fridge freezer not cooling properly

jane_72

My fridge freezer does'nt seen to be cooling properly, in both the fridge and freezer compartments, the compressor seems to be ok as it is still making a noise when i turn it up full. does anyone know what it could be? could it be the thermostat?:)

ic

Where is it? Fridge/Freezer thermostats can be thrown by very low temperatures for example if the fridge is stored in a garage or shed. This is because the fridge and freezer typically runs on a shared compressor, and the outside temperature is lower than the desired temp for the fridge, so it stops cooling meaning the freezer warms up.

Otherwise how old is it? What make is it?

jane_72

its in my kitchen, the kitchen is quite cold but its not freezing if you know what i mean.

slipthru

Mine has started doing this again. it happens when the room temp drops below 10c. check what temp your kitchen is.

lozzaman

OP has stated the compressor is running but not cooling? It could be that the refrigerant has leaked out.

jane_72

how could i check if the refridgerant has leaked?

Gloomendoom

jane_72 wrote: »

how could i check if the refridgerant has leaked?

The fridge won't get cold!

lozzaman

You can't really, but the symptoms are

- Compressor is running continuously, but the fridge and freezer are not being cooled.
- The walls of the fridge and freezer do not feel cool.
- The condenser (usually on the rear) does not feel warm.

If the compressor is not running as often as you would expect it to, it could indeed be the thermostat (or the room it is in is too cold) - What happens when you leave the fridge/freezer turned up full? Does it cool?

lozzaman

Gloomendoom wrote: »

The fridge won't get cold!

I had a fridge once that developed a very slow leak (over the course of about 6 months)
First of all it iced up a lot, then it got progressively worse at cooling. I kept saying it wasn't cooling properly but everyone else in the house thought I was "imagining things" and "going mad"
Then one morning we woke up and the fridge was hot inside!!

jane_72

the fridge is silent when it is set at the normal setting, when i turn it up full, the compressor starts running, if i leave it turned up full
for a few hours it freezes ok, and also my things in the fridge seem to start freezing aswell, then when i turn it back down it all thaws out.

lozzaman

The good news is that it sounds like your fridge/freezer is actually OK and the refrigerant hasn't leaked out. When on the normal setting what temperature is the fridge? How do you know it's not working, is the freezer thawing?

What is likely to be happening is the fridge isn't activating the thermostat since it's cool enough already if it's in a cool room. Thus the freezer also won't get cold. Do you have a fridge thermometer?
The solution is to either warm the room up that the fridge/freezer is in (to 10c-15c should be enough) or compensate by setting the thermostat lower. This however will risk frozen food in the fridge.