Chosen Solution
I have a Northland Signature Series refrigerator that I bought off craigslist over the winter and keep it in my basement as a curing chamber. Today, I came home to find that the temperature in the unit was 80°F. Not great for curing meat! The light was on, which was helping to heat the unit. In addition to that, however, while the fridge was running non-stop, no cool air was being circulated. In fact, no air was being circulated at all! This is a unit that has “pipes” along the back with the compressor unit on top. The compressor unit blows cold air down through the pipes, which in turn circulate that air through the fridge. As far as I can tell, the compressor is running cool. When I place my hand on (what I believe is) the air intake right below the compressor, the metal is cool. However, when I put my hands in front of the openings from the ducts in the back, no air is coming through them. Intuition would tell me that a fan motor some place in the compressor unit busted. However, I have not yet had a chance to pull it apart and figure out what is going on. Does anyone have any experience with these? Thanks in advance!
Cause 1 Condenser Coils are Dirty The condenser coils are usually located under the refrigerator. They dissipate heat as refrigerant passes through them. If the condenser coils are dirty, they won’t dissipate the heat effectively. As debris builds up on the coils, the refrigerator becomes less efficient, causing the refrigerator to work harder to cool down. If the coils are significantly dirty, the refrigerator will not be able to maintain the proper temperature. Check the condenser coils to determine if they are dirty—if the condenser coils are dirty, clean them. Condenser Fan Motor The condenser fan motor draws air though the condenser coils and over the compressor. If the condenser fan motor is not working properly, the refrigerator won’t cool properly. To determine if the fan motor is defective, first check the fan blade for obstructions. Next, try turning the fan motor blade by hand. If the blade does not spin freely, replace the condenser fan motor. If no obstructions are present and the fan blade spins freely, use a multimeter to test the fan motor for continuity. If the condenser fan motor does not have continuity, replace it. Cause 3 Evaporator Fan Motor The evaporator fan motor draws air over the evaporator (cooling) coils and circulates it throughout the refrigerator and freezer compartments. Some refrigerators have more than one evaporator fan motor. On refrigerators with only one evaporator, the evaporator is located in the freezer compartment. If the evaporator fan is not working, it will not circulate the cold air to the refrigerator compartment. If this occurs, the freezer may still get cold, while the refrigerator will not get cold. To determine if the evaporator fan motor is defective, try turning the fan blade by hand. If the fan blade does not turn freely, replace the fan motor. Additionally, if the motor is unusually noisy, replace it. Finally, if the motor does not run at all, use a multimeter to test the motor windings for continuity. If the windings do not have continuity, replace the evaporator fan motor.
