous than the things in the fridge warming up slightly.
Luckily this happened on a cool day so the room temp in my kitchen is already only ~10C.

>>1133440
If you're actually a /diy/er you can take the items in the freezer out and place them in a cooler or styrofoam box and remove the back panel in the freezer.
It's possible for ice to form on the coil blocking the air flow but still not be noticeable on the panel.
With the cover off you'll at least be able to check the coil for cooling even if it isn't iced over.

>>1133374
If you can give us a model and make you can look up the manual that tells you how it works. Some of the condensers run off of ambient heat exchange. Like the other guys say this is probably an air flow problem and the space around the fan inside the freezer is iced up.

>>1133447
>>1133389
>Westinghouse RJ522

>>1133420
Generally the culprit in most cases
The lesser one is often the door seals which don't make good enough contact with the fridge itself and leak. Sometimes that's caused by door sag rather than deterioration of the material

Just checked the temp after not opening it for all these hours. The freezer is now -10C from -1C the last time I checked and the fridge is now 4C from 9C last time I checked. Room temp is now 17C.

So it seems to be cooling but still warmer than it should be. The fan in the freezer is flowing and when I put my hand at the back of the fridge I can feel the cool air coming in from the freezer.

>>1133448
Yeah that is the model.

>>1133658
Take the cover off the evaporator in the back of the freezer. If it has a light coating of frost evenly over the evaporator the you have something weird going on that requires further diagnosis than I feel like typing... if their is a ball of frost at one point on the evaporator, or no frost and the compressor is running then you have a sealed system issue...

>>1133437
Your close but backwards, most commonly the cold control is in the fresh food compartment and the freezer control adjusts airflow...


>>1133424
78$ for us if your in the boonies... 68$ if your in civilization...

>>1133425
Great advice


>>1133457
Most common is defrost issues... thermostats don't fail all that often really...

File: 001.jpg (2MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 3264x2448px

You guys were right. Shittonne of frost over all the coils.
I am not sure the proper way to clear them but I am impatient and just hit it with a hair dryer.

Now is this most likely a result of a fuck up on my end or in the machinery itself? I would not be surprised if this was caused by too many things covering the back plate/fan or something.

File: 003.jpg (2MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 3264x2448px

>>1134258
More pics

>>1134258
>Now is this most likely a result of a fuck up on my end or in the machinery itself?

Do you ever de-ice your fridge? I do it every couple of months and clean up.

>>1134258
that was the first suggestion made

use a hair dryer and or a fan to melt it out, stick the stuff outside if possible

File: 008.jpg (2MB, 3264x2448px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 3264x2448px

>>1134274
>that was the first suggestion made
Did not have a chance to get everything out and unscrew the panel to check until today.

I melted it all with a hair dryer already. Pic related, forgot to post it.

>>1134278

it seems that your defrost heater (the black pipe shaped like a U around the bottom and sides of the cooling coils) is not making very good contact with the cooling coils. it needs to have good metal-to-metal contact in order to melt the frost. in fact, it kinda looks like it's being held in place by 2 tie-wraps on the left and center, and nothing on the right.

so, this is gonna happen again and again unless you fix that. try to find a service manual that shows how the defrost coil is supposed to fit.

>>1134298
Thanks. I tried looking for a guide as soon as it was having problems but was not able to find one. I will find a way to give it the best possible contact this weekend when I have a chance to get to it again.

Out of curiosity, WHERE is your fridge? What part of the house?

>>1134299

this video shows how the heater is installed on a similar model: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYFT24RobCU

it also seems to use tie-wraps, which is surprising coz i'd think they'd melt.

File: 1487672298009.jpg (424KB, 1280x960px) Image search: [Google]

424KB, 1280x960px

>>1134298
>it needs to have good metal-to-metal contact in order to melt the frost.
It's located under the evaporator. Heat rises. It will work fine as-is.
>>1134278
The part circled in red is a limit switch for the heater coil.
When the timer switches to defrost cycle:
1) the compressor is disabled
2) the heater coil (through the limit switch) is connected to line voltage
3) the hot coil melts ice and when the temperature sensed by the limit switch reaches it's preset temp it opens the heater circuit.
4) the defrost timer continues to run until it switches back to cool cycle
5) the compressor switches on and starts to make more ice/frost

Your problem could be (in order of most likely)
1) defective defrost timer never switching to defrost cycle
2) defective bi-metal switch (open) not allowing the heater to get connected to mains
3) defective heater (open) never heating.

Locate the defrost timer and turn the shaft while the compressor is running.
It will make a clicking noise like a ratchet and can't be turned backwards.
When you reach the point the compressor stops, quit turning.
You can now check for voltage at the proper points in the circuit.

You have to make this test after the fridge has operated long enough for the bi-metal to close again.
If there is frost on the coil where the clip on the bi-metal is connected physically to the coil it should be cold enough.

The heater can be checked with a simple ohm-meter when the fridge is unplugged.

>>1134322
>it also seems to use tie-wraps

If they were plastic they would.
They are made of aluminum

File: diagramdefrost.jpg (34KB, 599x454px) Image search: [Google]

34KB, 599x454px

>>1134474
>1) the compressor is disabled
>2) the heater coil (through the limit switch) is connected to line voltage

like pic related

>>1134474
>heater coil
*coil heater

>>1133381
BUMP

>>1134737
Here, it was iced.

Before:
>>1134258
>>1134261

After:
>>1134278

File: s-l1000.jpg (35KB, 750x750px) Image search: [Google]

35KB, 750x750px

>>1134258
Just remember to be careful with the hair dryer or you may warp the plastics. The best tool for the job is a steam cleaner, especially on the french door fridges with vents connecting the sides. My crap Whirlpool, plugs three vents connecting the sides, that causes it too try to cool to hard, causing the drain to freeze making it all a cluster fuck. Only a steam cleaner defrosts the thing properly and safely.