Refrigerator&IcemakerRepair

TableofContents Chapter1 REFRIGERATIONSYSTEMBASICS 11HEATFLOWANDAIRFLOW 12DEFROSTSYSTEM 13TEMPERATURECONTROL 14WHEREDOESTHEHEATGO? Chapter2 SPECIALTYPESOFREFRIGERATORS 21HOTGASDEFROST 22NONSELFDEFROSTERS 23CHILLTYPEREFRIGERATORS 24GASREFRIGERATORS(AMMONIASYSTEMS) Chapter3 DIAGNOSISANDREPAIRBASICS 31(a)GREENPLUGS 31(b)BEFOREYOUSTART 32.TOOLS 33.HOWTOUSEAVOMANDAMMETER 33(a).TESTINGVOLTAGE 33(b).TESTINGFORCONTINUITYANDRESISTANCE 33(c).AMMETERS 34.BASICREPAIRANDSAFETYPRECAUTIONS Chapter4 COMPRESSORISRUNNINGBUTREFRIGERATORISNOTCOLD 41.CONTROLS 42.CONDENSERANDCONDENSERFAN 43.EVAPORATORFAN

44.FROSTPROBLEMS 45.DEFROSTSYSTEM 45(a).DEFROSTTIMERSANDADAPTIVEDEFROSTCONTROL 45(b).DEFROSTHEATER 45(c).TERMINATINGTHERMOSTAT 45(d).DEFROSTSYSTEMDIAGNOSISANDREPAIR 45(e).DIAGNOSIS:DEFROSTHEATERANDTERMINATINGTHERMOSTAT 46.WHIRLPOOL/KENMOREFLEXTRAYICEMAKERDEFROSTSYSTEM 47.HOTGASDEFROSTPROBLEMS 48.UNEVENFROSTPATTERNS,ORNOFROSTATALL 49.COLDCONTROL Chapter5 REFRIGERATORISNOTCOLDANDCOMPRESSORISNOTRUNNING 51.POWER 52.CONTROLS 53.DIAGNOSISANDREPAIR 53(a).DEFROSTTIMERORADCBOARD 53(b).TESTINGTHECOMPRESSORFORPOWER 53(c).COLDCONTROL 53(d).WIRINGANDELECTRICAL 53(e).COMPRESSORSTARTING/ELECTRICALCOMPONENTS Chapter6 ICEORWATERBUILDUP 61.DEFROSTDRAINSYSTEM 62.DIAGNOSISANDREPAIR 63.DRAINPANHEATERS Chapter7 UNUSUALCOMPLAINTSandSTORIESFROMTHETRENCHES 71.KIDCAPERS 72.THEHOLEINTHEWALLGANG

73.DOORSEALSANDALIGNMENT 74.MOVINGDAY 75.ASHOCKINGEXPERIENCE(MULLIONHEATERS) 76.MICECAPADES 77.ICEMAKERSANDINDOORWATERDISPENSERS 78.SEETHELIGHT 79.BADODORS 710.FIXTHELITTLESTUFF 711STRANGENOISES 712.FIREINTHEFRIDGE!!! Chapter8 DOMESTICICEMAKERS 81ICEMAKERTYPES/ 81(a)ICEMAKEROPERATION 82DIAGNOSINGPROBLEMS 82(a)SLABBING 82(b)SHELLING 82(c)BLOCKED(FROZEN)FILLTUBE 83WATERSOURCE 83(a)FILTRATION&PURIFICATION 83(b)FILLSOLENOIDVALVE 83(c)TESTINGANDADJUSTINGFILLVOLUME 84SLOWORNOICEPRODUCTION 84(a)FREEZERTEMPERATURE 84(b)POWERSUPPLY 84(c)WATERSUPPLY 85CRESCENTCUBEICEMAKERS 85(a)MODULARCRESCENTCUBEDESIGN 85(b)COMPACTCRESCENTCUBEDESIGN 85(c)ELECTRONICCRESCENTCUBEDESIGN 86GEBULLETORBARRELCUBEMACHINES 87ADMIRALTYPEFLEXTRAY 88WHIRLPOOL/KENMOREFLEXTRAYDESIGN

Refrigerator&IcemakerRepair Chapter1 REFRIGERATIONSYSTEMBASICS 11.HEATFLOWANDAIRFLOW Inthinkingaboutthewayyourrefrigeratorkeepsthingscool,thereareafew seatofthepantsthermodynamiclawsthatyouneedtoconsider: 1)DontthinkofyourrefrigeratorasMAKINGTHINGSCOLD.Thinkofitas REMOVINGHEATfromwhateveryouputinit. 2)Rememberthatheatalwaysflowsfromsomethingofahighertemperatureto somethingofalowertemperature.Thegreaterthetemperaturedifference,thefasterthe heatflow. 3)Heatwillcontinuetoflowfromthewarmerobjecttothecolderobjectuntiltheir temperaturesareequal. Thus,whenyouputwarmfoodintoacoldrefrigerator,heatstartsflowingfrom thewarmfoodintothecoldairaroundit.Thefoodstartstogetcooler.(The temperaturegoesdown.) Sincetheairinsidethefridgehasnowabsorbedsomeheatandiswarmerthanit shouldbe,weneedtocarryitawayfromthefood,replaceitwithnewcoldair andremovetheexcessheatfromit.Thisiswhyairflowissoimportantinsidethe fridge. Afanisprovidedinsidethefridgetocontinuallycirculateinternalair.Itdraws inwarmairfromallsectionsofyourrefrigeratorandblowsitacrossthe EVAPORATOR,orCOOLINGCOILS.ThisfaniscalledtheEVAPORATOR FAN. Astheairflowsacrosstheoutsideoftheevaporator,itgivesupitsexcessheatto

Freoncirculatinginsidetheevaporator.TheFreonintheevaporatorrunsata verycoldtemperature,somewherebetweenabout9and40degreesbelowzero, sothattheheatwillflowoutoftheairandintotheFreonveryquickly. 12.DEFROSTSYSTEM However,whenyouopenedthatdoortoputthefoodintothefridge,youalsolet inabigchargeofwarm,relativelymoist(humid)air.TheevaporatorisSOcold thatthehumidityfromtheairwillfreezedirectlyontoit,creatingFROST.If enoughfrostbuildsupontheevaporator,airwillnotbeabletoflowacrossit. Topreventtoomuchfrostfromcollectingontheevaporatorcoils,aself defrostingrefrigeratorwillactuallystopitselfforafewminuteseverysixto twelvehoursorso,andmeltitsownfrost.Howoftenthisdefrostcycleoccurs, andhowlongitlasts,iscontrolledbyamotordrivenmechanicalDEFROST TIMER,orbyanelectroniccomputerboardcalledanADC(AdaptiveDefrost Control).ThetimerorADCstopsthecompressor(coolingsystem)andstartsan electricDEFROSTHEATERlocateddirectlybeneaththeevaporatorcoils.The heatrisesandmeltsthefrost. Thefrostwaterisdrainedaway,usuallytothelittlepanthatyouseebeneath yourrefrigeratorinmostmodels.Eventuallyitwillevaporateaway.Ifallthe frostmeltsbeforethedefrosttimerfinishesthedefrostcycle,aTERMINATING THERMOSTATwillkeepthedefrostheaterfromoverheatingtheevaporator compartment.Itiswiredinserieswiththeheater.Whenthecompartment reachesacertaintemperature,theterminatingthermostatwillopenandshutoff thedefrostheater. 13.TEMPERATURECONTROL Asthefoodinthefridgegetscolder,itgivesofflessheat,andtheairinsidethe fridgewillremaincolder.AthermostatcalledaCOLDCONTROLwillcyclethe coolingsystemonandofftokeepthetemperatureinsideyourfridgewithina certainrange.Youcanadjustthatrangeusingoneofthedialswithinyourfridge.

Onmostfridges,allthecoldairforboththefoodcompartmentandthefreezer compartmentisproducedinoneevaporator.Sincethefreezerissomuchcolder thanthefoodcompartment,mostofthecoldairthatisproducedcirculatestothe freezercompartment.Onlyasmallamountisneededinthefoodcompartmentto keepitdowntothepropertemperature.ThisamountisadjustedbyasmallAIR DOORintheductbetweentheevaporatorandthefoodcompartment.The controlforthisairdooristheotherofthetwodialswithinyourfridge. 14.WHEREDOESTHEHEATGO? InordertoreusetheFreonforcoolingmoreair,theheatthatWASinyourfood andisNOWinyourFreonmustsomehowbegottenridof.TheFreongasgoesto theCOMPRESSORwhereitiscompressedintoahotgas(remember,whenyou compressagas,itgetswarmer.)TheFreonthenflowsthroughthe CONDENSER,whichisthewarmgrilleyoullfindeitherbehindorunderneath yourrefrigerator.Itresemblestheradiatorinyourcarandactsinmuchthesame manner.Theheatfromyourfood,pluswhateverheatwasaddedduring compression,willflowfromthehotFreoninyourcondensertothecoolerairin yourkitchen. InsomemodelsaCONDENSERFANisfittedtocirculateairacrossthe condenser.Aircirculationisveryimportanttoheatflow.Onsomemodels,the warmthfromthecondenserisusedtoevaporatethedefrostwater.Thatsalso thesourceofthewarmairyoumightfeelblowingoutfrombeneathyourfridge whileitisrunning. AftertheFreonlosestheexcessheatinthecondenser,itisdecompressed,or expanded,bysimplyputtingitthroughaconstrictionthatletsthepressuredrop. ThisreadiestheFreontogothroughtheevaporatoragain,andthecyclebegins allover.

Chapter2
SPECIALTYPESOFREFRIGERATORS Avastmajorityoftherefrigeratorsbuiltwithinthelast3040years(andthus mostlikelytostillbeinservice)werebuiltusingthesystemsdescribedin Chapter1;however,thereareafewexceptions: 21.HOTGASDEFROST CertainrefrigeratorsusehotFreoncirculatedbackwardsthroughtheevaporator tomeltfrost,ratherthananelectricheater.Thoughtherearemorerecentmodels, thesearegenerallybuiltinthe1960sandbeforeandrepresentaverysmall minorityofthedomesticrefrigeratorsstillinservice. 22.NONSELFDEFROSTERS Theseunitsdonothaveatimerthatinitiatesthedefrostmode.Somemustbe initiatedmanually(usuallythereisanobviousdefrostbutton)andsomehaveno defrostatalltheymustbeunloaded,unplugged,andletdefrostbythemselves. 23.CHILLTYPEREFRIGERATORS Theserefrigeratorshaveaverycoldplateorcoils(tubes)locatednearthetopof thecoldcompartment.Thereisnoevaporatorfanandaircirculatesnaturally.By convection,warmairrisestothetopofthecompartmentwherethecoilsare,and thecoldairsinkstowardsthebottom. Theremaybeseparateplatesinthefreezerandrefrigeratorsections.Oftenthese

refrigeratorshavenodefrostsystems;iftheydo,itsusuallyahotgasdefrost system.Mostmicroorminifridgesarechilltype.Mostfreezer(only)units havenoevaporatorfans.Generallytheseunitshavenocondenserfaneither; condenseraircirculationisalsobyconvection. 24.GASREFRIGERATORS(AMMONIASYSTEMS) IFYOUHAVEAGASREFRIGERATOR,NOTHINGINTHISBOOKAPPLIES TOYOURUNIT.Itusesanentirelydifferentoperatingsystem;itisNOTa vaporcompressioncycleunit.ThesearegenerallyfoundinRVandyacht installations,whereelectricityisfrequentlyunavailableforextendedperiodsof time. Ifyoususpectthatyoumayhaveanyoftheseunits,askyourapplianceparts retailerordealertoconfirmyoursuspicions.(SeeSection31;BEFOREYOU START.)Withamake,amodelnumberandperhapsaserialnumber,heshould beabletotellyouwhatyouhave.

Chapter3
DIAGNOSISANDREPAIRBASICS 31(a)GREENPLUGS DONTusethemonrefrigerators.Greenplugsusuallyworkfineonresistive loadssuchasheatersandincandescentlights.Butinmyopinion,youshouldnot usethemonelectronics,andthingsthataremotorized.Thesethingsaremadeto operateonelectricitywithcertainwaveformcharacteristics.Agreenplug modifiesthosecharacteristics;youareaskingfortrouble. RefrigeratorshaveSEVERALmotorsinthem,andmodernrefrigeratorshave electroniccomponents,too.Greenplugshavecausedallkindsofproblemsin fridges,suchasmoisturebuildupduetoslowerfanspeeds,andcompressor startingandheatingproblems. Equallyimportantly,agreenplugmightVOIDTHEWARRANTYonyour fridge. Becauseofgovernmentmandatedefficiencyrequirements,modernrefrigerators alreadyhaveagreatenergysavingfeaturesbuiltintothem.Youdontneeda greenplugonafridge...dontusethem! 31(b)BEFOREYOUSTART Findyourselfagoodappliancepartsdealer.YoucanfindthemintheYellow Pagesunderthefollowingheadings:

APPLIANCES,HOUSEHOLD,MAJOR APPLIANCES,PARTSANDSUPPLIES REFRIGERATORS,DOMESTIC APPLIANCES,HOUSEHOLD,REPAIRANDSERVICE

Callafewofthemandaskiftheyarearepairservice,oriftheysellparts,or both.Askthemiftheyofferfreeadvicewiththepartstheysell.(Occasionally,

storesthatofferbothpartsandservicewillnotwanttogiveyouadvice.)Often, thepartscountermenareextechnicianswhogottiredofthepressuresofgoing intostressedoutpeopleshousesandfixingappliances.Theycanbeyourbest friends;however,youdontwanttobadgerthemwithTOOmanyquestions,so knowyourbasicsbeforeyoustartaskingquestions. Somepartshousesmayofferservicetoo.Becareful!Theymaytrytotalkyouout ofeventryingtofixyourownrefrigerator.Theylltellyouitstoocomplicated, theninthesamebreath,guideyoutotheirservicedepartment.Whoareyou gonnabelieve,meorthem?Notallservice/partsplacesarethisway,however.If theygenuinelytrytohelpyoufixityourselfandyoufindthatyoucantfixthe problem,theymaybeareallygoodplacetolookforservice.Thinkaboutitif theysoldyouthisbook,thentheyregenuinelyinterestedinhelpingdoit yourselfers! Whenyougointothestore,havereadyyourmake,modelandserialnumber fromthenameplateofthefridge(notfromsomestickerinsidethefridge).If thereisaB/Mnumberonthenameplate,havethatwithyou,too. NAMEPLATEINFORMATION Themetalnameplateinformationisusuallyfoundinoneoftheplacesshownin Figure1: A)Alongthebottompanel;left,rightoranywhereinbetween. B)Insidethefridgeorfreezersection,nearthebottom.Youmayhavetoremove acrisperdrawertoseeit. C)Removethekickplateandlookalongthecondenserairopenings. D)Somewhereonthebackoftherefrigerator,usuallyveryhighorverylow,or possiblyonanywiringdiagramthatmaybepastedtothebackofthe refrigerator. E)Ifyouabsolutelycannotfindametalnameplate,somerefrigeratorshavea papersalesstickerlefton,justinsidethedoor.Thiswillbeanincompletemodel number,butitisbetterthannothinganditshouldbegoodenoughtogetmost partswith.

Ifallelsefails,checktheoriginalpapersthatcamewithyourfridgewhenitwas new.TheyshouldcontainthemodelnumberSOMEWHERE. IfyouhaveabsolutelyNOinformationaboutthefridgeanywhere,makesure youbringyouroldparttothepartsstorewithyou.Sometimestheycanmatchan oldpartbylooksorbypartnumber. Figure1:PossibleNameplateLocations

32.TOOLS(Figure2) Thetoolsthatyouwillprobablyneedarelistedbelow.Someareoptional.The reasonfortheoptionisexplained. SCREWDRIVERS:Bothflatandphillipshead;twoorthreedifferentsizesof

each.Itisbesttohaveatleastastubby,4and6sizes. NUTDRIVERS:Youwillneedatleasta1/4anda5/16nutdriver.4or6ones shouldsuffice,butitsbettertohavestubbies,too. BLOWDRYERandSYRINGETYPETURKEYBASTER:Formanuallymelting frostandice. ALLIGATORJUMPERS(sometimescalledaCHEATERorCHEATER WIRE):smallgauge(1416gaugeorso)andabout12to18incheslong;for testingelectricalcircuits.Availableatyourlocalelectronicsstore.Cost:afew bucksfor4or5ofthem. ELECTRICALPLIERSorSTRIPPERSandDIAGONALCUTTINGPLIERS: Forcuttingandstrippingsmallelectricalwire. BUTTCONNECTORS,CRIMPERS,WIRENUTSANDELECTRICALTAPE: Forsplicingsmallwire. FLASHLIGHT:Forobviousreasons. VOM(VOLTOHMMETER):Fortestingcircuits.Ifyoudonothaveone,get one.Aninexpensiveonewillsuffice,aslongasithasbothA.C.Voltageand Resistance(i.e.Rx1,Rx10,etc.)settingsonthedial.Itwilldoforour purposes.Ifyouareinexperiencedinusingone,getananalog(pointer)type(as opposedtoadigital.) CONDENSERBRUSH:Forcleaningoutthatdustyblackholebeneathyour fridge,otherwiseknownasyourcondenser.Itisalong,stiffbristledbrush especiallymadeforknockingoutmassivewadsofdustfromyourcondenser grille.Ihaveseenjuryriggedbottlebrushesandvacuumsused,neitherofwhich cleansufficiently.Cmonbuytherighttoolforthejob.Theyrecheapenough.

Figure2:Tools

OPTIONALTOOLS(Figure3)SNAPAROUNDAMMETER:For determiningifelectricalcomponentsareenergized.Quiteuseful;butabit expensive,andtherearealternativemethods.Ifyouhaveone,useit;otherwise, dontbothergettingone. EXTENDIBLEINSPECTIONMIRROR:Forseeingdifficultplacesbeneaththe refrigeratorandbehindpanels. CORDLESSPOWERSCREWDRIVERORDRILL/DRIVERWITH MAGNETICSCREWDRIVERANDNUTDRIVERTIPS:Forpullingoffpanels heldinplacebymanyscrews.Itcansaveyoulotsoftimeandhassle.

Figure3:OptionalTools

33HOWTOUSEAVOMANDAMMETER Manyhomehandymenareveryintimidatedbyelectricity.Itstruethat diagnosingandrepairingelectricalcircuitsrequiresabitmorecarethanmost operations,duetothedangerofgettingshocked.Butthereisnomysteryor voodooaboutthethingswellbedoing.Remembertheruleinsection34(1); whileyouareworkingonacircuit,energizethecircuitonlylongenoughto performwhatevertestyoureperforming,thentakethepowerbackoffitto performtherepair.Youneednotbeconcernedwithanytheory,likewhatan ohmis,orwhatavoltis.YouwillonlyneedtobeabletosettheVOMontothe rightscale,touchthetestleadstotherightplaceandreadthemeter.

InusingtheVOM(VoltOhmMeter)forourpurposes,thetwotestleadsare alwayspluggedintothe+andholesontheVOM.(SomeVOMshavemore thantwoholes.) 33(a)TESTINGVOLTAGE(Figure4) SettheVOMsdialonthelowestVACscale(A.C.Voltage)thatsover120volts. Forexample,iftheresa50settinganda250settingontheVACdial,usethe250 scale,because250isthelowestsettingover120volts. Touchthetwotestleadstothetwometalcontactsofalivepowersource,likea walloutletortheterminalsofthemotorthatyouretestingforvoltage.(Donot jamthetestleadsintoawalloutlet!)IfyouaregettingpowerthroughtheVOM, themeterwilljumpupandsteadyonareading.Youmayhavetoconvertthe scaleinyourhead.Forexample,ifyoureusingthe250voltdialsettingandthe meterhasa25scale,simplydivideby10;120voltswouldbe12onthemeter. Figure4:TestingVoltage

33(b)TESTINGFORCONTINUITYANDRESISTANCE(Figure5) Dontletthewordcontinuityscareyou.Itsderivedfromtheword continuous.Inanelectricalcircuit,electricityhastoflowfromapowersource backtothatpowersource.Ifthereisanybreakinthecircuit,itisnotcontinuous, andithasnocontinuity.Goodcontinuitymeansthatthereisnobreakinthe circuit. Forexample,ifyouweretestingaheaterelementtoseeifitwasburnedout,you wouldtryputtingasmallamountofpowerthroughtheheater.Iftheheater elementwasburnedout,therewouldbeabreakinthecircuit,theelectricity wouldntflow,andyourmeterwouldshownocontinuity.

Figure5:TestingforContinuity

ThatiswhattheresistancepartofyourVOMdoes;itprovidesasmallelectrical current(usingbatterieswithintheVOM)andmeasureshowfastthecurrentis flowing.ThecurrentflowismeasuredinOhms;themoreresistancethatthereis tocurrentflow,themoreOhmsyourmeterwillread. TouseyourVOMtotestcontinuity,setthedialon(resistance)Rx1,Rx10,or whateverthelowestsettingis.Touchthemetalpartsofthetestleadstogetherand readthemeter.Itshouldpegthemeterallthewayontherightsideofthescale, towards0onthemetersresistancescale.Ifthemeterdoesnotreadzero resistance,adjustthethumbwheelonthefrontoftheVOMuntilitdoesreadzero.

Ifyoucannotgetthemetertoreadzero,thebatteryintheVOMislow;replaceit. Ifyouaretesting,say,aheater,firstmakesurethattheheaterleadsarenot connectedtoanything,especiallyapowersource.Iftheheatersleadsarestill connectedtosomething,youmaygetareadingthroughthatsomething.Ifthere isstilllivepowerontheitemyouretestingforcontinuity,youwillburnout yourVOMinmicrosecondsandpossiblyshockyourself. Touchthetwotestleadstothetwobarewireendsorterminalsoftheheater.You cantouchtheendsofthewiresandtestleadswithyourhandsifnecessarytoget bettercontact.ThevoltagethattheVOMbatteriesputoutisverylow,andyou willnotbeshocked.IfthereisNOcontinuity,themeterwontmove.Ifthereis GOODcontinuity,themeterwillmovetowardtherightsideofthescaleand steadyonareading.Thisistheresistancereading.Mostofthetimethisdoesnt concernus;weonlycarethatweshowgoodcontinuity.Ifthemetermovesonly verylittleandstaystowardstheleftsideofthescale,thatsBADcontinuity;the heaterisnogood.Inaglasstubeorbareelementheater,youmaybeabletosee thephysicalbreakintheheaterelement,justlikeyoucaninsomelightbulbs. Ifyouaretestingaswitchorathermostat,youwillshowlittleornoresistance (goodcontinuity)whentheswitchorthermostatisclosed,andNOcontinuity whentheswitchisopen.Ifyoudonot,theswitchisbad. 33(c)AMMETERS Ammetersarealittlebitmorecomplextoexplainwithoutgoingintoalotof electricaltheory.Ifyouownanammeter,youprobablyalreadyknowhowtouse it. Ifyoudont,dontgetone.Ammetersareexpensive.Andforourpurposes,there areotherwaystodeterminewhatanammetertestsfor.Ifyoudontownone, skipthissection. Forourpurposes,ammetersaresimplyawayoftestingforcontinuitywithout havingtocutintothesystemortodisconnectpowerfromwhateveritiswere

testing. Ammetersmeasurethecurrentinampsflowingthroughawire.Thegreaterthe currentthatsflowingthroughawire,thegreaterthemagneticfielditproduces aroundthewire.Theammetersimplymeasuresthismagneticfield,andthusthe amountofcurrent,flowingthroughthewire.Todeterminecontinuity,forour purposes,wecansimplyisolatethecomponentthatweretesting(sowedonot accidentallymeasurethecurrentgoingthroughanyothercomponents)andseeif theresanycurrentflow. Touseyourammeter,firstmakesurethatitsonanappropriatescale(0to10or 20ampswilldo).Isolateawireleadingdirectlytothecomponentyouretesting. Puttheammeterlooparoundthatwireandreadthemeter.(Figure6) Whatifthatyouhavetroublefindingthewireleadto,say,adefrostheaterthat youretesting,becausethewiresarefrozenintoablockofice?

Figure6:UsingaClipOnAmmeter

Ifyouisolateallsystemssotheheateristheonlythingenergized,thenyoucan testtheeasilyaccessiblemainpowercordforcurrent,anditmustbethecurrent beingusedbytheheater. Thisisrelativelyeasytodo.Turntheenergysaverswitchtotheeconomy positiontoshutofftheantisweatmullionheaters(Seesection41.)Closethe refrigeratordoortomakesurethelightsareoff.Setthedefrosttimertothe defrostmode.Thiswillstopthecompressor,andenergizethedefrostheater(ifit isworking;that,ofcourse,iswhatweretesting.)Removethelowerback

Figure7:TestingAmpsintheMainPowerLine

panelofthefridgeandfindwherethemainpowercordbranchesoffintwo directions.(SeeFigure7)Testonelead(oneleadonly)forcurrentflow.There maystillbeatinymullionheaterenergizedinthebutterconditioneroronthe defrostdrainpan,butthecurrentthattheseheatersdrawisnegligibleforour purposes(lessthananamp).Ifyouhaveanysubstantialcurrentflow,itsgotto bethroughthedefrostheater.Ifyoudont,thedefrostheaterorterminating thermostatisprobablydefective. 34.BASICREPAIRANDSAFETYPRECAUTIONS 1)Alwaysdeenergize(pulltheplugortripthebreakeron)anyrefrigeratorthat youredisassembling.Ifyouneedtoreenergizetherefrigeratortoperformatest, makesureanybarewiresorterminalsaretapedorinsulated.Energizetheunit onlylongenoughtoperformwhatevertestyoureperforming,thendisconnect thepoweragain.

2)NEVEREVERchipordigouticefromaroundtheevaporatorwithasharp instrumentorknife.YouWILLPROBABLYpuncturetheevaporatorandyou WILLPROBABLYendupbuyinganewrefrigerator.Usehotwaterand/ora blowdryertomeltice.Ifyouuseablowdryer,takecarenottogetwaterinit andshockyourself. Betteryet,ifyouhavethetimeandpatience,leavethefridgeopenforafew hoursandlettheicemeltnaturally.Youcanremovelarge,loosechunksoficein theevaporatorcompartmentbyhand,butmakesuretherearentanyelectrical wiresfrozenintothechunksoficebeforeyoustartpullingthem. 3)Alwaysreinstallanyremovedduckseal,heatshields,styrofoaminsulation, orpanelsthatyouremovetoaccessanything.Theyrethereforareason. 4)Youmayneedtoemptyyourfridgeorfreezerforanoperation.Ifyoudonot haveanotherfridge(orafriendwithone)tokeepyourfoodin,youcangenerally getbywithanicechestoracardboardboxinsulatedwithtowelsforashorttime. Neverrefreezemeats;iftheyvealreadythawed,cookthemandusethemlater. 5)Ifthismanualadvocatesreplacingapart,REPLACEIT!!Youmightfind,say,a fanmotorthathasstoppedfornoapparentreason.Sometimesyoucanflipitwith yourfingerandgetitgoingagain.Thekeywordshereareapparentreason. Thereisareasonthatitstoppedyoucanbetonitandifyougetitgoingand reinstallit,youarerunningaveryhighriskthatitwillstopagain.Ifthat happens,youwillhavetostartrepairingyourrefrigeratoralloveragain.There maybeahardspotinthebearings;oritmayonlyactupwhenitishot,or cold...thereareahundreddifferentwhatifs.Veryfew,ifany,oftheparts mentionedinthisbookwillcostyouovertenortwentydollars.Dontbepenny wiseanddollardumb.Replacethepart. 6)Refrigeratordefrostproblemsmaytakeaweekormoretoreappearifyou dontfixtheproblemthefirsttime.Thatshowlongitwilltaketheevaporatorto buildupenoughfrosttoblocktheairflowagain.Afterfixingadefrostproblem, keepaneyeoutforsignsofarecurrenceforatleastaweek.Thesooneryoucatch it,thelessiceyoullhavetomelt.

 7)Youmaystopthecompressorfromrunningusingthedefrosttimerorcold control,bycuttingoffthepowertothefridge,orsimplybypullingtheplugout ofthewall.However,ifyoutrytorestartitwithinafewminutes,itmaynot start;youmayhearbuzzingandclickingnoises.(Seesection53(e)).Ifthesystem hasnothadenoughtimeforthepressurewithintoequalize,therewillbetoo muchbackpressureinthesystemforthecompressormotortoovercomewhen tryingtostart.Thisisnothingtobealarmedabout.Simplyremovethepower fromthecompressorforafewmoreminutesuntilthecompressorwillrestart. 8)Donotlubricateanyofthetimersormotorsmentionedinthismanual.They arepermanentlyselflubricated.Inacoldenvironment,oilwillbecomemore viscousandincreasefriction,ratherthandecreaseit.Ifyouhaveastickyfan motorortimer,replaceit.

Chapter4
COMPRESSORISRUNNINGBUTREFRIGERATORISNOTCOLD

COMPRESSORISRUNNINGBUT REFRIGERATORISNOTCOLD Beforeyouperformanyoftheothertestsinthischapter,makesurethatthe compressorisrunning.Ifitisnotrunning,seeChapter5. Somerefrigeratorsareveryquietandsmoothwhentheyoperate.Ifyoucannot hearyourrefrigeratorrunningorfeelthecompressorvibrating,youmust investigatefurther. First,tryturningthecoldcontroltotheoffpositionorunpluggingthefridge; thiswillstopthecompressor.Doyouhearorfeeladifference?Ifso,the compressorwasrunning.WAITSEVERALMINUTESbeforeturningthe compressorbackonforyourdiagnosticchecks.Thereasonforwaitingbefore yourestartitisexplainedinsection34(7). Ifyouperformtheabovetestanddonotfeeladifference,trylisteningwitha screwdriver.Accessthecompressorbyopeningthebackpanelandplacethe metalendofalongscrewdriveragainstthecompressorandyourearagainstthe plasticendofthescrewdriver.Youshouldhearthecompressorrunning.Ifyou arestillunsureandyouownanammeter,testthecurrentdrawofthe compressoratthecompressorleads.Ifthecompressorisrunning,itshoulddraw about6amps. 41CONTROLS Ifyourcompressorisrunningandyourrefrigeratoriswarminboth compartments(ornotascoldasusual,i.e.chillybutmeatsarethawing,)first checkyourCONTROLS.Youneverknowifyourkidsgotinthereandmessed aroundwiththem.Setthemonmidrangesettings.Seesection71onKID CAPERSforsomeinterestingstoriesaboutthissubject. Insideeitherthefreezerorrefrigeratorcompartmentyouwillgenerallyfindat leasttwodialtypecontrols.

Oneofthem,calledthecoldcontrol,isanelectricswitchthatstartsandstopsthe compressorbasedonthetemperaturethatitsensesinsidethecompartment. Theotherdialisanairdoorthatcontrolsthesmallamountofairthatpassesto thefoodcompartmentwhiletheevaporatorfanisrunning.(SeeSection13) Insomerefrigerators,themovementoftheseairdoorsisnotmanually controlled.Theymaybecontrolledthermomechanically,orevenelectrically,by acomputerboardsuchastheADC(AdaptiveDefrostControl.)Butthereis usuallyaknobforsettingthetemperaturethatyouwantineachcompartment. Eitherdialmaybemarkedwithanyoneofadozendifferentlabels:refrigerator control,freezercontrol,foodcompartmentcontrol,etc.Determiningwhichis whichcangetabitconfusing.Iftheknobhasanoffsettingwhichstopsthe compressorfromrunning,itisthecoldcontrol. Intheabsenceofanoffsetting,theeasiestwaytotellthemapartistopullthe plasticknoboffthecontrol.Thecoldcontrolwillusuallyhaveawidetanganda narrowtang.(SeeFigure8)TheairdoorwillusuallyhaveaplasticormetalD shapedshaft(aroundshaftwithaflat)towhichitattaches,althoughthisisnot alwaysthecase. Ifonedialisinthefreezersectionandoneisinthefoodsection,theoneinthe freezersectionisthecoldcontrol,andtheoneinthefoodsectionistheairdoor. Iftheknobswillnotcomeoffwithafirmpull,oryouarestillunsureofwhich controliswhich,tryputtingyourhandinfrontoftheairventsinthefood compartmentandmanipulatingthecontrols.Makesuretheevap.fanisrunning; youmayhavetotapethedoorswitchsoitstayson.Ifyouaremanipulatingthe airdoor,thereshouldbeadetectabledifferenceinthestrengthoftheairdraft fromthelowsettingtothehighsetting. Often,thefirstthingthatfolksdowhentheirrefrigeratorstartstofeelwarmis turnbothcontrolsonthecoldestsettings.ThisisexactlytheWRONGthingto do.Turningthecoldcontroltothecoldestsettingwillkeepthecompressor

runninglongerandmakelotsofcoldair. Butturningtheairdoortothecoldestsettingclosestheairwaytothefood section.Lotsofcoldairismade,butmostofitstaysinthefreezersection,and thefoodsectionactuallygetswarmer. Figure8:ColdControl/AirDoorIdentification

OTHERCONTROLS: VEGETABLEORMEATCOMPARTMENTCONTROLSBUTTER CONDITIONER,ENERGYSAVERVEGETABLE(CRISPER)orMEAT COMPARTMENTCONTROLS: Thesemaybesmallheatersortheymaybeseparateairdoorsthatcontrolthe airflowwithinthesecompartments.Theideaistokeepthecompartmentata differenttemperaturefromtherestofthefoodcompartment;amoreoptimum temperaturefortheparticularfoodthatyourekeepinginthesecompartments.

Certainhighendfridgesareevenusingthermistorcontrolledairdoors,and someprettyexotictechnologiessuchassemipermeablemembranestocontrol humidityinthesecompartments. BUTTERCONDITIONERS:Again,smallheatersthatkeepthebutter compartmentatadifferenttemperaturethantherestofthefoodcompartment. ENERGYSAVEROREFFICIENCYSWITCHES: Ifyouliveinawarm,humidenvironment,youmayhaveaproblemwith condensationformingontheoutsideofyourrefrigerator.Thisisknownas sweating.SocalledEnergySaverswitchescontrolsmall,lowwattage mullionheatersinthesideanddoorpanelsthatpreventtheoutsideofthe refrigeratorfromgettingcoolenoughforsweatingtooccur.Intheeconomy position,theheatersareoff. Iftherefrigeratorhascoolingproblems,oftenthefirstsymptomwillbethatthe mullionsstarttofeelwarm. Figure8a:MullionsandSweat

42.CONDENSERANDCONDENSERFAN Next,checkyourcondenserandcondenserfan. ThelocationsofthemostcommontypesofcondensersareshowninFigures9A, 9B&10.Anytypecondensermountmaybeusedonbottomfreezer,topfreezer orsidebysideunits. FIGURE9A:Abackmountedcondenserhasnocondenserfan.Airflowsoverit byconvection;thewarmairrisesandisreplacedbycoolerairfrombelow.Some ofthesecondensersarecoveredbyametalplate. FIGURE9B:Bottommountedcondenserscomeinmanyconfigurations.Most looklikearadiatororgrillebeneaththefridge,behindthekickplate.Theyare accessibleforcleaningthroughthebottomfrontoftherefrigerator.Acondenser fanmovesairacrossthesecondensers.

Figure9B:BottomMountedCondenser

Figure9A:BackMountedCondenser

FIGURE10:Anotherfairlycommontypeofbottommountcondenseris wrappedinametalplateandisaccessiblethroughthebottombackpanelofthe refrigerator. Thecondenserfanmaybemountedinanumberofdifferentways.Usuallyitis accessedbyremovingthebottombackpanel.Figures10&11showthemost commonarrangementforthecondenserfan. DIAGNOSISANDREPAIR Ifyouhaveabackcondenserrefrigerator,makesurethatnothinghasfallen behindyourfridgethatmightblocktheairflow. Ifyouhaveabottomcondenser,removethebaseplate(kickplate)fromthe

bottomfrontoftherefrigeratorandlookbeneathitwithapowerfulflashlight.If youhavekidsordogsorifyourclothesdryerisinstallednearby,youarea primecandidatetohaveablockedcondenser. Quiteabitofdustisnormal;still,enoughmaybeimpactedtoblocktheairflow completely.Feelforasteadyflowofwarmairfromthedrainpanside;itshould beobvious(seeFigure11).Cleanyourcondenserwithacondenserbrush. (NOTE:Somecondensersmustbeaccessedthroughthebackpanel.) CAUTION:Whencleaningyourcondenser,youwanttodoitthoroughly,butdontbe toovigorousaboutit.Youdontwanttoknocklooseanywiringbeneaththefridge.Also, youmayhitthecondenserfan(withagrindingthud)withthebrush.Dontworrytoo muchaboutit;youprobablywonthurtthefanormotor,thoughitissomethingyou wanttoavoidifpossible. Figure10:Compressor(MostModels)CondenserFan(MostBottom CondenserModels)Condenser(Frigidaire&GEType)

Iftheairflowimprovesdramatically,thenthatmayhavebeenyouronly problem. Afteryoucleanyourcondenser,pullthelowerbackpaneloffthefridge.Make surethatthecondenserfanisrunningandnotblockedbyanylooseinsulationor otherobjects.

Figure11:BottomCondenserCutAwayView:GeneralArrangement,Airflow, andCleaning

MAKESURETHATYOUREPLACETHEBACKBOTTOMPANEL!!!Ifitis missing,fashiononeoutofapieceoutofcorrugatedcardboardandscrewiton usingtheexistingscrewholes.Ithastheveryimportantjobofdirectingairflow beneaththefridge,assuringthatthecondenserfanisdrawingairoverthe condenserandnotjustsuckingairinthroughthebackofthefridge.(Figure12) Ifthecondenserfanisstoppedandthereisnothingblockingit,replacethefan motor.Theyaresealedunitsandcannotberebuilt. Replacingthecondenserfanmotorcanbedirtyanddifficult.Therearetwotypes ofmountsmostcommonlyused;(Figure13)bracketmount(themostcommon) andpedestalmount.

Figure13:TypicalCondenserFanMotorMounts

Figure12:MissingBackBottomPanel:DisturbedAirflow

Itisusuallyeasiesttoremovethemountingbracketsorpedestalfromtheirplace intherefrigerator,withthefanmotorattached.Wheninstallinganewmotor withbracketmounts,itmaybeeasiertoinstallthebracketslooselyonthemotor untilyoucanlocatethemountingscrewsintheirholes.Thewirescanbecutand reconnectedwithcrimponbuttconnectorsorwirenutsandelectricaltape. Evenifyoufindadirtycondenserorstoppedcondenserfan,itsagoodideato gothroughtherestofthetestsinthischaptertobecertainthatyouvesolved yourproblem. Figure14:EvaporatorFanAccessPanel/Tower

43EVAPORATORFAN Onsomemodels,theevaporatorfanshutsoffviaadoorswitchwhenyouopen therefrigeratordoor.Thus,whentroubleshootingtheevaporatorfan,youmust depressthedoorswitch(es). Openyourfreezerdoor,depressalldoorswitchesandlistenfortheevaporator fan.Ifyoudonothearitrunning,theresaproblem.Itmightbeiceblocked,orit mighthavewornoutandstopped.Thedoorswitchthatoperatesitmightbe defective.Ifyoudoheartheevaporatorfanrunningbutyoudonotfeelastrong blastoffreezingairfromthefreezervents,thenyouprobablyhaveafrost problem;seesection44. IFTHEEVAPORATORFANISNOTRUNNING,Youmayneedtopulloffthe entireevaporatorpanelasdescribedinsection44toaccessthefan.Lookfirstfor aseparateaccesspaneloratowerwithinthefreezerthathousesthefan(Figure 14).Checkforanythingthatmaybeblockingthefan,includingicefroma backedupdefrostdrainorafrostproblem.Ifsomethingisblockingthefan,clear itoutoftheway.Iftheblockageisduetofrostorice,youmustinvestigatethe sourceandsolvetheproblem. Depressthedoorswitch.Ifnothingisblockingthefananditstilldoesnotrun, checkforvoltageacrossthefanmotorleads(withthedoorswitchdepressed,of course.) Ifyouhavevoltageacrossthefanmotorleads,thefanmotorisbad.Replaceit.If youdonthavevoltagetothefanmotor,thedoorswitchmightbebad.Take poweroffthefridgeandpryoutthedoorswitch.Youmighthavetodestroyitto getitout.Checkforvoltagetotheswitch.Iftheswitchisbad,replaceit.(Figure 15). SLOWRUNNINGEVAPORATOR FANMOTOR

Sometimestheevapfanwillrunslowerthanitshould.Thiscanbedifficultto diagnose.Itcancauseicetobuildupintheinternalductwork. Ifyouhearawhistlingorwarblingnoiseemanatingfromthefanmotoritself orfromtheinsideofthefoodorfreezercompartment,itisprobablycomingfrom theevaporatorfanmotor.Thebearingsarewornandlooseorsticky.Replacethe motor. AsIsaid,aslowevapfancanbeverydifficulttodiagnose.Usuallyitisdoneby soundandbyexperience.Thechancesare,ifitsoundssloworstrange,itis malfunctioning.Tryreplacingit.Theydontcostmuch.

Figure15:TypicalFanandLightDoorSwitches

REPLACINGTHEEVAPORATORFANMOTOR Inreplacingthefanmotor,youmustmakesurethattherotationofthenewfan motoristhesameastheoldone.Theeasiestwaytodothisistolookforthe shadingpolesontheoldfanmotor(Figure16).

Iftheyareonoppositecornersfromtheonesonthenewfanmotorcore,itisa simpleenoughtasktoreversethenewrotorinitscore.Carefullyremovethe bearingcagescrewsandsimplyturntherotoraroundsotheshaftsticksoutthe otherendofthemotor.

Figure16:EvaporatorFanMotor

44FROSTPROBLEMS Removeeverythingfromyourfreezer,includingallfoodandanyshelves.Donot removetheicemaker(ifinstalled.) Lookatandfeelthepanelcoveringthebottomorbackofthefreezer compartment.Isitthickwithfrost? Ontopfreezermodels,aretheholesinthetopofthefoodcompartmentthatlead totheevaporatorchokedwithice? Isthereiceformingon,orlotsofwaterontheceilingofthefoodcompartment? Iftheanswerisyestoanyofthesequestions,theresprobablyadefrostproblem. Ifyoususpectadefrostproblem,firstremoveanyicemakerthatmaybe installed.Youwillseearemovablepanelcoveringtheentirebackorbottomof yourfreezercompartment.Theremaybe6to10ormorescrewsholdingiton. (Figures17,18&19)Insomeunitsthereisalightsocketattachedtothepanel; youllseethisarrangementmostofteninsidebysides.

Figure17:EvaporatorAccessPanel,LocationandAirflow(TypicalSideby SideMachines)

Thesecansometimesbequitedifficulttodisassemble.Makesurethepoweris offtherefrigeratorbeforedisassemblinganylightingcircuit. Onsomebottomevapmodels,youmayhavetoremovesomeoftheplastic mouldingaroundthedoorframetoaccesssomeoftheevaporatorpanelscrews. (Figure19)Beextracareful;theplasticmouldingcanbebrittleandbreakeasily. Theplasticwillbend;justgoslow.Youmayeventryheatingitalittlewitha

blowdryer,tosoftenit. Thepanelmaybefrozentotheevaporator;becarefulyoudonotbendorbreak it.Sometimesitpaystotakeafewextraminutesandmelttheicealittlebitfirst. Thiscanusuallybeaccomplishedbyplacingapanofveryhotwaterinvarious placesonthepanel,orbyblowingwarmaironitwithablowdryer.Donotmelt alltheicejustyet;onlyenoughtogetthepaneloff.Youwantmostofittoremain thereatthispointsoyoucanfurtherdiagnosetheproblem. NOTE:Theterminatingthermostatopensatatemperatureofsomewherebetween40and 90degreesF,dependingonthedesignofyourfridge.Mostarebetween50and70.Itdoes notcloseagainuntilwellbelow32.Iceiscoldenoughtokeepitclosed,butnottocloseit againifitopens.Therefore,whenyouarediagnosingadefrostproblem,itsagoodideato trytoavoidmeltingtheiceencasingtheterminatingthermostatuntilyouvemadeyour diagnosis.Ifthethermostatopensbeforeyouvehadachancetoseeiftheheaterworks, youllhavetobypassit.Onsomemodels,thisinvolvescutting,strippingandsplicing wires.Nobigdeal,butitsanextrastepthatsunnecessaryifyourecarefulabout meltingiceinthefirstplace.

Figure18:EvaporatorAccessPanel,LocationandAirflow(TypicalTop Freezer,BackEvapMachines)

Figure19:EvaporatorAccessPanel,Location,andAirflow(TypicalTop Freezer,BottomEvapMachines)

p>Someofthestyrofoaminsulationpanelsmaybewaterloggedandmaybreak whenyouremovethem.Itsokay,justkeeptheminonepieceasmuchas possibleandreplacethemasbestyoucanwhenyourereassembling.

 EVAPORATORTYPES Therearecountlessdifferentarrangementsfortheevaporatoranditsfanand ducting,butalmostallarrangementsarerelativelysimpleandeasytotrace. Theevaporatorlookslikeagroupofloopedaluminumtubes,usuallywithfins attached.Thefinsaresharp;becarefulnottocutyourhandsonthem. Chillplateevaporatorslooklikeasilveraluminumplate,sometimesintheform ofabox.Therearemanystyles,butmostarevariationsofthethreetypes picturedinFigure20. Abackevaporatormodelisonewiththeevaporatormountedverticallyagainst theinsidebackwallofthefreezercompartment.Thesemaybebottomfreezer models,sidebysides(Figure17)ortopfreezermodels(Figure18.) Abottomevaporatormodelisonewiththeevaporatormountedhorizontally(flat) beneathapanelonthebottomofthefreezercompartment(Figure19).Theseare generallytopfreezermodelsonly. WHENYOUGETTHEPANELOFF,examinethequalityoftheicethatsbuiltup ontheevaporator.Isitfrostedheavilyenoughtoblocktheairflow,orisitjusta thinwhitecoating?Doesithaveafluffy(snowy)whiteconsistency,orisitsolid andclearishorslightlymilkywhiteish? Checkthefrostpattern.Istheevaporatorfrostedononeortwocoils,andthen clearontherest?Orisitprettyevenlyfrosted?Orisitnotfrostedatall? Onbackevapmodels,examinethedrainpandirectlybeneaththeevaporator.Is itclear,orisitfilledwithsolidice? Eachofthesesymptomsindicatesadifferentproblem.Ifyouhavesolidice,see Chapter6.Ifnocoilsarefrosted,orjustoneortwo,seeUNEVENFROST

PATTERNS,section48.Ifyouseeathin,even,whitecoatingoficeonthe evaporator,andnoiceinthedefrostdrainpan,thedefrostsystemisprobably O.K.;gotosection49.Ifyouhavelotsofwhite,snowyice,keepreading. Figure20:TypicalEvaporatorTypes

45DEFROSTSYSTEM Ifthefrostissnowyandwhiteinappearance,youhaveadefrostproblem.The threemaincomponentsofthedefrostsystemarethedefrosttimer,thedefrost heaterandtheterminatingthermostat. 45(a)DEFROSTTIMERSANDADAPTIVEDEFROSTCONTROL Inmostolderrefrigeratorsandsomenewerones,amotordriventimer(Figure 21)isusedtostopthecompressorandinitiateadefrostcycle.Thistimercontrols howoftenthecycleoccurs,andhowlongthedefrostheaterstayson.Thisisa fixedcycle;forexample,therefrigeratormightstayinthecoolingcyclefor10 hours,thenspend20minutesinthedefrostcycle. Thereisonetypeofolderrefrigeratorthatusesadifferentkindofmotorized timer.IfyouhaveaWhirlpoolorKenmorerefrigeratorwithaflextrayicemaker, thedefrosttimerisintegratedintotheicemaker.ItisNOTaseparateunit,like thoseshowninFigure21.Thisistruewhetheryouareusingtheicemakerto makeiceornot;itisrunningconstantlytotimeyourdefrostcycles.Ifyouhavea defrostproblemandyouhaveoneofthesemachines,followtheinstructionsin section46. Nowadays,refrigeratorsarebeingmadeasefficientaspossible,dueinnosmall parttogovernmentenergyefficiencyrequirements.Defrostheatersusealotof energy,sodesignersaremimimizingthetotalamountoftimethattheheateris energized.Thetrickisinachievingabalance;thatis,keepingtheevaporatoras clearoffrostasnecessaryforefficientheattransfer,whileenergizingtheheater aslittleaspossible. Inpracticalterms,thistranslatestotryingtoreducethedurationofthedefrost cycle(thelengthoftimethattheheaterstayson)andtolengthenthedefrost interval(thelengthoftimebetweendefrostcycles.) Obviously,refrigeratorsoperateunderawidevarietyofconditions,allofwhich affecttheamountandspeedoffrostbuildup.Suchfactorsincludeambient

humidityandtemperature,thewatercontentandtemperatureofthefoodyou putintothefridge,icemakingwithinthefreezer,andhowoftenthedooris openedandclosed. Forexample,ifyougoawayonvacationforaweek,therefrigeratordoorwill obviouslynotbeopenedforalongtime.Lesshumidairwillenterthefridgethan ifsomeonewasathome,andopeningandclosingthedoor.Frostbuildupwillbe muchslowerthanusual,sotherefrigeratorwillnotneedtobedefrostedasoften asnormal.Italsowillnotneedtobechilledasoften,socompressorruntimes willbeshorterandlessfrequent. Designersareusingmicroprocessors(onsolidstatecircuitboards)toadapt defrostintervalsanddurationstocompensatefordifferencesandchangesin operatingconditions.SuchtechniquesarecalledAdaptiveDefrostControl, commonlyabbreviatedasADC. Tomakedecisionsaboutthecorrectdefrostdurationandinterval,thecontrol boardmusthaveinputabouttheconditionsthatthefridgeisoperatingunder. Eachmanufacturerusesadifferentlogicschemeanddifferentinputs,suchas dooropentime,compressorruntime,durationofthepreviousdefrostcycle,and durationandintervalsofdooropenings. Dooropeninfoisprovidedtothelogicboardbythedoorswitchthesameone thatcontrolstherefrigeratorsinternallights.Ifthelightbulbisnotworking,the ADCwillstillaccumulatedooropentime.However,ifthedoorswitchhas failed,thenextdefrostwilloccureithertooquicklyortooslowly. Somedesignsevenhaveavacationmode;forexample,therefrigeratorwillnot defrostasoftenifthedoorhasnotbeenopenedin72hours. SomeADC/controlboardscontrolotherfunctionsoftherefrigerator,too,;such asicemakingandelectricalairdamperdooropeningandclosing. Thedefrostfrequencymayalsobeshortenedundercertaincircumstances.For example,theADCisprogrammedwithamaximumamountoftimethatthe heatercanstayon;say,for16minutes.Iftheheaterstaysonforthemaximum

amountoftime,withoutbeingterminatedbythethermostat,themicroprocessor willassumethatnotallofthefrostmelted,anditwillinitiatethenextdefrost cyclemuchsooner. Figure21:TypicalMechanicalDefrostTimers

Figure21A:DefrostTimerMountingLocations

 DEFROSTTIMERAND ADCBOARDLOCATIONS Mechanicaldefrosttimerscanbeabitdifficulttofind.Theycomeinmany differentstyles.Oftentheyaremountedunderacoverplateorinabracketthat hidesallbuttheadvancementpinion.Figure21showssomedifferentstyle timersandwhatthetimermightlooklikeinstalled;Figure21Ashowssome typicalmountinglocations. ADCboardsaremountedinsimilarlocationstodefrosttimers.However,they donotlookthesameasamechanicaltimer. Beingasolidstatecircuitboard,theydonothaveanadvancementpinion; defrostisinitiateddifferentlythanwithtimers(Seesection45(d).)Figure21B showsatypicalADCboard.Theeasiestwaytorecognizethemisthatthe harnessconnectionisalwayslabelledwiththecompressor,defrostheater,L1 andL2.Oftentheleadsarelabelledforthedefrostthermostat,too,anda sometimeseventestconnections.

Figure21B:TypicalAdaptiveDefrostCircuitBoard

45(b)DEFROSTHEATER Defrostheatersarealwayslocatedintheevaporatorcompartment.SeeFigures 22A,22B,22C&22Dforarrangementandtypes.Therearethreedifferenttypes mostcommonlyused:

Figure22:GlassTubeDefrostHeater

Figure22A:GlassTubeDefrostHeaterMountingLocation(TypicalSideBy Side)

22,22A,22B)Glasstubedefrostheaters:Theheatingelementisencasedina glasstubemountedbeneaththeevaporator.Sometimestwoorthreesmallglass tubetypeheaterswillbeusedinsteadofonebigone;usuallyyoullseethis arrangementinsidebysides.

Figure22B:GlassTubeDefrostHeaterMountingLocations(TypicalTop Freezer)

22C)Aluminumtubeheaters:Theseheaterslookjustliketheevaporatortubes andpressintotheevaporatorfins.Theyareusuallyusedonbottomevap models.Theeasiestwaytoseethe heateristolookfortheheavy,rubbercoatedwiresleadingtoit;oneoneachend. Oftenthereareclipsholdingtheendsontotheevaporatorcoils;watchforthese whenyouremovetheheater.

Figure22C:TypicalAluminumTubeDefrostHeaterMountingLocations

22D)Bareelementheaters:Foundmostcommonlyontopfreezerbackevap models.Theelementhasnoprotectivetubingandgenerallywrapsaround beneaththeevaporatorinalargeUshape.

Youmustexercisecautionwhenhandlingtheseheaterstopreventburning yourself.Theyallrunveryhot;glasstubeandbareelementheatersevenglow redwhileinoperation. Figure22D:TypicalBareElementDefrostHeater

45(c)TERMINATINGTHERMOSTAT Aterminatingthermostatwillalsobelocatedsomewhereintheevaporator compartment,usuallytotheevaporatoritself(byaspringclip)oragainstthe sideorbackwallofthecompartment. Itlookslikeasmallcylindricaldiscabout1orsoindiameterandabout3/4to 1thick(Figure23.) Itiswiredinserieswiththedefrostheater;whenitopens,theheatershutsoff. Oneofthetwoheaterwireswillleaddirectlytoit.

Figure23:TerminatingThermostats:MountingLocations

45(d).DEFROSTSYSTEMDIAGNOSISANDREPAIR Defroststartswhenatimerturnsonthedefrostheater.Thetimermaybe mechanicalandmotordriven,oritmaybeanelectronicADCboard. Defroststopswhenoneoftwothingshappens.

 Iftheevaporatorislightlyfrosted,thefrostwillmeltfairlyquickly.Ifthat happens,youwanttoturntheheateroffsoonaftertheicemelts,topreventthe evaporatorcompartmentfromheatinguptoomuch.Iftheterminating thermostatsensestoohighatemperatureinthecompartment,itopens,andcuts powertotheheater.Thethermostatwillthenstayopenuntilthecompartment againreachesaverylowtemperature.Inotherwords,itwaitstoresetitselfuntil thecoolingcyclestartsagain. Iftheevaporatorismoreheavilyfrosted,theicemaynotallmeltwithinthetime allottedbythetimer.Inthiscase,theterminatingthermostatwillremainclosed throughoutthedefrostcycle.Theheaterwillstayonuntilthetimerstopsthe defrostcycle,andrestartsthecoolingcycle. Ifyouinitiatedefrost(turnthetimeron)andtheheaterdoesnotheatup,then usuallytheheaterorterminatingthermostatisbad.Ifyouinitiatedefrostandthe heaterdoesturnon,thenusuallythetimerorADCboardisbad,andyoumust replaceit. Todiagnosewhichcomponentisbad,youmustinitiatethedefrostmode,ortest continuitythroughthedefrostheaterandterminatingthermostat.Howyou initiatedefrostdependsonwhetheryouhaveamechanicaldefrosttimeroran ADCboard.

ure24:AdvancingtheDefrostTimer

INITIATINGDEFROST:MECHANICALTIMER Ifyouhaveamechanicaldefrosttimer,findthetimer(seesection45(a).)Puta screwdriverintheadvancementpinionandadvanceit(clockwiseonly,oryou willbreakit).(Figure24)Sometimesittakesaprettyfirmtwisttoadvanceit.You willfeelitclicking.Atsomespotinthecycle,youwillhearandfeelaloudclick; afteryouadvanceit1020moredegreesorso,youwillfeelandhearanother loudclick. Betweenthetwoloudclicksisthedefrostpartofthecycle.Therestofthetimers rotationistheruncycle.Ifyourcompressorisrunningwhenyouadvancethe defrosttimer,itwillstoprunningwhenyouhitthedefrostportionofthecycle. Advancethetimerallthewayaroundtothebeginningofthedefrostcycleagain (generallyonehalforonefullturn)andleaveitasearlyinthedefrostcycleas

possible. NowskipaheadtoDEFROSTHEATERDIAGNOSIS.Ifyouhaveahotgas defroster,gonowtosection47. INITIATINGDEFROSTADC IfyourfridgehasAdaptiveDefrostControls,howyouinitiatedefrostdepends onthebrand.SeeAppendixAinthebackofthismanualforinstructions. DEFROSTHEATERDIAGNOSIS Lookandlistentotheevaporator.Withintenminutes(usuallymuchless)you shouldbeabletoseearedglowfromthedefrostheater(s),whichis(are) mountedbeneaththeevaporator. Ifyouhaveanaluminumtubeheaterasdescribedinsection45(b),itwillnot glowred,butyouwillseeicemeltingawayfromitscoils.Becareful;alldefrost heatersrunhotenoughtoburnyou.Youwillprobablyalsohearpoppingand sizzling;thisisdefrostwaterhittingtheheaterandboilingoff. Ifyoudoseeorhearanyoftheseindications,theproblemisthedefrosttimeror ADCboard;itisnotinitiatingdefrost.Timerscangetold,wornandcokedup withdust,andmaydevelophardspotsinthebearings.Ifyoudonothearorsee indicationsthatthedefrostheaterisworking,thenitisnecessarytoinvestigatea littlefurther.GotoSection45(e). REPLACINGTHEDEFROSTTIMER Iftheproblemisyourtimer,itmustbereplaced. Ifthetimerisconnectedbyaterminalblock,itprobablyplugsindirectly.

Ifyouhaveseparatewirestothetimerterminals,carefullyrecordwhichwire cameoffwhichterminal,bycolororbyterminalnumber,orboth.Drawa picture,ifyouhaveto.Makesurethatthenewtimeriswiredcorrectly;there shouldbeinstructionswiththenewtimer. CAUTION:IfyouhaveaWhirlpoolorKenmoretimerwithaseparatewirecomingfrom thetimermotor,(Figure25)itisimportanttogetthatwireconnectedtotheproper terminal.Ifthewireisvisibleontheoldtimer,connectittothesameterminal.Ifyou cannottellforsure,gettheinformationforyourmodelfridgefromyourpartsman.Ifthe timeriswiredincorrectly,thefridgewillfrostupagain. Thoroughlymeltalltheiceintheevaporatorcompartmentandintheairducts leadingtoandfromthecompartment,andreassembleyourfridge. 45(e).DIAGNOSIS:DEFROSTHEATERANDTERMINATING THERMOSTAT Ifyoudonothearorseeindicationsthatthedefrostheaterisworking,youcould belookingatoneofseveraldifferentproblems.Theheaterelementmaybeburnt. Theheatermaybesoiceboundthatitwouldtakehoursfortheheatertomelt enoughiceforyoutoseetheheaterbegintowork.Theterminatingthermostat mightbeopen. Whetheryouhaveanammeterornot,ifyouthinkthedefrostheaterisnot working,testitforcontinuity.

Figure25:Whirlpool/KenmoreDefrostTimerMotorWire

Ifyoudonthaveanammeter,thoroughlymeltalltheiceintheevaporator compartmentandfindtheproperpowerleadsforyourheater.Iftheyarenot connectedtoaterminalblock,youwillneedtocuttheleadstotestfor continuity.Makesureyourenottestingcontinuityacrosstheterminating thermostattoo;itmaybewideopenabove40or50degrees.Iftheheatershows goodcontinuity,itisworkingfine.Ifyouhavemorethanoneheater,testeach, unlesstheyarepermanentlywiredinseries.Iftheyarepermanentlywiredin series,testthemasaset.Iftheheaterisbad,replaceit.Ifyouhavemultiple heaters,replacethemasaset.Withglasstubeheaters,becarefulthattheglassis notcrackedorbrokenandthatyoudonotcutyourself.Itisagoodideato replacetheterminatingthermostatwiththeheater(s).Itscheap. Ifyouhaveanammeter,trytodetermineiftheheaterisdrawinganypower

beforeyoumeltanyice.Ifso,itwillbedrawingbetweenabout2and5amps.In tryingtofindtheheaterleads,becarefulthatyoudonotmeltsomuchicethat theterminatingthermostatopens.Ifyoususpectthattheterminatingthermostat mightbeopen,temporarilybypasstheterminatingthermostatwithanalligator jumperasdescribedbelow. Ifyoucannotfindtheheaterleads,analternativeistocheckthecurrentinone leadofthemainpowercord.(SeeFigure7) Ifthefridgeisinthedefrostcycleandtheinteriorlightsareoff,thentheonly currentdrawwillbethedefrostheater. Iftheheater(s)testoutO.K.,thentheproblemisyourterminatingthermostat. Doublecheckthisdiagnosisbyjumpingacross(shorting)theterminating thermostatwithyouralligatorjumpers.Ifthetwothermostatleadsarenotona terminalblock,youwillhavetocuttheleadstojumpthethermostat.Startthe defrostsystemasdescribedearlierinthissection.Ifthedefrostheaternowheats up,yourterminatingthermostatisdefinitelybad.Replaceit. Inreplacingheatersand/orterminatingthermostats,youcanusebuttconnectors, wirenuts,andelectricaltape,orspadeconnectorsiffitted.Rememberthatitsa wetenvironment. LIFTINGTHEEVAPORATOR Ifyouhaveabottomevapmodelfridge,replacingtheheaterwillinvolvethe delicatetaskofliftingtheevaporatoruptogettotheheater.(SeeFigure26) TheFreontubesleadingtotheevaporatorwillbothentertheevaporatoratone end.Ifyoubreakorpunctureoneofthosetubes,yourelookingatapotentially expensivesealedsystemrepair. Thawouttheevaporatorasthoroughlyasishumanlypossible.Thecloserthe tubesaretoroomtemperature,themoremalleablethemetalwillbe.Donotheat thetubes.Ifyouarechanginganaluminumtubedefrostheater,removeany

clipsholdingittotheevaporatorandloosenthetopheatercoilsfromthe evaporatorfins. Figure26:LiftingtheEvaporator(BottomTypeEvapsOnly)

Theevaporatorfinsaresharp;becarefulyoudontcutyourself.Removethe evaporatormountingscrews(ifthereareany)andgentlyliftuptheendofthe evaporatoroppositethetubes.Propuptheevaporatorwithabluntinstrument(I usemyelectricalpliersoraflashlight)andchangetheheater.Whileyourein there,makesurethedrainisclearasdescribedinChapter6.Dowhatyouwent intheretodo,butasmuchaspossible,avoidmovingtheevaporatoraroundtoo much. Whenyoufinish,gentlylowertheevaporatorbackintoplace.Alwaysreinstall anylittlechunksofstyrofoamorducksealthatyoumayhaveremovedfrom besidetheevaporator;theykeeptheairflowingthroughtheevaporatorrather

thanaroundit. Reassemblethefridge. 46.WHIRLPOOL/KENMOREFLEXTRAYICEMAKERDEFROSTSYSTEM Youcanrecognizethistypeofdefrostsystembytheshapeofthecubeitputsout (orwouldputout,ifitwasworking).ThehardtrayWhirlpool/Kenmore produceshalfmoonshapedcubes(seeFigure27.)Theflextrayproduces roundedrectangularcubes.Thehardtrayisfinishedinadarkgrayorblack colorandhasrotatingfingersthatejectthecubesfromtheunit;theflextrayhas awhiteplastic,flexibletraythatinvertsandtwiststoeject,muchthesameasa manualicecubetraywouldwork.Thehardtrayandseparatedefrosttimerisby farthemorecommonarrangement. Thisdefrostsystemhasthesamecomponentsdescribedinthedefrostsystemin section45,exceptthatthedefrosttimerisintegratedintotheicemaker.Whether itisbeingusedtomakeiceornot,theicemakermotorrunswheneverthe compressorisrunning.

Figure27:Whirlpool/KenmoreIcemakerIdentification

Thedefrostcomponentswillactthesame,andyoutesttheminthesamemanner asdescribedinsection45,exceptforoneitem: Youcannotadvancetheicemakerlikeyoucanadvanceadefrosttimer. However,theactualswitchthatcontrolstheheaterisaccessible.

 Removetheicemakerandtheevaporatorpanelasdescribedinsection44. YOURCOMPRESSORWILLSTOPRUNNINGWHENYOUUNPLUGYOUR ICEMAKER.DONOTBEALARMED.Removetheicetrayfromtheicemaker.It isspringloadedandsimplypushesawayfromtheicemakerheadandpopsout. Taketheplasticcoveroffthefaceoftheicemakerandremovethethreescrews holdingthemetalfaceplatetotheicemakerhead.(SeeFigure28)Removethe drivecam,thelargedrivegearandthesmallertiminggear.Youwillneedto removetheleafswitchtogetthedrivecamoff.Examinethegearsforany strippedteeth.Ifyouseeany,replacethegearsanddrivepinasaset. Temporarilyremounttheleafswitchtokeepitfromdriftingaroundand touchingthings. Insideyourfridge,turnthecoldcontroltoitscoldestsetting.Plugtheicemaker backintoitselectricalsocketandobservethedrivemotorintheupperlefthand corneroftheicemakerhead.Whenthecompressorisrunning,themotorwill turnveryslowly.Ifitdoesnt,itisbad.Replaceit. Unplugyouricemakerandlookintotheicemakerhead.Thedefrostswitchisthe small,rectangularswitchintheupperrighthandcorneroftheicemakerhead. Removethisswitchfromitsmounts,butdonotdisconnectthewirestoit.Using electricaltape,tapeitoutofthewaysoitdoesnottouchanyothermetalobject intheicemakerhead.Plugintheicemakeragain.Donottouchanymetalcontact withyourhands;youmayshockyourself. Withinafewminutes,youshouldstarttoseesignsthatthedefrostheateris workingasdescribedinsection45(d). IFYOUSEEORHEARNOSIGNSOFTHEDEFROSTHEATERHEATING UP,unplugyouricemaker,removetheBLACKleadfromthedefrostswitchand electricallytesttheswitchforopeningandclosing.Usingyourresistancemeter,

youshouldseecontinuity(andnoresistance)betweentheemptyterminal (wheretheBLACKleadwas)andthePINKterminal. Figure28:Whirlpool/KenmoreFlexTrayIcemakerHead(PlasticCover Removed)

YoushouldseeNOcontinuitybetweentheempty(BLACK)andORANGE terminal.Whentheswitchtoggleisdepressed,continuitywillbejustthe opposite:BLACKORANGECONTINUITY,BLACKPINKNOCONTINUITY.If theswitchisnotactingright,replaceit.Iftheswitchisokay,theproblemis probablyyourdefrostheaterorterminatingthermostat.Diagnoseandrepairas describedinsection45(e).

Figure29:AligningandInstallingtheSmallDriveGear

IFYOURDEFROSTHEATERDIDHEATUPwhenyoudismountedthe defrostswitch,thenyouneedtoreplacethegearsetsinyouricemaker. Getbothsetsofgears(timinggearsanddrivegears)fromyourapplianceparts dealer.Alignmentofthegearsiscritical;followtheinstructionsthatcomewith thegearsetscarefully.Whenyoureplacethegearsets,itisalsoagoodideato replacethedefrostswitch.Youmayormaynotwanttoreplacethedrivemotor. Theydoquitonoccasion,buttheyareabitmoreexpensive.Ifyoureplacethe motor,youwillhavetorealignthedefrosttiminggearmechanism. REASSEMBLY

 Ifyouhavenotremovedthedefrosttiminggearhousingfromthebackofthe icemakerheadorthemotorfromthefrontofthehead,youwillnotneedtore alignthedefrosttiminggearmechanism.However,youwillneedtorealignthe drivegearmechanism. Aligntheholeinthesmalldrivegearwiththealignmentholeintheicemaker headandinstallthegear.Checkalignmentbyinsertinga3/32rod(adrillbit willdo)intotheholestomakesuretheylineup.SeeFigure29.Iftheydonotline upperfectly,momentarilyplugtheicemakerinorapply110voltpowertothe twocenterleadsoftheplugThiswillturnthedrivemotorslightly.Repeatthe processuntiltheholesalign. Installthelargedrivegearandalignitonthesamealignmenthole.Asecond alignmentholeisshowninFigure30.Thelargedrivegearmustlineuponboth alignmentholesandonthelargedrivecamholeinthecenteroftheicemaker head. Carefullyholdingthedrivegearinitsalignedposition,installthedrivecam (Figure31.)Makesurethespringloadeddrivepinisinplaceinthecamand retainedproperly;thecamsspringretainershouldbeinthepinsgroove.Line thedrivepinuponitsholeonthedrivegear.Liftthespringloadedshutoffarm (icelevelsensor)asyouinstallthecamandletitrestinthecamhollow.Besure thattheicelevelsensorarmloadingspringisintherightplace.Installtheleaf switch.Sometimesthestuffinthisparagraphtakesthreehandsandyourbelly, butbepersistent.Youllgetittogether. Makesurethewiringfortheleafswitchandthedefrostswitchisroutedover thepostabovethedrivegear.Carefullyinstallthemetalcoverplate,makingsure theendofthewireshutoffarm(icelevelsensor)isinitspivotholeinthemetal coverplate.Installyourthreescrews.Thedrivepinwillpopupthroughthe metalcoverplate. Installtheicetrayintotheicemaker,andreassembleyourfridge.

Theicemakerisnowalignedatthebeginningofanejectioncycle.Whenyoure installit,theicetraywillslowlyturn1fullturn.Iftheicemakerisbeingused,the traywillthenfillwithwater.Makesuretheicemakeristurnedon(icelevel sensorarmisdown)oritwontmakeice. Figure30:DriveGearInstallation

Figure31:InstallingtheDriveCam

47HOTGASDEFROSTPROBLEMS Ifyouhavearefrigeratorwithahotgasdefrostsystem,thedefrostmechanismis somewhatdifferentfromthosedescribedinprevioussectionsofthisbook.Ifyou suspectthatyoumighthaveahotgasdefrosterbutyouarenotsure,askyour appliancepartsdealer.Mostoftheserefrigeratorswerebuiltbefore1970,butnot all. Themaindifferenceinahotgassystemisthatthereisnoelectricalheateror separateterminatingthermostat.Thedefrostcycleiscontrolledbyadefrost timersimilartotheoneyoullfindinelectricdefrostsystems,butthetimer controlsasolenoidvalveinsteadofaheater.Whenthisvalveopens,itdivertsthe hotFreongascomingoutofthecompressor.Itthenwillflowthroughthe evaporatorinsteadofthecondenser.ThehotFreongasflowingthroughthe Figure32:HotGasDefrostSolenoidValve

evaporatormeltsthefrostfromit.InordertosupplythehotFreongasneededto meltthefrost,thecompressorkeepsrunningthroughoutthedefrostcycle. Anotherinterestingfeatureofmostoftheserefrigeratorsisthatthedefrost terminatingthermostatwasbuiltintothedefrosttimer.Theseunitshavea temperaturesensingbulb,similartothatfoundonthecoldcontrol(seesection4 9andFigures21and33)asapartofthetimer.Thesensingbulbisledto,and restsagainst,theevaporator.Itsfunctionistosensethetemperatureofthe evaporatorsothedefrostmechanismknowswhentoshutoff. Troubleshootingadefrostprobleminthissysteminvolvestwosteps.First,find yourdefrosttimerasdescribedinsection45(a).Advanceitintothedefrostcycle asdescribedinsection45(d).Thecompressorwillnotstoprunning.Waitand watchyourevaporatorfor1015minutes. Ifthefroststartstomelt,thenyourdefrosttimerhasgonebad.Thoroughlymelt therestofthefrostfromyourevaporatorandreplacethedefrosttimer. Ifthefrostdoesnotstarttomelt,thenyourdefrostsolenoidisprobablybad. Fortunately,thedefrostsolenoidisusuallydesignedsotheelectricalcoilcanbe replacedwithoutcuttingintothesealedsystem.Youwillfindthecoilbehindthe backbottompaneloftherefrigerator.TracetheFreontubinguntilyoufind electricalwiresjoiningthetubingatacertainpoint.Thiswillbethesolenoid valve.(Figure32).Replacethecoil(solenoid)onthevalve.Reassembleyour fridge. 48.UNEVENFROSTPATTERNS,ORNOFROSTATALL Theevaporatorshouldbebitterlycoldtothetouch.Infact,whenyoutouchit, yourfingerwilloftensticktoit.Iftheevaporatoriseitherslightlycoolornotcold atall,andyourcompressorisrunningconstantly(notshortcycling;seesection4 9)youhaveamoreseriousproblem.Thesamediagnosisappliesifjustthefirst coilortwointheevaporatoris(are)frostedandtherestarerelativelyfreeofice orperhapsevenlukewarm.

WhatshappeningisthattheFreonisnotgettingcompressedenoughinthe compressor.Thiscouldbeduetotwocauses:eithertheamountofFreoninthe systemislow,orthecompressoriswornout.Itstimetocallatechnicianoutto yourhome,ifyoufeelyourfridgeisworthsaving.Itmayonlyrequirerecharging theFreonsystem,which,dependingontherefrigerantused,maycostyoua little,oraLOT.Ihaveonlyseenoneexceptiontothisdiagnosis,andthisis describedinsection72. Dontlettheageoftherefrigeratoraffectyourdiagnosis.Nottoolongago,oneof thelargestappliancecompaniesputoutaseriesofrefrigeratorswith compressorsthatwereeitherpoorlydesignedorpoorlyconstructed;Ineverdid findoutwhich.Theseweretheirgiant,20to25cubicfootflagshipmodels,with technomarvelousgadgetslikedigitalselfdiagnosisandiceandwaterinthe door,andtheywerebuiltwithcompressorsthatworeoutwithin2years. Fortunately,thebiggestandbestcompanieswarranttheirrefrigeratorsforfive yearsormore,sotheserefrigeratorswerestillcoveredunderwarranty.Inmy opinion,thereisarealadvantagetobuyingbrandnameappliances. 49.COLDCONTROL Ifyourrefrigeratoriscoldbutnotascoldasusual,andyoucannottraceittoany oftheotherproblemsinthischapter,yourcoldcontrolmaybedefective.Totest itscutinandcutouttemperatures,youcantryputtingthecapillarybulbinice waterandmeasuringthetemperaturewithathermometer,butitsawet,messy, jobanditsdifficulttocontrolthetemperatures.Itseasiertojusttryreplacingit andseeifthefridgestartsactingproperly.

Figure33:ColdControl

Ifyouhearyourcompressorshortcycling(startingandstoppingatshort intervals)tryjumpingacrossthetwoleadsofthecoldcontrolwithanalligator jumper.Ifthereisagreenthirdlead,ignoreitforthistest;itisthegroundwire.If thefridgestartsrunningconstantly,thecoldcontrolisbad.Replaceit. Totestorchangethecoldcontrol,firstfinditasdescribedinsection41.Pullthe knoboffitandremoveanyplasticcoverplateorhousingfromit.(Figure33) Youwillseetwowiresleadingtoit.Therewillalsobeathick,stiffCAPILLARY TUBEattached.Thecapillarytubeistheliquidfilledtemperaturesensing elementofthecoldcontrol,andoperatesinthesamemannerasathermometer

bulb;infact,theendofthecapillarytubemayhaveabulb.Thetubeandbulb maybecoiledrightnexttothecoldcontrol,ortheymaybeledawaytoanother partofthecompartment. Ifyouarejusttesting(electrically)thecoldcontrol,youcanjumperdirectlyfrom onewireleadtotheother.Bydoingthis,youareclosingtheswitchmanually, andassumingthemachineisnotinthedefrostmode,thecompressorshould start. Ifyouarereplacingthecoldcontrol,itwillbenecessarytotracewherethe capillarytubegoes,andremovethewholetubewiththecoldcontrol.Thenew tubeisreplaceddirectly.Becarefulnottokinkthenewtube(bendittoosharply) wheninstallingit.

Chapter5

REFRIGERATORISNOTCOLDANDCOMPRESSORISNOTRUNNING 51POWER Ifyourrefrigeratorisnotcold(ornotascoldasusual)andyouhavedetermined thatthecompressorisnotrunning(seethefirstpageofChapter4,)firstcheck thatthefridgehaspower.Ifyouhaveinteriorlightsinthefridge,youhave power.Ifyoudonthaveinteriorlights,checkyourhousebreaker.Alsocheck yourwalloutletbyunpluggingthefridgeandplugginginaportableappliance suchasablowdryerorelectricshaver.

52CONTROLS Whenyouhaveestablishedthatpowerisgettingtothefridge,checkyour controls.Theysometimeshaveawayofgettingmagicallyturnedoff,especially inhouseholdswithkids.(Seesection41) 53.DIAGNOSISANDREPAIR Listencarefullytothefridgeforatwoorthreeminutes.IfyouhearaCLICK BUZZZZZZCLICK(withabuzzofbetweenabout5and30seconds)thenyou aregettingpowertothecompressor.Thereissomethingwrongwiththe compressororcompressorstartingcomponents(relayoroverload.)Seesection5 3(e). 53(a)DEFROSTTIMERORADCBOARD Howyoudiagnoseanonstartingcompressordependsmuchuponwhetheryou haveamechanicaldefrosttimerorADC(AdaptiveDefrostControls.) IfyouhaveafridgewithADCandthelightsareon,andthecompressorwillnot start,youneedtocheckifyouregettingvoltagetothecompressorstarting componentsasdescribedinSection53(b).Ifyouarenotgettingvoltagetothe startingcomponents,thecoldcontrolorADCboardisbad.Checkthese componentsasdescribedinsection53(c). Ifyouhaveafridgewithamechanicaltimerandyouhearnothingatall,setthe coldcontrolonthecoldestsettingandadvancethedefrosttimer.Ifitisstuckin thedefrostmode,thecompressorwillnotrun.Theterminatingthermostatwill openandstoptheheateratacertaintemperature,sothefridgewillnotcontinue toheatup.Youwillhear,seeandfeelnothingbutafridgethatsnotcold.Itsas ifitwasntevenpluggedin,exceptthattheinteriorlightswillstillbeon. (Seesection45(d)andFigure24fordetailsonhowtoadvancethetimer).Placea screwdriverintheadvancementpinionandadvancethetimermanually (remember,clockwiseonly)about1/4to3/8ofaturn.Doesthecompressorstart? Ifitdoes,replacethedefrosttimer.Ifthisdoesnotstartthecompressor,make sureyouleavethetimerintherunmodefortherestofyourdiagnosis.Goto section53(b).

InaWhirlpoolflextrayicemakerasdescribedinsection46,thedefrosttimeris integratedintotheicemaker. Thedefrostswitchmightfailintoadeadbreakpositioninwhichnothingruns, similartothatdescribedabove.Totestfordeadbreak,firstunplugandremove theicemakerfromthefreezercompartment.Lookatthetiminggearhousingon thebackoftheicemakerhead.Youwillseeawhitecircle,about5/8indiameter (Figure34).Examinethecircleclosely.Youwillseeanarrowmoldedintothe

Figure34:Whirlpool/KenmoreFlexTrayIcemakerDefrostSystem Deadbreak

TestforcontinuitybetweentheBLACKandPINKterminalsandtheBLACKand ORANGEterminalsoftheplug(seeFigure34).Oneortheothershouldshow

continuity.Ifneitherdoes,youhaveadeadbreak.Replacethedefrostswitchand gearsetsasdescribedinsection46.

53(b).TESTINGTHECOMPRESSORFORPOWER
Ifyoustillhearnothingatall,pulloffthelowerbackpanelofthefridge,remove thecompressorrelaycover.Thisisthesquareishplasticorbakeliteboxattached tothesideofthecompressor.
Testforvoltageatthetwocompressorleads.(Figure35) Ifyouhavevoltagetothecompressorbutitisnotstarting,seesection53(e). Ifyoudonothavevoltagetothecompressor,checkthecoldcontrolasdescribedin section53(c).

53(c).COLDCONTROL
Ifyouhaveamechanicaltimer,andyoudonthavevoltagetothecompressor, useyouralligatorjumperstoconnectthetwowiresofthecoldcontrol.(See section49)Ifyounowhavepowertothecompressor,thecoldcontrolisbad. Replaceit.

Figure35:TestingforVoltageattheCompressor

IfyouhaveADC,jumperthecoldcontrolterminalsasdescibedabove,andwaitfor30 minutes,thencheckforvoltageatthecompressor.ThiswillgivetheADCtimetofinish anydefrostcycleitmightbein,andreenterthecoolingcycle.Ifyounowhavepowerto thecompressor,thecoldcontrolisbad.Replaceit.Ifnot,theADCboardisbad.Replace it.

Figure36:RemovingCompressorStartingComponents

53(d).WIRINGANDELECTRICAL
Ifthetestinsection53(c)doesntstartthecompressor,youregoingtohaveto getawiringdiagram(theremaybeonepastedtothebackoftherefrigerator) andstarttracingwireswithyourVOMtofigureoutwhereyourelosingpower. Checkfordeadmicebeneathyourfridgesometimestheygetunderthereand startchewingwires.Ifyourethoroughlyintimidatedbyelectricity,thencalla technician.

53(e).COMPRESSORSTARTING/ELECTRICALCOMPONENTS
Ifyoudohearasound,itwillbesomethinglike:CLICKBUZZZZZZZZZZ CLICK.Thebuzzwillbebetweenabout5and30secondslong,anditwill repeatwithinaminuteortwo.Whatshappeningisthatyourcompressoris tryingtostart,butitcant,andtheelectricaloverloadiscyclingonandoff.It mightbethatoneofyourcompressorstartingcomponentsisbad,orthatyour compressormotoriswearingorwornout. Withmodern,solidstatestartingcomponentssuchasthosepicturedinfigure 36a,youmaynothearclickingandbuzzingasyoudowitholdermachines.If thereispowertothecomponents,butthecompressorwontstart,eitherthe compressororstartingcomponentsarebad.

Youmaybeabletotesteachstartingcomponentandreplacethebadone. However,Ivefoundthatthequickestandeasiestwaytodiagnosethisproblem istoreplaceallthreewithasolidstate3in1unit,orjustreplaceallthe components.Theyarentthatexpensive. Inthepartshouses,3in1unitsarealsoknownashardstartunits.They containcircuitrythatprovidesalittleextrapowertostartahardstarting compressor. First,removetheoldstartingcomponents.(SeeFigure36)Notecarefullyhow theycameoff,incaseyouneedtoreinstallthem.Installthe3in1usingthe instructionsthatcomewithit.(Figure37).Youcanuseyouralligatorjumpersto wireitintemporarily.Makesurethe3in1yougetisratedforthehorsepower ofyourcompressor. Ifyourrefrigeratorhassolidstatestartingcomponents,the3in1mayfitonto yourfridgedirectly,oritmaynotfitatall.Ifyourcaseisthelatter,youwillneed togettheoriginalequipmentreplacementrelayassemblyforyourfridge. Ifyourcompressordoesntstartwiththe3in1,thecompressorsdead.You willheartheoverloadinthe3in1cycling(CLICKBUZZZZCLICK.)Itstime tocallatechforacompressorjob,ortothinkaboutgettinganewfridge.Ifyour refrigeratordoesstart,unplugtherefrigeratorandwireyour3in1in permanently.Usebuttconnectors,wirenutsandelectricaltape.

Figure37:Connectinga3in1

Makesurethatnoneofthecompressorterminalsaretouchingeachotherorthe metalhousingofthecompressor.Alsomakesureyoucoverthecompressor terminalswithashield;usuallyyoucanusetheoldplasticrelaycoverandjust leadthewiresintoit. Ifthecauseofyourcompressorsnotstartingwasbadstartingcomponents,itwill continuetorunindefinitely. Ifthecauseofitnotstartingwasthatthecompressormotorisgettingwornout, the3in1willprolongthelifeofyourcompressorforsomewherebetweena fewhoursandayearortwo. Youhavenowayofknowingwhichitwas,orhowlongitwilllast,withoutsome expensiveteststhatprobablywonttellyoumuchanyway.Countyourblessings andstartsavingupforanewfridge(oramajorrepair),justincase.

Chapter6
ICEORWATERBUILDUP Ifyouhavewaterbuilduponthefloorofthefoodcompartment,oricebuildup onthefloorofthefreezercompartment,youareprobablysufferingfromeithera frostproblem(seesection44)orfromacloggeddefrostdrain.Thereareafew exceptionsdescribedinsection77. 61.DEFROSTDRAINSYSTEM Directlybeneaththeevaporatorwillbeawatercollectionpanwithadrainhole. Leadingfromthatdrainholetothedrainpanbeneathyourrefrigeratorisadrain tube. Sidebysidedefrostdraintubesusuallygostraightdownthroughthefreezer floortothedrainpan.(Figure38)

Figure38:TypicalSidebySideDefrostDrainSystem

Topfreezermodelsusuallydrainthroughadraintubeoutthebackofthe refrigeratoranddowntothedrainpanbeneaththefridge(Figure39).Sometop freezermodelshavearemovabledraintubeortroughinsidethefood compartment.(SeeFigure39A) Somerefrigerators,especiallyoldermodels,mayhavedifferentdefrostdrain arrangements.Sometopfreezermodelsdrainthedefrostwatertotheinside backwallofthefoodcompartment.Thewaterrunsdownthebackwallto anotherdrainholewhichleadsoutsidethefridgetoadrainpan.(Figure40).

Figure39:TypicalTopFreezerDefrostDrainSystem

Figure39A:RemovableDefrostDrainTrough(CertainTopFreezerBottom EvapModelsOnly)

62.DIAGNOSISANDREPAIR Onbackevapmodels,ifthedrainbacksup,itwillnotfreezetheevaporator.You willseethecollectionpanfullandfrozenover. Onbottomevapmodels,theevaporatorwillbefrozenintoonesolidblockofice. Ineithercase,whenthecollectionpanfillsupwithice,thedefrostwaterwill generallystartshowingupontheinsidefloorofyourfridge;eitheraswaterina topfreezermodelorasathickiceaccretioninasidebyside.Thewatermayleak outontoyourkitchenfloor,oritmayfreezeupdrawerswithinthefreezer compartment.

Figure40:TypicalBackWallDefrostDrainArrangements(UsuallyOlder Models)

Inatopfreezermodel,youwillprobablyalsoseeiceordrippywaterontheroof ofthefoodcompartment. Anyiceorwatermustberemovedand/ormeltedandthedrainscleared.The fastestwaytodothisistomelttheicewithablowdryerandtoblowthedrains clearwithapanofhotwaterandasyringetypeturkeybaster.(Figure41) Youwillneedtoremovetheevaporatorpaneltoaccessthedefrostdrain.(See Section42.)

Figure41:BlowingtheDefrostDrainClear

Figure42:IceboundEvaporator(Clear,SolidIce)

Bottomevapmodelsarealittlemoredifficult.Thefullcollectionpanwillhave frozentheevaporatorintoasolidblockofice,(Figure42)whichwillbeabit moredifficultandtimeconsumingtomelt.Youmustmeltitthoroughly.Some modelshavethedrainholelocatedattheverybackofthecompartmentinstead

ofdirectlybeneaththeevaporator.Checktherefirst.Ifthedrainholeisnot visible,youwillneedtolifttheevaporatorasdescribedinSection45(d)to accessthedrainhole. Ifthereisaremovabledraintubeortroughrunningalongtheroofofthefood compartmenttothebackofthefridge,removeitsoyoucangetalltheice. (Figure39A) Asyougoalong,keepsuckingouttheexcesswater(nowcoldfrommeltingice) withyourturkeybasterandputitintoanemptypot.Thiswillpreventitfrom dilutingtheincominghotwater.Itwillalsopreventitfromendinguponyour kitchenfloor. Continueblowinghotwaterintothedrainholeuntilyouhearitrunningintothe collectionpanbeneathyourfridge.Giveitafewextrablastsofhotwatertomake sureyougetalltheice.Usingyourturkeybaster,emptythiscollectionpannow andthen.Itwillpreventthepanfromoverflowingontothefloor.Ifitistoo inconvenientormessytodoso,dontworryaboutit.Thewaterwillevaporate eventually. 63.DRAINPANHEATERS Somemodelsactuallyhavesmallheatersattachedtotheundersideofthedrain pan.Theheaterpreventsthedefrostwaterfromrefreezingandcloggingthe defrostdrainholewhenithitsthecolddefrostdrainpan.Iftheheaterisnot workingproperly,itmayhavethesameeffectasacloggeddefrostdrain,a buildupofice. Thisarrangementisgenerallyusedonbackevapfridges(topfreezerorsideby side)wherethedefrostheatermaynotbemountedcloseenoughtothedrainpan topreventitfromrefreezingthedrainage.Thesedrainpanheatersareamuch lowerwattagethanthedefrostheaterandrunabitcooler;whenoperating,they willfeelwarmtothetouch.

 Ifyouhaveabackevapmodel,checkthedefrostdrainpanforaheater.Tofind it,lookforitstwopowerleads.Ifthereisaheater,checkitforcontinuityand replaceitifitisbad.Theyareusuallyheldtothepanbyspotweldedtubesor clampingplates,orbysuperstickyaluminumtape. Reassembleyourfridge.

Chapter7
UNUSUALCOMPLAINTSandSTORIES FROMTHETRENCHES Occasionallyyouwillrunintoanunusualproblemthatrequiresyoutoscratch yourheadabit.Ifyouknowthebasicsystemsandwhattheydo,youcanusually figureoutwhatsgoingon.Followingisasmatteringofsomeofthemore unusualorflukeythingsthatIverunintoasahomeservicetechnician: 71.KIDCAPERS Ifyourfridgeiswarm,alwayscheckyourcontrolsfirst.Manyatime,Iwascalled tosomeoneshouseonawarmfridgecomplaint,onlytofindthatthecontrols hadbeenmagicallyshutoff. Whenthelittledarlingsofthehouseholdwerequeriedaboutthisdivine occurrence,youcouldliterallyseethehaloformingaroundtheirheads.Didyou touchtherefrigerator?Momwouldask.Standingbesidetherefrigeratorthat hadntmovedaninchinallofhis(orher)sixyears,thechildwouldinevitably reply:Whatrefrigerator,Mom?Imsurethatmysoulwillburninhell,butit wasnomoraldilemmaformetochargethe30dollarservicefeeinsuchcases. OnefellowwhoseunitIfixedinthiswaylostwellover500dollarsworthof meatsfromhispackedfulldeepfreezer. OnlyonetimedidIseeatrulyunexplainableoccurrenceofthecontrolsgetting shutoff.Thiswasasingleladyofabout55withnokids,whohadownedthe refrigeratorforover25years.Imnottryingtoharponkids;itsjustthatasa homeservicetech,Iveseenalotofmoneywastedonunnecessary(and expensive)servicecallswithsuspiciouscircumstancesinhomeswithkids. Doyourselfafavor;checkthecontrolsfirst.Setthemonmidrangesettings.You mightsaveyourselfalottatime,trouble,andexpense. 72.THEHOLEINTHEWALLGANG OneofthemoreperplexingproblemsthatIranintowasayoungcouple(with4 or5kids)thathadawarmfridge.Uponinvestigation,IdiscoveredthattheFreon tubesleadingtoandfromtheevaporator(aboveitontheirsidebysidefridge)

wereheavilyfrostedwithclear,solidice.Also,thewiresleadingtothe evaporatorfananddefrostheaterwereheavilycakedwithsolidice.Ididnt understandthatfrostpatternatall,andIwasrushedthatday,soIreplacedthe defrosttimerandmeltedtheice,fullyfiguringIdgetacallback.Sureenough, fivedayslater,theycalledmeback.Sameproblem,sameweirdfrostpattern. ItookofftheevaporatorcoverpanelandjuststoodthereandSTAREDatthe thingforabouttenminutes.(Sometimesthathelpsmetothink.Youcantdothat ifthecustomerisstandingthere,lookingoveryourshoulder.Buthewasat work,andshewasbusywithherkids.)Iwasjusttryingtothinkofwhereallthat moisturecouldbecomingfrom. Suddenly,Inoticedahole,about1indiameter,intheupperleftcornerofthe defrostcompartment.Ipulledthefridgeawayfromthewall,andsawdaylight throughthehole.Itwasthepredrilledholefortheicemakerwatertube.(They didnothaveanicemaker,butmostmodernfridgescomepredrilledandwired foricemakersincaseyoueverwanttoinstallone.)Warm,humidairwasfeeding straightintotheevaporatorcompartment!!Iaskedtheladyaboutit.Shesaidthat herhusband,justmessingaround,hadpulledthelittlecoveroffthebackofthe fridgeabouttwoweeksago.Istuffedthelittleholewithsomebubblepackthat Ijusthappenedtohavearoundandducttapedbothsidestosealthehole. Ignorancereallycancostyou.Butatleastthekidsdidntdoitthistime.

Figure43:TypicalDoorSeal

73.DOORSEALSANDALIGNMENT Ipersonallythinkthatdoorsealsareoneofthemostmisunderstoodpiecesofthe refrigerator.Askadoityourselferaboutwhyhisfridgeiswarm,andthefirst thinghellsayafterIdontdoFreonisbutletscheckthedoorseals.Door sealsrarelyhaveproblemsoverthelifeofthefridge.TheonlyonesIveseengo badareinhouseholdsthathavedogsorcatsthatliketocheworsharpentheir clawsonthem,orkids(theresthosepeskykidsagain)thatliketoclimborhang ontherefrigeratordoor.Areallybaddoorsealproblemismostlikelytoshowup asadefrostproblem,duetohumidairgettingintothefridge. Doorsealsaremagneticallyheldtothedoorframeandmullions.(SeeFigure43 foratypicalcrosssection.)Unlessthesealisshreddedoryoucanphysicallysee agapbetweenthesealandthedoorframewiththedoorclosed,thereisno reasontosuspectadoorsealproblem. Toreplacetheseal,youmusthaveanutdriverofthepropersize.Apower cordlessdrilldriverisbetter.Amagnetictipmaypreventyoufromgoingcrazy tryingtoholdthedriver,thescrewandthesealatthesametime.Therearelotof

screwsholdingthesealon.RemovethescrewsfromNOMORETHANtwosides atatime.Onesideatatimeisbetter.Theideaistopreventtheplasticinnerdoor liner(orshelving)fromdriftingaroundifyouhavetorealignit,itcanbea long,frustrating,trialanderrorprocess.Thenewsealwillfitinthesamewayas theoldonecameout. Youaremuchmorelikelytohaveadooralignmentproblemorwarping.Theres notmuchyoucandowithabadlywarpeddoorexcepttotrytowarpitbackinto shape,orreplaceit. Withthedoorclosed,measurethegaparoundit;topandbottom,leftandright. Checkifthedooredgesandrefrigeratoredgesareparallel.Ifthemeasurements indicatethatthedoorisbadlyoutofalignment,realignitbelooseningthe hingesslightly(onehingeatatime)andshiftingthedooraround.Itmaytakea fewtriestogetitalignedproperly. Removeanythingobstructingtheseals.Sometimesthekickplatewillgetinthe way.Ifitsmetal,youmaybeabletobenditslightlytosolveyourproblem. 74.MOVINGDAY Ifyouhavetomoveyourfridgeforanyreason,makesurethatyoukeepit upright.Ifyouturnitonitssidetheresastrongprobabilitythatthecompressor oilwillrunoutofthecompressorandintothecondenser,andwhenyoustartthe fridge,thecompressorwillburnoutwithinafewhoursorevenminutes,forlack oflubrication.Iveheardofpeoplegettingluckyandgettingawaywithit;maybe theyjusthappenedtolayitontheluckysideofthefridge.Itsnotworththerisk. Ifyourfridgehasbeenlaidonitsside,standituprightagainbutdontplugitin foradayortwo.Justhopethateithertheoildrainsbackintothecompressoror thatitdidntrunoutinthefirstplace. 75.ASHOCKINGEXPERIENCE(MULLIONHEATERS) OnceIwascalledtothehomeofalittleolddogbreederwhohadcomplainedof beingshockedwhileopeninghisrefrigeratordoor.WhenIarrived,Icouldntfeel anythingatalluntilonceIhappenedtobeleaningagainstthemetaldoorofhis oven(oppositehisfridge)whenItouchedhisdoorZAP!Iputavoltmeter betweenthetwodoorsanddiscovered50volts!!

 Itturnedoutthatthemullion(antisweat)heater(seesection41)inhisdoorhad shorted,andwasgroundingwhereveritcouldrightthroughhimtotheoven door.Sincethishappenedinanottoohumidenvironment,thesolutionwas simple.Idisabledtheheaterbydisconnectingandinsulatingtheheaterleadsat thebaseofthedoor,wheretheywentintothefridge.Thisstoryismadeeven moreinterestingbythefactthatthelittleolddogbreederswifehadjusthad openheartsurgeryandapacemakerinstalledthreeweeksbefore.Ishudderto thinkwhatcouldhavehappenedhadshetouchedthefridge. Anotherinterestingobservationaboutmullionheatersisthatifyourfridgestarts tobecomewarm,oneofthefirstsignsmaybethatthedoorjambstarttofeel downrighthot.Thishappenswhentherefrigeratorisnolongerremovingheat fromthedoorframeandthemullionheaterinside.Thisisespeciallyprevalentin thedoorframebetweenthefoodandfreezercompartmentinasidebyside. 76MICECAPADES Afewyearsback,whereIlivedinSouthernCalifornia,wehadanastycoldspell; Imean,itwaswellbelow45degreeseverydayforaweek.(Eatyourheartsout, Midwesterners.)Aboutaweeklater,Igotacallfromaladywithawarmfridge. Uponinvestigation,Ifoundthatamouse,apparentlyseekingthewarmthofthe compressor,hadcrawledintothereanddied(whetherfromtheheatofthe compressororfromgettingstruckbythecondenserfan,Idontknow.)Anyway, hegotstucktothefloorpannearthecondenserfanandashedriedout,hisfeet andtailcurledupuntiltheyfinallygotstuckinandstoppedthecondenserfan. Inthehomeservicebiz,youlearntostartlookingforanimalandinsectproblems afteracoldspell;lizardsinthedryervent,birdsthatflyintotheovenroofvent andgetbakedandjamyourovenhoodexhaustfanstufflikethat. Anotherneattrickthatanimals(especiallyrodents,butsometimescats,too)like toplayistogetunderthefridgeandstartchewingwiresorinsulation.Thiscan causeelectricalproblems,orlooseinsulationmightgetcaughtinthecondenser fan.Catshavebeenknowntotearoffthebottombackpanelofthefridge.This disturbstheairflowoverthecondenserandmayjamthecondenserfanwith fiberglassinsulation.

77ICEMAKERSANDINDOORWATERDISPENSERS Ifyoustarttogetanunusualbuildupoficeinoneparticularspotinyourfreezer, especiallybeneaththeicemaker,checkforwaterleaks. Waterleakingontothekitchenfloornottraceabletooneoftheproblemsin Chapters4or6maybefromaleakintheicemakerordoordispenserwater system.Icemakershaveawatersolenoidvalvemountedonthebackofthe fridge,usuallybehindthebackbottompanel,andawatertubethatleadsstraight upthebackofthefridgetotheicemaker.Doordispensershaveasimilarwater solenoidvalvewithawatertubethatleadsbeneaththefridgeandintothedoor throughahollowhinge.Ifyourfridgehasbothfeatures,itsusuallyadualwater solenoidvalve.Itcanbesimpleornotsosimpletofix,butbasicallyitsjusta plumbingjob. 78SEETHELIGHT Onseveraloccasions,Ihavebeencalledtopeopleshomeswiththecomplaint thatthefreezerorfoodsectionwascoldinthebottom,butfeltlikeawarming ovenwasoninthetopofthecompartment. Itturnedoutineverycasethattheinteriorlightswerenotshuttingoff.(Alight bulbputsoutenoughheattoactuallywarmthetopofthecompartment. Remember,warmairrises.)Therearetwothingsthatmightcausethis. Oneisadefectivedoorswitch,easilydiagnosedandcorrected. Theotherisifnothingiscontactingthedoorswitch.Someunitswerebuiltwitha removableinteriorshelfthatalsoshutoffthelightbycontactingthedoorswitch. Removetheshelf,andnothinghitstheswitch;thelightdoesntturnoff. Theeasiestwaytodiagnosethisistopeekintothecompartmentwhileslowly closingthedoor.Ifthelightdoesnotshutoffwellbeforethedoorisfullyclosed, testtheswitchandlookatitsclosingmechanismandseewhatshappening.

79.BADODORS Tomyexperience,thisisoneofthetoughestproblemstosolve.Ihavebeen calledoutonavarietyofbadodorcomplaints,andrarelyaretheysolvable. Modernfridges,withfewexceptions,haveplasticinteriorsthatdoabsorbodors tosomedegree,ratherthantheporcelaininteriorsstandardindaysofyore.If youhaveanodorproblem,itmayhelptokeepanopenboxofbakingsodain there,ortowashouttheinteriorofthefridgewithaverymildbleachsolution. Ifyourfridgehashadameltdown(thawedoutwitheverythinginit),trypulling offwhateverpanelsyoucanandseeifanymeatbloodorothersmellystuffhas gottenunderthem.Styrofoampanelscanabsorbodors,toobuttrywashing withamildsoapsolution. OnesemisolvableodorproblemthatIranintowasafellowwhosefireengine redfridgewasgettingwarmandithadanabsolutelyacridsmellwithin.It turnedoutthatthedefrostheaterleadwithinthedefrostcompartmenthad shortedoutandburnedoffabunchofitsheavyrubberinsulation,thenmelted itselfsothedefrostsystemwasnotworking.Ifixedthefridge,butIdonotknow ifheevergotouttheburntrubbersmell. 710.FIXTHELITTLESTUFF Haveyouhadabrokendoorcatchorhandle?Foryears?Alightbulbout?How aboutthekickplatehowlonghasitbeenfallingoff?Maybeyouhaveamissing shelf,oroneshelfthatscracked. YouknowtheoneImtalkingabout;everytimeyouputsomethingonthat shelf,youhavetodoaquickmentalweightandstresscalculationtomakesure everythingonitdoesntenduponthekitchenfloor.Itsreallyannoyingtothink about,isntit?Sonaturally,youjuststopthinkingaboutit. Takethetimetomakeitright!Plasticpartsareusuallynotthatexpensive; thoughthingslikeshelvesusuallymustbegottenthroughthedealerorfactory warehouse.Specialappliancelightbulbsareacoupleofbucksatyournearest appliancepartsdealer.Howmuchisyourpeaceofmindworth?

711STRANGENOISES Actually,therearenttoomanythingsinafridgethatcancausealotofnoise.A fewthatyoumightcommonlyhearare: Arattlingorabuzzingnoisemightbecomingfromtheevaporatororcondenser fanhittingsomething.Itmayalsobethatthedefrostdrainpanorcompressor mountsarelooseandsomethingisvibratingabit. Awhistlingorwarblingsoundusuallyiscomingfromtheevaporatorfanmotor. Replaceasdescribedinsection43. Ahissingorgurglingsoundmighthappenforafewminutesafterthecompressor shutsoff.ThisistheFreonflowingthroughthetubinginthesystem.Whenthe pressurethroughoutthesystemequalizes,thenoisewillstop.Ifthereisno evaporatorfanrunning,youmayheartheFreongurglingthroughthe evaporatoratanytimethefridgeisrunning. 712.FIREINTHEFRIDGE!!! Okay,yourethetech.Yougetafranticcallfromacustomersayingtheresared glowinthebottomofthefreezerinhissidebyside;hesafraidthatsomethings burning.Hedoesnthearitrunning,buthedoeshearpoppingandhissing noises.Yourushovertohishome,andwhenyougetthere,youdontseeanyred glow.Youdonoticethatthelightdoesntworkinthefreezer.Hesaysthatitwent outmonthsago,andhehasntgottenaroundtoreplacingit.Hehashadthe fridgefortenyears,andhasneverseenaredglowdowntherebefore.Whatdo youdo? Ifyoureme,yougrabascrewdriver,reachdowntothedefrosttimerandsetit ondefrostagain.Thenyoureachintoyourtoolkitforyourtrusty,dusty extendableinspectionmirror. Youshowthecustomer,viathemirror,theredglowingdefrostheater.You explainthedefrostsystemandwhyhesnevernoticedaredglowbefore: Whenthelightbulbwasworking,theinteriorofthefridgewassobrightthathe justcouldntseethatdimredglow.Andthedefrostheaterisonlyonforabout10 or15minutesevery6to8hours.Whataretheoddsagainsthisopeningthe fridgeatjusttherighttimeandseeingthefridgeinadefrostcycle?

 Thenyousellhimaspecialappliancelightbulbforthreefifty,plusasecondone asaspare,andyouchargehima30dollarservicecallfeebesides. AsIsaidbefore,ignorancetrulycancostyou.

Chapter8
DOMESTICICEMAKERS

81ICEMAKERTYPES
Icemakersaredividedintotwobasictypes;flextrayandhardtray.(FigureA1) FLEXTRAY Flextrayicemakershaveaflexibleplasticicemold,ortray,similartomanual icemolds.Alsolikemanualmolds,whenitcomestimetoeject(harvest)theice fromthemold,itinvertsandtwists,poppingouttheice.Thetraythenturns backuprightandrefillswithwaterforthenextfreezecycle. HARDTRAY Hardtrayicemakershaveametalicemoldwhichiscoatedwithanonstick coating.Theicemoldremainsupright,andcubesareejectedbysomemechanical devicewhichpushestheiceoutofthemoldandintotheicebin.

FigureA1:IcemakerTypes

81(a)ICEMAKEROPERATION
Theoperationoftheicemakercanbebrokendownintothreecycles;thefreeze cycle,theharvestcycleandthefillcycle.

 FREEZECYCLE Thefreezecyclebeginsafterthemoldhasfilledwithwater.Itendswhenthe wateriscompletelyfrozenintocubesandtheharvestcyclebegins.Theamount oftimespentinthefreezecycleiscontrolledbyanumberoffactorsdepending ontheindividualdesign,butitisbestexplainedbyknowinghowtheharvest cycleistriggered. HARVESTCYCLE Theharvestcycleoccurswhentheiceisejectedfromtheicemold.(FigureA2) Theharvestcycleistriggeredinoneoftwoways,dependingonwhetherthe icemakerhasaflexibleicemold,(flextray)orarigidmetalicemold.(hardtray) FLEXTRAYHARVESTCYCLE Mostflextrayicemakersharvesticesolelyonthebasisofaccumulatedtime,or runtime.Timingisaccomplishedbyalowrpmicemakerdrivemotoracting throughreductiongears.Everytwohoursorsoofruntime,dependingonthe design,theicemakerharvests.However,itshouldbenotedthatthe accumulationofruntimeis,inonewayoranother,thermostaticallycontrolled. Forexample,Admiraltypeflextraymachineshaveathermostatinlinewiththe icemakertiminganddrivemotorthatopensat19degrees,anddoesntclose againtillthefreezertemperaturedropsto15degrees.Therefore,timeonly accumulatesifthetemperaturedropsbelow15degrees.Whirlpoolflextray icemakersaccumulatetimeonlywhilethecompressorisrunning,whichis determinedbythecoldcontrol,whichisthethermostatthatcontrolsthe refrigeratorandfreezertemperatures.

FigureA2:TypicalIceHarvest(Ejection)Mechanisms

HARDTRAYHARVESTCYCLE Inhardtrayicemakers,harvestistriggeredthermostatically.Athermostat pressedagainsttheicemoldsensesthatitiscoldenoughtoensurethattheiceis frozen.(Forexample,thethermostatonthelatemodelmodularcrescentcube machineclosesat17degreesF.)Whenthethermostatcloses,thedrivemotor activates,andtheharvestbegins. Whentheharvestcyclebeginsinhardtrayicemakers,aheaterbeginsslowly heatingtheicemold.Whentheharvestmechanismcontactstheice,itstallsuntil theicemeltsenoughtoreleaseitfromthemold.Thoughthesurfaceofthecube doesliquefyslightly,itrefreezesquickly.Cubesinthebinmightoccasionally sticktogetheralittlebit

FigureA3:TypicalFillWaterSystem

becauseofthisliquefication,buttheyshouldbeeasytoseparate. Inahardtrayicemaker,thethermostatstartstheharvestcycle,butitdoesnot endthecycle.Themoldheaterwouldopenthethermostatandendthecycleway tooearly;longbeforethemoldwasrefilled.Whenthethermostatbeginsthe harvestcycle,acamattachedtothedrivemotorclosesaholdingswitch.This switchkeepsthedrivemotorturninguntiltheiceisharvestedandthemold refillswithwater.Whentheejectionmechanismisreset,themoldisrefilledand thecamreachestheproperposition,thecamallowstheholdingswitchtoopen. Thisendsthefillcycleandbeginsthefreezecycle. FILLCYCLEANDFILLVALVE

Towardstheendoftheharvestcycle,acamonthedrivemechanismclosesthe fillswitch.Thisswitchopensafillsolenoidvalve,usuallylocatedonthebackof thefridge,atthebottom.(FigureA3)Inrefrigeratorswithwaterdispensersin thedoor,adualwatersolenoidvalveisused.Onecontrolswatertothedoor dispenserandtheothercontrolswatertotheicemaker. Theamountofwaterthatenterstheicemoldiscontrolledbyacoupleofthings. Theshapeofthecamthatclosesthefillswitchcontrolsthelengthoftimethe valvestaysopen.Aflowcontrolwasherwithinthevalveadjuststheflowfor variationsinhousewaterpressure,sothatthesameamountofwaterflows throughthevalveregardlessofwaterpressure.However,ifthewaterpressureis belowabout20psiatthesolenoidvalveinlet,problemscanoccur;seesections8 2(a)and83.

82DIAGNOSINGPROBLEMS
Oneofthereasonsthaticemakerscanbesodoggonetoughtodiagnoseisthe simpleobservationthaticetakesanhourortwotofreezeinafreezer.Aftera repair,youcantstandtherewiththefreezerdooropen,waitingforthenext harvestcycle,tomakesurethemachineisworkingproperly.Symptomsmay taketimetodevelopandrecurifthemachineisnotfixedthefirsttime.Most icemakersaretemperaturesensitive,andasthefreezertemperaturerisesand falls,thissensitivitycancausesymptomstobeintermittent. Icemakerscanbehaveerratically,andbedifficulttodiagnosebecauseofit.Buta basicunderstandingofhowaparticulardesignoperatescangoalongway towardsremovingthemysteryofintermittentmalfunctions.Beforeyoustart working,observethesymptomsofthemalfunction.Knowinghowtheicemaker shouldoperatemaypointyoutowardswhatisntoperatingcorrectly.
Hasthefridgeorfreezerseemedwarmerorcolderthanusual?Thiscanpointtowards refrigeratorproblemsotherthantheicemaker,suchasdefrostorsealedsystem problems.Freezertemperatureinmostcasesshouldbebetween0and15degrees Farenheit.Anyhigher,andtheicemaynotfreezefastenoughorthethermostatmaynot triggeraharvestcycle.Anylower,andthecoldmaymigrateintotherefrigerator compartment. Hasthefreezerorrefrigeratordoorbeenopenedalot?Insomecircumstances,thiscan keepthefreezertemperaturetoohighandcauseslowornoiceproduction,orshelling,

wherethecubehasnotfrozencompletelybeforetheharvestcyclebegins. Donotyetdiscardanyslabbedice.Thewaytheiceisslabbingcanhelptipyouoffto thecauseoftheproblem.Forexample,icecubesfusedtogetheratthetopcanindicatean overfillorlevellingproblems;iceslabbedinthebincanindicateshelling,icemold leakage,oravarietyofotherproblems.

FigureS1:FoodBlockingIceHarvest

SYMPTOMS Icemakercomplaintsseemtobegenerallydividedintofivemainsymptoms. A)Icecubestasteorsmellbad.Seesection83,watersupplyproblems. B)Theiceisslabbing;cubesarefreezingtogetherintoblocksinthebin.See section82(a). C)Hollowcubes.Theicecubesareshelling,ornotfreezingcompletelybefore theharvestcycletriestoejectthemfromthemold.Seesection82(b). D)Thefilltubekeepsfillingwithiceandblockingtheflowoffillwater.See section82(c).

E)Theicemakerisnotworkingatall,orisproducingiceveryslowly.Seesection 84.

82(a)SLABBING
Thisgenerallyoccurswhentheiceisnotejectingfromtheicemoldproperly.If therearecubesleftintheicemoldafteraharvestcycle,thenewwaterfillwill overfillthemoldforthenextbatch.Dependingonthedesign,thismaycausethe moldtooverflow,oritmayjustcauseathicksheetoficetofusetogetherthetops ofthecubestoosolidly.Inthiscase,theicemakercanjamandtheproblemcan compounditselfrapidly. Thiscanbecausedbyanumberoffactors.Oneofthebigculpritsisfreezerfood placedtooclosetotheicemaker.Thiscansimplypreventtheicefromdropping intothebin,(FigureS1)oritcaninterferewiththeicelevelsensorarm, preventingtheicemakerfromshuttingoffwhenthebinisfull.(FigureS2)In thiscase,thesolutionwouldbetocleartheexcessiceanddontdoitagain!!!

FigureS2:TrappedFeeler(IceLevel)Arm

Anotherculpritcanbethatthesurfaceofthemoldistooroughfortheiceto properlyeject.(FigureS3)Thismaybecausedbyhardwatercalciumbuildup, scaleorcorrosionoftheicemoldsurface.Bothhardtrayandflextraymachines

arepronetothisproblem;itiscausedbyimpuritiesinthefillwater.(seesection 83)Inhardtraymachines,theicemoldsurfacecoatingmayactuallyseparate fromthemetalmolditself.Theproblemcangetsobadthatyoumayseeblackor grayflakesandsedimentinthecubes.Inbothhardandflextraymachines,the solutionisusuallytoreplacetheicemold,orjusttheentireicemaker.Insome circumstances,scalecanberemovedwithaweaksolutionoflimecleaner.Ifyou dothis,rinsethemoldwithaweakchlorinebleachsolutionandflushwith copiousamountsofwaterbeforeyouputthemoldbackinto

FigureS3:IceMoldDeposits

service.Ifpossible,trytogetabetterhardwaterfiltrationsysteminstalledinthe icemakerwatersupply. LOWWATERPRESSURE Watersupplypressurebelowabout20psicancauselowwaterfillandsmall cubesize.Sometimes,somecubesmaynotejectproperlyandmaystayinthe mold.Thenextfillwillthencauseoverfill,andslabbingsymptomsmaydevelop.

 Lowwaterpressurecanalsocausethevalvetoleak,sometimesbadlyenoughto overfilloroverflowtheicemold.However,thisparticularproblemusuallyshows upasaniceblockedfilltube.SeeSection82(c),section83andFigureS4.

82(b)SHELLING
Hollowcubes,orshellingcanoccuriftheicecubesarenotfullyfrozenwhen theharvestcyclebegins.Thecausesandeffectsofshellingvary.Dependingon thedesign,eithertheharvestcycleisbeingtriggeredprematurely,orthecubeis notfreezingintheallottedtime. Shellingmaybeanearlysignofdefrost,sealedsystemorothercoolingproblems oftherefrigeratoritself,especiallyinflextraymachines.Checkthefreezer temperature. Inflextraymachineswithshellingsymptoms,waterpouringfromtheicemold duringtheharvestcyclemayfreezethebinintoasolidblockfromthebottomup (slabbing.)Slushleftintheicemoldmayalsocauseoverfill.Thefreezerventsin flextraymachinesmustdirectcoldairdirectlyatthesurfaceofthewaterorthe mold,toinsurethatitwillfreezeintheallotedtime.Checkthatnothingis blockingtheairstreamandthatthefreezerventdirectingairovertheicemakeris notdamaged,missingormisdirected. Inhardtraymachineswithshellingsymptoms,iceorwaterleftinthemoldafter harvestmaycauseoverfillandslabbingproblems.Shellingisusuallyasignof lowwaterfill,whichallowsthemoldtogetcolderfaster,triggeringthe thermostatintoaharvestcycletooquickly.Checkandadjustthewaterlevel (sections85thru88)orcheckforlowwaterpressureortheincorrectwater valve.(section83(b))ThereisabafflekitforlatemodelWhirlpoolcrescentcube machineswithshellingproblems,thatredirectsairovertheicetofreezeitmore quickly.

82(c)BLOCKED(FROZEN)FILLTUBE
Ifthefilltubegetschokedupwithice,(FigureS4)itusuallymeansthatthe waterfillsolenoidvalveisleaking.Thevalveisnotclosingproperlyandis dribblingwater.Iftheleakageisslowenough,watermayfreezeinthefilltube.

Overtimeitwillfreezethetubecompletelyshut. Tomelttheicefromthetubeandclearit,youcanuseablowdryer,orblowhot waterintothetubewithaturkeybaster.Hotwaterisfasterbutusuallyalittle messier.Putacoupleoftowelsand/orapanbelowthetubetocatchthewater runoff. Youshouldreplacethesolenoidvalve(besuretoreadthroughsection83(b)). However,thismaynotbethewholesolution.Wearandtearmayhavecausedthe valvetoleak,butnotnecessarily.Sedimentfromimproperinstallationorlow waterpressuremaypreventthevalvefromclosingfully.Ifyouhavethis symptom,especiallyifitreturnsafterclearingtheiceblockageonce,start checkingforwatersupplypressureorsedimentproblems.SeeSection83,water supplyproblems.

FigureS:4Blocked(Frozen)FillTube

83WATERSOURCE

Acommonlyoverlookedcauseofmanyproblemsisaninadequatewatersupply. Watersupplyproblemscancauseavarietyofsymptoms.Sedimentorodorin theice,watersolenoidvalveproblemsandeveninoperationorslowoperationof theicemakeritselfcanbetracedtowatersupplyproblems.Icannotstressenough theimportanceofhavinganadequate,properlyfilteredwatersupply!!!

Ofparticularconcernisthesourceofthewater. Ideally,thesystemshouldcomedirectlyfromcoldwatercopperpipinginthe house.Iveseenpeopletapintohotwaterpipes,butthepipingshouldbelong enoughsothatwaterdoesnotfilltheicemakerwhilehot,orthewatermaynot freezefastenough.Itisfarbettertouseacoldwaterlineifpossible.

Saddlevalvesareoftenusedonanewinstallationtopierceintoanexisting pipe,(FigureF1)andgenerallyworkprettywell.However,youmustbecareful ofusingdissimilarmetals;forexampleacoppervalveonagalvanizedsteelpipe. Awatersupplydrawnfromasaddlevalveonagalvanizedpipeisaninvitation toscaleandsedimentproblems. Similarly,asaddlevalveinstalledtooclosetoahotwatertankcanpickup calciumsedimentsfromthetankitself.Scaleandsedimentscanblockthesaddle valveandcauselowwaterflow. Lowwaterflowthroughthesaddlevalvemaycausethesamesymptomsaslow waterpressureatthesolenoidvalveinlet.(seesection82(a))Ifunfiltered,these impuritiescanalsocausepoorqualityice.Theycanalsogetintothesolenoid valveseatandpreventthevalvefromclosingfully,causingsymptomsfromfill tubefreezetoslabbing.(seebelow)

FigureF1:SaddleorPiercingValve

Ifyoursystemusesasaddlevalve,andhaslowpressuresymptomsasdescribed insection82(a),youmaybeabletotemporarilyknocksomeofthesediment loosebyexercising,oropeningandclosingthesaddlevalveanumberoftimes. Alsoreplacethesolenoidvalve,especiallyifthesupplylineisunfiltered. However,theonlylongtermsolutionistosecureabettersupply,directlyfroma coppercoldwaterpipeifpossible.Andusetheproperfiltrationforthewaterin yourhouse,oratleastasedimentfilter. PIPING:COPPERORPLASTIC? Ipreferplastic.Itsalittlecheaper,easiertocutandinstall,andlessproneto leakagewhenyouhavetomovetherefrigerator.However,somepeoplefeelits morepronetoleakagethancoppersimplybecausethematerialisstronger. Thatsnotbeenmyexperience,butitsyourcall. Ifyoudouseplastic,makesureyouinsertthebrasssleevesintotheends(Figure F2)beforeinstallingthecompressionfittings.Withoutthem,theendsofthe

plasticcouldcollapseandleak. HOTWATERORCOLD? Iveseenpeopletapintohotwaterlinestofeedtheicemaker,butIhighly recommendagainstit.Youdefinitelydontwanthotwateractuallyenteringthe icemakermold;thewaterwouldtakelongertofreezeandcauseshellingor slabbingproblems. Ifyoudotapintoahotwaterlinefortheicemakersupply,makesuretheresa nice,longrunofwatertubebeforeitgetstotherefrigerator,toallowtimeforthe waterinsidethelinetocoolbetweenfills.Installacoupleofloopsoftubeifyou haveto.Also,usecopperline;itconductsheatbetterandismoreresistantto heatdamagethanplastic. OneamusinglittleanecdotethatIreadontheinternetwasaboutanindividual whopipedhotwatertohisicemaker,reasoningthathotwaterfreezesfaster. Well,heatflowisgreaterwhenthetemperaturedifferenceisgreater,sotheheat willactuallyflowoutofthewaterandintothefreezerfasterwhilethewaterishot. Butwhenthetemperatureofthewaterdrops,theheatflowslowstothesame rateasifyouhadjustfilleditwithcoolwaterinthefirstplace.Andsince,to beginwith,thetemperaturehasfurthertogo,ittakeslongertofreezehotwater!

FigureF2:InstallingPlasticWaterLine

83(a)FILTRATION&PURIFICATION
Waterfiltrationisasubjectforawholebookuntoitself.Commoncomplaintsand contaminantsarechlorine,rust,sand,dirt,sediment,dissolvedcalcium,organic substancessuchasPCBs,THMs,herbicidesandpesticides,chloraminesand detergents,causingbadtaste,odorsorevenhealthhazards.Thisbookisnot intendedtobeaprimeronwaterfiltration;Iwouldinnowaybegintotryto pretendtobeableadviseyouwhatcontaminantsyouneedtoguardagainstin yourarea.Forthat,youneedtohireawaterchemist,ortalktoyourwater companyorneighborswhomighthavebeenthroughthisalready.Youmight eventrytalkingtoyourappliancepartsdealer;hemayknowwhatlocal conditionsareandcarrythecorrectfiltrationelements. However,asabareminimum,youshouldfilteroutdirt,sand,rustandsediment. Thesecontaminantsyoucanpickupindependentofwhatyourwatercompany suppliesyou,througholdorinadequatewaterpipingorotherhouseconditions. Thisapplieseven(especially!)tobrandnewhomes.Everseenapalletloadof pipelayingonaconstructionlot?Youdontthinkthepipefitterswashedallthe bugsanddirtoutofthetubingbeforetheybrazeditinplace,doyou?

INLINEANDUNDERSINK(CARTRIDGE)FILTERS (FiguresF3andF4) Inmyopinion,abouttheonlygoodthingaboutinlinefilters(vs.cartridgetype filters)isthattheinitialcosttendstobequiteabitless. However,inlinefiltersarehardertochange;usuallyyouhavetocuttheoldone outandpipethenewonein.Beingbehindthefridgeinsteadofunderthesink, theyarehardertogetto,andeasiertoforgettochange. Cartridgetypefilters,ontheotherhand,havereplacablecartridgeswhichare relativelyeasytogettoandchange.Someevenhavewatershutoffvalvesbuilt rightintothemtomakefilterchangingevenfasterandeasier.Theyarelittle,if any,moredifficulttoinstallinitially,andreplacementcartridgesusuallycostless thananewinlinefilter.Youcanalsopipethemfairlyeasilytoadrinkingwater sinktapifdesired.

FigureF3:TypicalInlineWaterFilter

Wheninstallingeitheranewinlinewaterfilterorundersinkfiltercartridge, especiallyanactivatedcharcoaltype,firstconnectittothewatersource.Then runseveralgallonsofwaterthroughituntilyouseethewaterrunningclear. Thenconnectittotherefrigerator.Then,justtobesafe,Ithrowawaytheicethat itmakesforthefirst24hours. REVERSEOSMOSISSYSTEMS ReverseOsmosiswaterpurificationsystems(commonlyreferredtoasRO systems)purifywaterbyforcingitathighpressurethroughaporousmembrane. Thisremovesalmosteverycontaminantwhosemoleculesarebiggerthanwater molecules.

 Theresultisextremelycleantastingwater,easilycomparablewithbottledwater. Thedownside,asidefrominitialcost,isthattheywasteaLOTofwater.When thenewmembraneisnew,probablyhalfofthewaterthatenterstheROsystem goesdownthedraintoflushthe

FigureF4:TypicalCartridgeWaterFilters

membrane.Ifyoudontchangetheelementsfrequently,thenwhenthe membranegetsolderandpluggedwithcontaminants,asmuchas15to20times asmuchwatergoesdownthedrainascomesoutthefaucet.Also,waterflows throughtheROmembraneveryslowly,soitcandropwaterpressureatthetap considerably. MostmanufacturersrecommendAGAINSTanicemakerwatersupplycoming fromanROsystem.Idontnecessarilyagree.IhavebeenpersonallyusinganRO systemonmyWhirlpoolcrescentcubeicemakerfortwoyearsnowandIam tickledwiththeresults;iceasclearandcleantastingasourdrinkingwater,and noscaleorcalciumdeposits.(AndIliveinanareawithVERYhardwater.) However,Imustqualifymyexperienceontwoaccounts. First,unlikesomeROsystems,minehasafivegallonpressure/holdingtank whichmaintainsadequatewatersupplypressuretothevalveatalltimes.

 Second,softwaterisrelativelyacidic,soIamkeepingmyeyesopenforanysign ofdeteriorationoftheicemoldcoating,andImwillingtoeatanicemakerifit happens.(Beatslisteningtomywifewhineabouttheyuckytastingicefora coupleofyears!) Asageneralpolicy,IdhavetorecommendagainstROpurifyingtheicemaker water.Butifyouunderstandtherisks,andtheROsystemdoesntdropthewater pressuretoolow,itcanbedone.

83(b)FILLSOLENOIDVALVE
Waterfillvolumeiscontrolledbyacoupleofthings.Forone,thelengthoftime thevalvestaysopen,whichisusuallycontrolledbyacamintheicemakerhead, whichclosesaswitchfortheproperamountoftime.Aflowcontrolwasher withinthevalveadjuststheflowforvariationsinhousewaterpressure. However,ifthewaterpressureisbelowabout20psiatthesolenoidvalveinlet, problemscanoccur.Lowwaterpressurecancauselowwaterfillandsmallcube size.Ifthecubeistoosmall,itmaynotejectproperly,andthenextfillmaycause overfill. Watersolenoidsoperateusingapressurediaphragmwithpressureonbothsides ofthediaphragm.Adequatewaterpressureisrequiredbothtoopenthesolenoid valveandtocloseit.Ifthewaterpressureislow,thevalvemaynotclosefully andmayleak.Replaceanyleakingsolenoidvalve;butbealertforwhatever conditionsmighthavecausedittoleakinthefirstplace. AHUGEpointofconcernisingettingtherightwatersolenoidvalve.Different icemakersrequireawidevarietyoffillvolumes,fromabout3ouncesincertain GEunitstoasmuchas8ouncesinAdmiraltypemachines.Thevalvebodies mightlookthesamefromtheoutside,butyoumustmakesurethevalveisthe correctone(hasthecorrectflowcontrolwasher)fortheicemakeryoureworking on.Ifsomeonehaspreviouslyreplacedthesolenoidvalve,andyouexperience lowflowproblemsorslabbinginanicemaker,doublecheckthatthevalveisthe correctone.Ifnecessary,callyourpartssupplierandcheckthepartnumber.This isacriticallyimportantpoint. 83(c)TESTINGANDADJUSTINGFILLVOLUME

Totestfillvolume,removetheicemakerfromitsfreezerwallmounting(but leaveitpluggedin)andinitiateaharvestcycleifpossible.Babybottlesare generallyjustabouttherightsizefortestingfillvolume;mostaregraduatedin bothccsandounces.Agoodruleofthumbisthatonefluidounceequalsabout 30ccs. Waterfilllevelcanbeadjustedonsomeicemakers.Seesections85thru88about yourdesign.

84SLOWORNOICEPRODUCTION
Thereareanumberofthingsthatwillsloworstoptheproductionofice.Ifyou areworkingonanicemakerwhereyoucandoso,agoodstartistotryto manuallytriggeraharvestcycleandwatchwhathappens.(Fortriggering instructions,seesection85thru88aboutyourbrand.)Toahighdegree,the diagnosisdependsonthemakeandmodeloftheicemaker.However,therea fewcommoncauses.

84(a)FREEZERTEMPERATURE
Checkthefreezertemperature.Useacalibrationthermometer,availablecheaply inmostappliancepartsstores.Inmosticemakers,afreezertemperatureabove about15degreesmaycauseicemakersnottoharvestortohaveotherice productionproblems.Ifthefreezertemperatureishoveringrightaroundthe thermostattemperaturesetting,theicemakersthermostatmayopenandclose, causingsloworintermittenticeproduction.Ifthefreezertemperatureisnotlow enough,checktherefrigeratorstemperaturesettings. Highfreezertemperaturesmayalsomeanthattherefrigeratorhascooling problemssuchasdefrostorsealedsystemmalfunctions.Ifadjustingthecontrols doesntlowerthefreezertemperature,seeChapters4and5.

84(b)POWERSUPPLY
Checkthattheicemakerisgettingpower.Unplugitfromthefreezerwallsocket andseeifyouhavepowerbetweenatleasttwooftheterminals.

84(c)WATERSUPPLY
Checkalsothattheicemakerisgettingwater.Ifpossible,unmounttheicemaker fromthefreezerwallandmanuallyinitiateaharvestcycle.Collectandmeasure thewaterfill.(Whileyoureatit,checkitforbadsmellortaste,too.)Ifnowater comesout,checkthatthefillsolenoidvalveisgettingvoltage,andcheckfor continuitythroughthesolenoidasdescribedinChapter1.Acloggedordefective watervalveorfillswitchshouldbereplaced.

FigureX:2CrescentCubeIcemakerDesigns

85CRESCENTCUBEICEMAKERS
Theseicemakersareusedinmanydifferentbrands.Thedesignofthecrescent cubemachineis,inmyopinion,farsuperiortoothers.Theycrankoutlotsofice prettydarnedreliably.Conversionkitsareavailabletochangemostrefrigerators fromothericemakerdesignstothecrescentcubedesignifdesired.

NOTE:Theseicemakersarevirtuallycommodityitemsatthispointintime.Inmany circumstancesitmaybecheaperandeasiertobuyanewonethantomakearepair.Check yourlocalprices. Therearethreetypesofthesemachines;acompactdesign,amodulardesign, andanelectronicversion.Youcantellthedifferencebetweenthemwhenyou removetheplasticcover.(FigureX2)Themodulardesignhasathickgrey plasticplatetowhichthemotormounts.Thecompactdesignhasametalplate. Theelectroniconehasacircuitboardandanonoffrockerswitchontheright sideoftheicemakerhead. Mostofthesymptomsandthemalfunctionsbetweenthethreedesignsare similar.However,theinternaldifferencesbetweenthemareprettypronounced, sotestingandtroubleshootingarequitedifferent.

85(a)MODULARCRESCENTCUBEDESIGNOPERATION
Theharvestcycleontheseicemakersisthermostaticallytriggered.Athermostat insidetheicemakerheadispressedagainsttheicemold.(FigureX3)Whenthe moldgetsdowntoabout17degrees,thethermostatclosesandstartsthedrive motor,andenergizesthemoldheater.Veryshortlythereafter,acamonthedrive shaftclosestheholdingswitch,keepingthemotorcircuitenergizedevenafter thethermostatopensbackup.Theshaftrotatesclockwiseuntiltheejection fingerspressagainsttheice.Themotorthenstalls,withtheejectionfingers applyingpressuretotheice,untilthemoldheatsupenoughforthecubesto separatefromthemold.Thefingersthencontinuepushingtheiceoutofthe mold. Sometimeduringtheharvestcyclethethermostatopensandthemoldheater shutsoff,buttheholdingswitchkeepsthemotorturning.
Shortlyafterthefingerspassthroughthe12oclockposition,anothercamattachedto thedriveshaftclosesthefillswitchforabout78secondsandthemoldfillswithwater. Shortlythereafter,theholdingswitchopens,stoppingthedrivemotor,andtheicemaker isreadyforanotherfreezecycle. Thereisathirdswitchintheicemakerhead;theshutoffswitch.Thisswitchisactivated bytheicelevelsensorarm.Iftheicelevelinthebinistoohigh,orifyouraisethearmto theshutoffposition,thisswitchopensandinterruptsthethermostatcircuit.The

icemakerthenwillnotenteraharvestcycleuntilthesensorarmisallowedtoreturnto itsfulldownposition.Duringtheharvestcycle,acamraisesthesensorarmandopens theshutoffswitch,buttheholdingswitchkeepsthemotorturning.Aftertheicedrops intothebin,thesensorarmdropsbackdownintothefullyloweredpositionandcloses theshutoffswitchunlesstheicelevelpreventsit.

FigureX3:InsideModularIcemakerHead

Thewaterfillontheseicemakersshouldbeabout140ccsandtake7.5seconds. Thereisanadjustmentscrewontherightsideoftheicemakerhead;onefullturn equals40ccs.Somemodelshavewaterleveladjustmentdialsontherightsideof theplasticicemakerheadcoverthatattachtothisscrew.Thisscrewsimply movesthefillswitchclosertothecamonthedriveshaft,keepingitopenlonger, orviceversa.Themaximumadjustmentonthesemachinesisonefullturnin eitherdirection;anymorewilldamagetheicemakerhead.Whenadjustingthe level,doitgentlyanddonotattempttoforceitATALL.

Asidefromwatersupplyproblems,whatusuallygoeswrongwiththesemachinesis thatthethermostat(bimetal)fails.Typically,thesymptomwillbeinoperation;itjust wontbemakinganyice.Ifthemoldisfullofice,jumpthethermostattoseeifthe machineharvestsnormally.Tojumpthethermostatandtriggeraharvestcycle,just jumperbetweentheTandHtestpointholes.(FigureX4)Leavethejumperinuntilyou hearaclick,(thisistheholdingswitchclosing)thenremoveit.Adefectivethermostat canbereplacedbyremovingthecoverplate.Whenreplacingthethermostat,putadab ofaluminumputtyonthefaceofit(whereitcontactstheicemold)toinsuregood contactandheattransferfromtheicemold.

FigureX4:ModularCrescentIcemakerTestPoints

MOLDHEATERFAILURE ANDMOTORFAILUREPROBLEMS Ifthemoldheaterfails,thecubeswillnotseparatefromthemoldandthe icemakerharvestcyclewouldstallindefinitely.Inthiscase,youwouldseethe ejectionfingerspressedagainsttheice,tryingtoejectit,butitwouldnoteject. Underpower,testforlinevoltagebetweentheLandHtestpointholes;ifitis energized,thenpowerisgoingtotheheater.Unplugandtestforresistance

betweenthesametestpoints;theheatershouldtest72ohms.Ifnot,replacethe mold. Ifthedrivemotorisntturningatatimewhenitshouldbe,testfor110volts betweenLandMtoseeifthemotorisenergized.Thenunplugtheicemakerand testresistancebetweenthesametestpoints.Itshouldtestat8800ohms.Ifnot, replacethemotor.

85(b)COMPACTCRESCENTCUBEDESIGNOPERATION
Theseicemakersareverysimilartothemodularstyleicemakersintheprevious section;themodularonesbeingarefinementofthesemachines.Thewaterfillon theseicemakersshouldbeabout140ccsandtake7.5seconds.Thereisawater leveladjustmentscrewinsidethecover.Somehavewaterleveladjustmentdials ontherightsideoftheplasticicemakerheadcover. Theharvestcycleontheseicemakersisthermostaticallytriggered.Athermostat insidetheicemakerheadispressedagainsttheicemold.(FigureX5)(When replacingthethermostat,useadabofaluminumputtytoinsuregoodcontact andheattransferfromtheicemold.)

FigureX5:InsideCompactCrescentIcemakerHead

Whenthemoldgetsdowntoabout17degrees,thethermostatclosesandstarts thedrivemotor,andenergizesthemoldheater.Veryshortlythereafter,acamon thedriveshaftclosestheholdingswitch,keepingthemotorcircuitenergizedand turningevenafterthethermostatopensbackup.Theshaftrotatesclockwise untiltheejectionfingerspressagainsttheice.Themotorthenstalls,withthe ejectionfingersapplyingpressuretotheice,untilthemoldheatsupenoughfor thecubestoseparatefromthemold.Thefingersthencontinuepushingtheice outofthemold. Thethermostatstaysclosedthroughoutthefirstrotationoftheejectionfingers. Nearthecompletionofthefirstrotation,anothercamattachedtothedriveshaft closesthefillswitch,but
waterfilldoesnotoccur.Theshutoffswitchisclosed,andoffersalotlessresistance thanthewatervalvecircuit.(FigureX6)Electricitywillfollowthepathofleast

resistance,sothewatervalvewillnotopenunlessthethermostatisopen. Sometimeduringthesecondrotationoftheejectionfingers,thethermostatopensand themoldheatershutsoff,buttheholdingswitchkeepsthemotorturning.Nearthe completionofthesecondrotation,thefillswitchclosesagainforabout78seconds,and thistimethemoldfillswithwater.(FigureX6)Shortlyafterthefillswitchopens,and waterflowstops,theholdingswitchopens.Thisstopsthedrivemotor,andtheicemaker isreadyforanotherfreezecycle.

FigureX6:OperatingCircuits

Thereisathirdswitchintheicemakerhead;theshutoffswitch.Thisswitchis activatedbytheicelevelsensorarm.Iftheicelevelinthebinistoohigh,orif youraisethearmtotheshutoffposition,thisswitchopensandinterruptsthe thermostatcircuit.Theicemakerthenwillnotenteraharvestcycleuntilthe sensorarmisallowedtoreturntoitsfulldownposition.Duringtheharvest cycle,acamraisesthesensorarmandopenstheshutoffswitch,buttheholding switchisstillclosed,whichkeepsthemotorturning.Aftertheicedropsintothe

bin,thesensorarmdropsbackdownintothefullyloweredpositionandcloses theshutoffswitchunlesstheicelevelpreventsit. TROUBLESHOOTING Thesemachinesaresubjecttomostofthesamemalfunctionsastheirmore modernmodularcousins;namely,thermostat,moldheateranddrivemotor failures.However,theydonothavetestpoints,sotheydonotsharethesame testingprocedures. Toinitiateaharvestcycle,turnthemotorpinioncounterclockwise(FigureX7) untiltheholdingswitchclosesandthedrivemotorbeginsturningunderitsown power. Thesemachinesalsoseemtohaveaproblemwiththemotorpiniongeardrive gearslippingoffthedrivemotorshaft.Whenyouremovetheplasticcover,you willseethemotorgearturninganddisengagedfromthelargerejectiondrive gear.Themotorgearcanbepressedbackonandgluedwithsuperglue.
Someofthesemachineshaveachiclettypethermalfuse(figureX8)attachedtothe undersideoftheicemold,neartheicemakerhead.Ifthisfuseblows,theicemakerwill notharvest,norwillthemotorstartwhenyoutrytomanuallyinitiateaharvestcycle. Thesefusesarenonresettable;theymustbereplaced.Totest,justremovepowerfrom theicemakerandcheckcontinuitythroughthefuse.Ifthefusehasblown,theicemold hasoverheatedatsometime.Sincetheheaterisinserieswiththethermostat,itusually meansthethermostatisstayingclosedorthatthemotorhasstalledfortoolongwhile tryingtoejectice. Therearethreemicroswitchesinsidetheicemakerhead.(FigureX5)Theshutoff switchisactivatedbytheicelevelsensorarmandpreventstheharvestcyclefromtaking placeunlessthearmisdown.Theothertwomicroswitchesarethewaterfillswitchand theholdingswitch,bothcamoperated.Thethermostatinitiatestheharvestcycle,but theholdingswitchkeepsthedrivemotorturningthroughthecompletecycle,evenafter thethermostathasopened.

85(c)ELECTRONICCRESCENTCUBEDESIGN
Thesemachinescannotbeserviced;theymustbereplacedwhendefective. Fortunately,theyreprettymuchcommodityitemsatthispoint,andcanbe replacedforwellunderahundredbucks.

FigureX7:InitiatingaHarvestCycle

FigureX8:ChicletTypeThermalFuse

86GEBULLETORBARRELCUBEMACHINES
Thesemachinesproducefivecylindricalcubesperharvest.Thewaterfillshould be70to85ccs,orabout6seconds. Partsarecommonlyavailableforthesemachines;.however,youmaywantto considerconvertingtothecrescentcubedesign.Crescentcubemachines producefarmoreice,farmorereliably.Andatthetimeofthiswriting, conversionkitsareavailableforabout75100bucks.Ifthereisanicedispenserin thedoor,youmayneedtoturndownthecrescentcubesizealittletogetthe cubestogothroughthedoorproperly.

FigureX10:LeafSwitch

FigureX9:HarvestCycle

OPERATION Theharvestcyclebeginsthermostaticallyatabout16degrees.Aheateractivates toreleasethecubesfromthemold.Anejectionshaftthroughthebottomofthe icemoldisattachedtoanejectionpad,whichpushesthecubesverticallyfrom themold.Thecubesarethensweptoffthemoldandintothebinbyaharvest rake.(FigureX9) Onthestartofejection,thefirstswitchofathreeleafswitchcloses.(FigureX10) Thisistheholdingswitch,anditkeepsthemotorturningevenafterthe thermostatclosesagain.Thesecondcontactintheleafswitchisforthewaterfill.

Itisactivatedbythebumponthecamforaboutsixsecondsneartheendofthe cycle.Thereisawaterleveladjustmentscrewembeddedintothecam. Thereisanotherswitchintheicemakerhead;theshutoffswitch.(FigureX11) Thisswitchisactivatedbytheicelevelsensorarm. Iftheicelevelinthebinistoohigh,orifyouraisethearmtotheshutoffposition, thisswitchopensandinterruptsthethermostatcircuit.Theicemakerthenwill notenteraharvestcycleuntilthesensorarmisallowedtoreturntoitsfulldown position.Duringtheharvestcycle,themechanismraisesthesensorarmand openstheshutoffswitch,buttheholdingswitchkeepsthemotorturning.After theharvestrakesweepstheiceintothebin,thesensorarmdropsbackdowninto thefullyloweredpositionandclosestheshutoffswitch,unlesstheicelevel preventsit. Somemodelsalsohaveasafety(hilimit)thermostat,whichpreventsaccidental overheatingoftheicemold. TROUBLESHOOTING Almostinvariably,serviceonthesemachinesinvolvealeakaroundtheejection shaftandiceslabbinginthebin.Thereisashaftsealreplacementkitavailable; itsatrickyinstallationrequiringacoupleofspecialtools. Abouttheonlyotherfairlycommoncomplaintisthermostatfailure.The icemakerwillnotbeproducingice,andyouresurethefreezeriscoldenough, butmanuallyjumpingthethermostatproducesaharvest. Therearetwotestconnectionsontheundersideoftheicemakerhead.Inboth,a smallrectangularpluginthebottomoftheicemakerheadcanberemovedto revealtwosmallholes.(FigureX12)Theblackplugisforthesafety(hilimit) thermostat,whichpreventsaccidentaloverheatingoftheicemold;notallmodels havethisthermostatorthisplug.Thewhiteplugisfortheoperatingthermostat. Ifthethermostatisbad,replaceit.

FigureX1:1InsidetheIcemakerHead

FigureX12:CoverRemovalandTestConnections

87ADMIRALTYPEFLEXTRAY
Theicemoldoftheseicemakersisinfrontoftheheadasyoulookintothe freezercompartment.Whentheharvestcycleisinitiated,ittakesabouteight minutesforthetraytorotatecompletelyaroundandrefill.Thelowerthefreezer temperature,themoreiceitwillproduce.Above19degrees,itwillnotproduce

iceatall. Youcantellifthemotoristurningbylookingattheendofthemotorshaftas shownontheillustration.(FigureX13)

FigureX13:AdmiralIcemakerInitiatingaHarvestCycle

Youcaninitiateaharvestcyclemanuallybypushingthetwoswitchesasshown intheillustration;(FigureX13)thelowerleftawayfromtheshaft,andtheright centertowardstheshaft,whilesimultaneouslyslowlyandfirmlyturningtheice trayclockwiseuntilthemotortakesoverandstartsturningthetray.(Itsorta takesthreehandsorstrongthumbstodothis)Observethewholecycle, especiallythetwistingactionwhenthetrayisinverted.Asthetrayfills,watch beneaththeicemoldforanywaterleakage.Thewaterfillshouldbeabout180 220ccsandtakeabout1314seconds.Thereisanadjustmentscrewontheright sideofthehead,butthefactorygluesitinplaceduringconstruction.Infact,the factorydoesntwantyoumessingwiththesemachinesatall;iftheymalfunction, thesolutionistoreplacethem.Ihavehadacoupleoftheseicemakersapartand Idhavetoagreewiththefactoryinthiscase.Justreplacethem.Trustme.After youreplaceyouroldone,trypullingitapartandreassemblingitandyoullsee whatImean. Aconversionkitisavailabletoconverttherefrigeratortoacrescentcubedesign, andIwouldhighlyrecommendit.Theyarenotdifficulttoinstall,althoughsome

installationsrequireminorcabinetmodificationsand/orwaterlevelchanges. Instructionswillbeincludedintheconversionkit. Duringtheharvestcycleinthisdesign,thetwistingactionoftheicetrayends witharelativelyviolentSNAP!Overtimethiscanhaveseveraladverseeffects. Theicemakercanbegintopullitswallmountsoutofthefreezerwall.Ifthis happens,theicemakerwillnotbelevel.Cubesonthehighsideofthemoldmay betoosmall,whilecubesonthelowsidemaybetoolargeorevenslabtogether, andfailtoeject. Theplasticmold(tray)cancrack,especiallyaroundthehub.(FigureX14)The traymayleak,ornottwist,preventingpropercubeejection. Ifthespacer(bushing)aroundtheshaft(behindtheicemakerhead)iswornor missing,thetraywillnotbeheldcloseenoughtotheheadforthetabonthetray tocatchthetabontheheadandtwistproperly.(FigureX14)Theicewillnot ejectproperly,causingslabbing. Theplastictrayinthesemachinesseemstobemorepronetoscaleandcalcium buildupthanotherdesigns,causingimproperejectionandslabbing. Imnotsurewhatcausesit,butifyouheartheicemakertickinglikeaclock,and itsannoyingyou,replacetheicemakerhead.

FigureX14:WornorMissingShaftSpacer

88WHIRLPOOL/KENMOREFLEXTRAYDESIGN
InWhirlpoolflextrayicemakers,firstcheckthattheicemakerdrivemotoris turning.Itshouldturnconstantlywhilethecompressorisrunning.Ifitis,there areanumberofthingsthatcouldbecausingtheicemakertostopmakingcubes, butthesolutiontoallofthemseemstobetothrowanewgearandpinsetin boththefrontandbackoftheicemakerhead.(Theejectiongearsareinthefromt ofthehead;thedefrosttiminggearsareunderacoveronthebacksideofthe head)

FigureX1:5WhirlpoolFlexTrayIcemaker

Thisistrueevenifthegearslookallrighttobeginwith,butespeciallyifanyteeth arestrippedonthedrivegear,orifthetrayisstoppedinapositionotherthan upright.Gearalignmentinstructionsareincludedwiththenewgears. Thereisnowaytomanuallyinitiateaharvestcycleinthesemachines.Whenyou replaceandrealignthegearsandreinstalltheicemaker,itwillimmediatelyenter aharvestcycleandfillwithwater.

 Timeonlyaccumulatesontheseicemakerswhenthecoldcontrol(the refrigeratorsthermostat)isclosedandthecompressorisrunning.Ifthedoors remainclosed,theambientairtemperature(outsideofthefridge)islow,andthe compressordoesntrunmuch,youmayexperiencelowiceproduction.Inthis case,setthecoldcontrolascoldasitwillgotoincreaseruntime.Thereisalsoa kitavailable,no.482763withaspecialdrivemotorandfillswitch.Toincreaseice production,thekitdecreasesthecycletimeto11/2hoursinsteadof2hours. Partoftherefrigeratorsdefrostfunctionisbuiltintotheicemakerinthese machines.Thus,theicemakermustbepluggedinatalltimes,evenifitsnot beingusedtomakeice.Ifyounolongerusetheicemakerandwishtoremoveit fromyourmachine,amoduleisavailablethatreplacestheicemakerwitha smallerboxunitthatjustperformsthedefrostfunction.Askyourappliance partsdistributorfordetails.

AppendixA: DiagnosingdefrostproblemsinADCcontrolledmachines
WHIRLPOOL/KENMOREADCDefrost/Diagnosis

WHIRLPOOL/KENMOREADCDefrost/Diagnosis Maximumdefrostcycletimeis21minutes. Firstdefrostis6hoursafterinitialplugin(cumulativecompressorruntime.) Minimumtimebetweendefrostcyclesis8hours. Maximumtimebetweendefrostcyclesis100hours. TheADCadjuststhedefrostintervalaccordingtocompressorruntime,and lengthofthelastdefrostcycle.ASSUMINGthatthefridgehasbeenonand running,andtheterminatingthermostatisclosed,defrostisinitiatedinmost modelsbyturningthecoldcontrolonandoffasfollows: OFFfor15seconds,thenONfor5seconds,then OFFfor15seconds,thenONfor5seconds,then OFFfor15seconds,thenONfor5seconds,thenturnthecoldcontroloff. Thedefrostheatershouldstartheatingupwithin8seconds. Toterminatedefrost,unplugthefridge. NotethattheADCwillonlyenterthedefrostmodeiftheterminatingthermostat isclosed.YouwillhearaclickastherelayontheADCboardswitchesfromthe coolmodetothedefrostmode.Iftheterminatingthermostatisopen,youwill hearasecondclickandthefridgewillreturntothecoolingmode;youprobably haveabadterminatingthermostat. Ifthedefrostheaterdoesnotcomeonatall,tryinitiatingdefrostasfollows: Unplugthefridgefor30seconds.

Whileitisunplugged,turnthecoldcontroloff. Thenplugthefridgebackin. Thedefrostheatershouldstartheatingupwithin8seconds. TheADCboardrelaywillalsoclickasdescribedabove. Iftheaboveprocedurecausedtheheatertoheatup,theADCboardisprobably bad;replaceit. Ifthedefrostheaterdoesnotheatup,testthedefrostheaterandterminating thermostat.Youcantestthemforcontinuitytogether,withoutopeningupthe evaporator.Findthetestpluginthewiringharnesswithabrownleadanda pinklead(insidethecontrolbox.)UnplugthefridgeanddisconnecttheADC, thentestforcontinuitybetweenthisbrownleadandanywhitelead.Youare measuringresistancethroughtheheater;youshouldseesomeresistance,and somecontinuity.Ifnot,theheaterisbad. Nowtestbetweenthebrownandpinkleads.Youarenowtestingcontinuity throughtheterminatingthermostat.Iftheevaporatorhasbeenrunningandthe terminatingthermostatiscold,youshouldseecontinuity.Ifnot,theterminating thermostatisbad.
GENERALELECTRIC/HOTPOINT/RCAincludingPROFILE,ETERNAand SELECTmodels ADCDefrost/Diagnosis

Thesemachinesuseaverycomplexcontrolboardaccessibleattherightrearof therefrigerator.Inadditiontodefrostfunctions,thisboardgetsinputsfrom thermistorsandcontrolstheoperationoffans,damperdoorsandheaters throughouttherefrigerator,aswellaswaterindoor,icemaker,icecrusherand augerfunctions. Thermistorsaresimplyvariableresistors.Theresistanceofathermistorvaries inverselywiththetemperatureofthethermistor;thelowerthetemperature,the highertheresistance.Thusathermistorcanmeasurethetemperatureinaspace andtranslatethatintoanelectricalsignalthatalogicboardcanuse. Forexample,ifthetemperatureinaspacegetstoolow,thethermistorwilltell

thelogicboard,andthelogicboardcancloseanairdampertowarmthespacea little. Defrostintervals(timebetweendefrostcycles)arecontrolledbythefrequency anddurationoffreezerandfreshfooddooropenings,defrostheaterruntimeand compressorruntime. Maximumdefrostcycletimeis45minutes. Minimumtimebetweendefrostcyclesis8hours.(accumulatedcompressor runtime) Maximumtimebetweendefrostcyclesis60hours.(accumulatedcompressor runtime) Iftherefrigeratorisnotdefrosting,becauseofthecomplexityofthecontrol system,therecouldbeanumberofreasons.

Testthedefrostheaterandterminating thermostatasfollows:unplugthe fridge,andunplugtheblueconnector fromthecontrolboard.Usingan ammeter,testtheresistancebetweenthe bluewireontheblueconnector,andthe orangewire(pin9,thelastpin)ontheJ7 connector(thisconnectorismarkedN ontheboard,forNeutral.)Youshould see22Ohmsofresistance.Youare testingthroughthedefrostheaterand terminatingthermostat,soifyouget eitheranopenreadingornoresistance, oneofthesecomponentsisbad.When youreinstalltheblueconnectorand turnthepowerbackon,thedefrost heatershouldheatup.Ifnot,the terminatingthermostatisbad.Thereare twothermistorsintheevaporator compartment,nearthetopoftheevap. Theyareacontrolthermistoranda hightempthermistor,whichbasically doesthesamethingastheterminating thermostat.Youcantestthese thermistorsaccordingtothetabletothe right.However,itiseasiertojust replaceoneorbothofthem.(Theyare boththesamethermistor.)Iftheheater, thermostatandthermistorstestoutOK, replacethemainboard.

ThermistorValues

FRIGIDAIREMODELS,includingGIBSON,TAPPAN,KELVINATOR,andWHITE WESTINGHOUSE ADCDefrost/Diagnosis

Ontheinitialplugin,orwhenpowerisrestoredtothefridgeafterapower outage: Ifterminatingthermostatisopen,thefridgeentersacompressor(cooling)cycle.

 Iftheterminatingthermostatisclosed,thefirstdefrostcycleoccurs1hourafter initialplugin. Maximumdefrostcycletimeis24minutes. Minimumtimebetweendefrostcyclesis6hours.(compressorruntime) Maximumnormalclocktimebetweendefrostcyclesis12hours. Maximumtimebetweendefrostcycles(invacationmode)is72hours. Vacationmodeisnotenteredunlessthedoorhasnotbeenopenedinatleast24 hours. NotethattheADCwillonlyenterthedefrostmodeiftheterminatingthermostatis closed.Iftheterminatingthermostatisopenwhendefrostisinitiated,theADC boardwillwaitforsixminutesandthenreturntothecoolingmode. ASSUMINGthatthefridgehasbeenonandrunning,andtheterminating thermostatisclosed,defrostisinitiatedbypressingthedoor(light)switchat leastfivetimeswithinsixseconds. Thedefrostheatershouldstartheatingupwithin8seconds. Iftheaboveprocedurecausedtheheatertoheatup,theADCboardisprobably bad;replaceit. Ifthedefrostheaterdoesnotheatup,testthedefrostheater,terminating thermostatandcoldcontrolforcontinuityasfollows: Unplugthefridgefromthewall.UnplugtheADCboardfromitsconnector. Testtheconnectorforcontinuitybetweenthefollowingleads: DefrostHeater=DEFTERM(blue)toDEFOUT(brown). TerminatingThermostat=DEFTERM(blue)toNEUTRAL(ltblue). ColdControl=COLDCONTROL(orange)toL1(black).

 Replacethedefectivecomponent.
MAYTAG,JENNAIR,ADMIRAL,MAGICCHEF ADCDefrost/Diagnosis

Maximumdefrostcycletimeisapproximately23minutes. TheADCadjuststhenextdefrostinterval(timeuntilthenextdefrostcycle) basedonhowlongthedefrostheaterwasenergizedduringthelastdefrostcycle. Thelengthofthedefrostcycleisdeterminedbytheterminatingthermostat. Logically,then,theshorterthedefrostcycle,thelessfrostneededtobemelted, sothelongerthecompressorcanberununtilthenextdefrostcycle. Tointitatedefrost,findtheADCboard.InMaytagbuiltmachines,itisinsidethe temperaturecontrolhousing,whichalsocontainsthefoodcompartment(cold control)andfreezercontrols. TheADCboardshouldhavesixterminals:DEFHTR,COMP,L2,DEFTSTAT, TESTandL1. Makesurethecompressorisrunning.Ifyoutrytoinitiatedefrostwithoutthe compressorrunning,itwillcyclethroughthetestmodeintwoseconds,and therewillnotbeanycurrentdrawthroughthedefrostheater. UseajumperwiretoshortbetweenL1andtestforafewseconds.Thiswillplace theunitintoa23minutedefrostmode.Thedefrostheaterwillheatup.Ifyou haveanammeter,theheaterwillbedrawingabout4to5amps. Iftheaboveprocedurecausedtheheatertoheatup,theADCboardisprobably bad;replaceit. Ifthedefrostheaterdoesnotenergize,testthedefrostheaterandterminating thermostatasdescribedinsection45(f).