My Fridge may be dying. Suggestions?

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  • sraacke

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    Jan 19, 2009
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    St. Gabriel
    I have a Maytag fridge/freezer which is about 10 years old. It was delivered when I bought the house new from Rollin' Homes in P'ville back in 2000. A couple of days ago we noticed that the ice maker was no longer making ice and things which were normally frozen solid were thawing. The ice in the ice bucket felt "wet". Not good. Normally I have the freezer set on 4, 1 being mild/low and 7 being colder/high. I cranked the freezer up to 7, highest setting and the ice is starting to refreeze but it's still not as cold as it should be. I guess I'm going to be frying up a couple packs of bacon and sausage I have in there and frying burger meat.
    Anyone here have any ideas? It's not up against the wall so it's getting air. Anything else I can do or is it time to start watching Craigs List for a new fridge?
     
    Last edited:
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    Mar 24, 2009
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    Gonzales
    If a door was cracked it let moisture build and inside coil is a block of ice. try and pack food in chest, put a towel down and unplug for a few hours leaving the door open, I use a fan to help. if it is a side by side look for the vent inside it will probably be covered with ice there is a top and bottom vent. the top moves air to the fridge side the bottom is the intake for the freezer coil.
     
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    Nolacopusmc

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    Oct 22, 2008
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    Let her go man, let her go. :wtc::wtc:

    I know it is hard sometimes, but you will find another. I would cherish the moments you had together. the late night milk runs, early morning OJ rendezvous, and the countless peeks inside just to see what's there.

    She can never be replaced, but you will find another. One that will make you happy.


    Just know that she will be in a better place. A place where her inside light bulb never burns out, where her crisper keeps lettuce perfectly fresh, and where she does not get that odd liquid buildup that no one can seem to identify.

    My prayers are with you brother.


    PS. If you should have to put her down, and I know this may be hard to deal with right now, but a .45 cal straight to the compressor should do it.:wtc:
     

    Yrdawg

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    all above are good, ck for ice bulging out in strance places, might be defrost timer out,but unless you do it yourself I wouldn't pay for it on a 10 yo

    targets....think......... targets
     

    1911heat

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    I agree with the defrost timer idea.

    If it's stuck on (defrost heater working) then essentially that heat is now constantly fighting the cooling capability of your frig.

    If it's stuck in the off postion, then the defroster is incapable of working and your cooling coils have now frozen over completely, not letting the fan push any cold air out.

    Those timers are typically located in the front of the frig, down low near the floor. IIRC they have a place on them that can be turned manually, so if the timer motor is out you can manually move the internal dial so to change in or out of defrost mode.

    I'm not an expert, just a guy who is usually too cheap to hire someone to work on my own stuff.

    A ten year old frig sounds pretty young to me, I had a Frigidaire frig at one time that lasted over 30 years.
     

    machinedrummer

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    Don't make em like they use to. Might just be a relay switch going out, mine did it at 18mo. If its just the freezer going out put it in the garage and use it as a fridge only. Good luck with it.
     

    sraacke

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    Turning it up seems to have helped. The ice maker is making ice and evrything is refreezing. The coils are internal so I can't see them on the back. By the way, it's a standard fridge on the bottom, freezer on top style. If it acts up again we may grab an ice chest and get all the food out and unplug it for a day.
    I figure that it has just been struggleing with the hot days we've been having. Our Central HVAC unit died about 5 years ago and ever since we've made due with just a window unit A/C in the bedroom. The rest of the house can get pretty warm even with the windows open and fans on.
    So far this year we have avoided turning on the window A/C unit. We are trying to hold out until at least June 1. After that we will decide if we want to crank it up. If so we can say goodbye to the $50 electric bills we have gotten used to. Once the AC is turned on our bill will jump to about $90 for certain.
    I'll keep everyone updated on the progress of our fridge and what we do.
     

    skyblue

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    I've fixed the same problem. Your fan motor is not workoing properly. The bled may be loose or the fan motor is near death. You can take out the icemaker. the shelves and then the back panel. disconnect the fan motor and replace. Suggest you order new motor blade and needed hardware. It will cost you less than $75 bucks. sights on net to help identify parts etc. let me know if you need more help.
     

    DAVE_M

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    It can be fixed, but most people don't bother and end up buying a brand new one. My fridge is about as old as the house ( 20ish years old ) and we have had it fixed multiple times.

    But as far as the burger meat and bacon... Bayoushooter BBQ? lol
     

    W1nds0rF0x

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    You need to look at the bottom on front and back. Look in underneath and make sure it's clean, if the coils get clogged that will cause it, if there is a fan and it's clogged etc.
     

    sraacke

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    Update

    Turning it up just seems to help it along some but it is still having trouble freezing. It's a Maytag with a top mounted freezer. Here's a crappy picture.
    fridge.jpg

    I pulled it away from the wall and removed the cardboard at the bottom covering the motor and compressor. It was pretty dusty/hairy back there so I got the vacuum out and got everything I could see. I plugged it back in and noticed that the fan was hardly moving. It took a good 2 minutes or so to get up any real speed then slowed back down.
    Photo of fan.
    fridgemotor.jpg

    Could the fan be my problem? Is it a simple fix? Is it just a matter of spraying WD-40 or Breakfree on the area? Do I have to replace the motor? What is the cost of something like this? Is it something someone like me ( no experiance repairing this stuff) can do or is this a job for an expert? Where should I get parts for this in the St Gabriel area?
    Help me, Bayoushooter. You're my only hope. <-Geeky Star Wars reference.
     

    Suburbazine

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    You can't vacuum that coil properly in that configuration. Get a can of compressed air or an air tank and blast it out. The fan isn't supposed to move very fast- if it did, the fridge would be irritatingly loud. If you can feel air moving with your hand, that's enough.
     

    W1nds0rF0x

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    Right, air compressor and make sure the fan runs. Oh and PUT THE CARDBOARD BACK THE WAY IT WAS!! If you don't it won't work like that wither. Been there done that...
     

    sraacke

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    The fan was hardly turning. I put a slim window fan behind the fridge to cool the coils. I found the replacement motor for the fan on Sears Parts website. It's only about 40 bucks plus postage. I'm going to order the motor and then get back there and try to swap it out. That should do the trick.
     

    Suburbazine

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    The fan was hardly turning. I put a slim window fan behind the fridge to cool the coils. I found the replacement motor for the fan on Sears Parts website. It's only about 40 bucks plus postage. I'm going to order the motor and then get back there and try to swap it out. That should do the trick.

    That should do it. :cool:
     

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