New Refrigerator too warm

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New Refrigerator too warm

September 27, 2022, 05:42:09 pm

We'll, I finally plugged in our new 10.9 cu ft Frigidaire and after two days running EMPTY on their recommended temperature settings, both the freezer and the refrigerator are too warm. I turned the controls in both the freezer and the fridge to max. I then called Frigidaire and got their warranty department and a young lady with a distinct Asian accent.....no bias intended. I asked to speak to a tech, but she wanted to make an appointment for a tech to visit my house. Realizing that installing it in an RV would be an issue, I again asked for a tech to talk to. No dice.
My understanding of how a fridge works is that the freezer gets cold and BLOWS cold air down chutes into the refrigerator box.
I can sense air moving in the uppermost part of the freezer, but fell NOTHING blowing down into the fridge. There is a distribution chute that is lined with Styrofoam, that my wife is suspect of, but it doesn't look to be blocking any air. There are two ducts coming down from the freezer, but I don't feel any air movement. We leave Saturday for a HUGE road trip. I can't express how dismayed I am that this isn't freezing my ice cream. Any ideas???

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #1 – September 27, 2022, 05:52:00 pm

The ducts in the freezer blow out in the top of the refrigerator. Cold air goes down not up. There is a condenser fan that blows across the coils in the middle of the freezer and ducts into the refrigerator. I would un plug it and leave the door open to make sure the condenser hasn't froze up which stops air flow. Then when you plug it back in see if you have air flow immediately before it has a chance to do it again.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #2 – September 27, 2022, 06:17:37 pm

Glenn after u brought home did u let it settle for 24 hrs before plugging it in?

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #3 – September 27, 2022, 06:44:54 pm

How cold is it getting in both the freezer and fridge parts? I bought a thermometer like this one https://duckduckgo.com/?q=refrigerator+thermometer&t=newext&atb=v325-1&iax=images&ia=images&iai=http%3A%2F%2Fi.ebayimg.com%2F00%2Fs%2FNTAwWDUwMA%3D%3D%2Fz%2FP38AAMXQyY1TWHRS%2F%24_3.JPG%3Fset_id%3D2 and put it where I can see it each time I open the door on our house fridge.

Did you plug it in and check it before installing in the coach?

Possible air flow problem. Check with outside access door open and check airflow from the bottom of the fridge out into the coach.

You might take the model number and try to find others with a like problem on a forum or just do a search for general Frigidaire troubleshooting like this one: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=troubleshooting+a+friegeaire+10.9+cf+refrigerator&t=newext&atb=v325-1&ia=web I found a forum with many members having the same fan icing problem ours had. High humidity can cause the fan to ice up. Unplugging for four hours with a fan in the freezer fixed ours. Has not happened again.

Pierce

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #4 – September 27, 2022, 06:52:16 pm

Unfortunately, I did not plug it in before I installed it. Never crossed my mind. I still have the access door and roof vents for behind the fridge. I can't imagine it is starving for any air. Just not " blowing". I could take pictures, tomorrow, of the ducts in the back of the freezer and fridge, if that would help. I will call a local tech and see if they can help. Just hope I don't need warranty work, as I not only installed it in an RV, but took off the wheels and braced it into the space so it wouldn't move.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #5 – September 27, 2022, 07:03:20 pm

Glenn, sorry you are having this problem just before leaving.

You could learn more by removing inside back trim.

Freezer has cold evaporator coils behind back wall. Wall can be removed.

Cold air from freezer probably is not blown down, but the cold flows lower via convection.

Electric thermostat switch control starts and stops compressor, and is located inside lower fridg section. If the thermostat measures too cold, it could prevent compressor from running.

There is probably a mechanical damper that opens to let more air 'gravity' flow from freezer down to fridg. Rotate or move damper lever. Look up with mirror from bottom of chute to see what direction opens damper.

Incandescent bulbs can create too much heat for cooling to overcome. Catastrophic cooling results will happen if door light switch does not work, keeping inside incandescent bulb always on. Check switch and use LED bulb.

Empty fridge is hard to get cold as it needs items to absorb the cold. Some have used a lot of loose wadded newspapers to fill the empty space. Or normal stuff.

Electric defrost heater is turned on and off via a timer. Nice to know if the fridge is temporarily in defrost mode. Electric heater grid is behind wall in freezer near evaporator coil.

A 120v meter may help you to know if heater is on or thermostat is open or closed.

Do you know the temp in freezer back wall near floor. How about the fridge measured temp under the back wall center chute. Is compressor running.

BTW, we tested fridge for a few days inside motorhome before installing it. Be sure fridge is fastened down securely and doors have a positive lock to keep doors closed while driving and turning.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #6 – September 27, 2022, 07:06:26 pm

Why don't you just call the asian back and take the appointment?, it's free,search u tube for a video of your problem,call Frigedare
again and maybe you'll have better luck with another person,next time test before install.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #7 – September 27, 2022, 08:34:16 pm

Most of the smaller fridges are made in some foreign country. Maybe bad QC. Is the fridge installed in your mh. ? If not get the tech to come out. Where did you buy it? Tell them you want it exchanged. Some mfrs. will not service a fridge in an RV
They gave to access the rear of the fridge to do repairs

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #8 – September 27, 2022, 08:49:36 pm

Quote from: moisheh – September 27, 2022, 08:34:16 pm

Most of the smaller fridges are made in some foreign country. Maybe bad QC. Is the fridge installed in your mh. ? If not get the tech to come out. Where did you buy it? Tell them you want it exchanged. Some mfrs. will not service a fridge in an RV
They gave to access the rear of the fridge to do repairs

We compared most of the refrigerator manufactures when we were shopping for our new home refrigerator. Not just numbers off the internet but hands on examination. Unfortunately, all of our favorites were made overseas. We still have an operational RV fridge in the garage dating from the 1980's that was made in Japan.

Here is a list of where 85% of refrigerators are made:

China: US$16.4 billion (27.3% of exported refrigerators/freezers)
Mexico: $5.9 billion (9.8%)
Italy: $4.1 billion (6.8%)
South Korea: $3.7 billion (6.1%)
Germany: $3.2 billion (5.3%)
Turkey: $2.52 billion (4.2%)
United States: $2.52 billion (4.2%)
Thailand: $2.4 billion (3.9%)
Poland: $2.1 billion (3.4%)
France: $1.7 billion (2.9%)
Czech Republic: $1.2 billion (2%)
Netherlands: $1.1 billion (1.9%)
Austria: $1.1 billion (1.8%)
Sweden: $1 billion (1.7%)
Singapore: $877.7 million (1.5%)

Pierce

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #9 – September 28, 2022, 07:58:40 am

It is still entirely possible that on first run, there was so much humidity in the box that the evaporator coils froze over preventing the free flow of air. Your new fridge should have an automatic defrost cycle once every 24 hours, but unplugging your fridge and allowing it to warm up inside can be done while you wait for the service man.

Worrying about your installation should be a non-issue for you. It's a brand-new fridge, still under warranty, and it doesn't work right out of the box.

Art, retired toolmaker

I test everything before installation right down to my new JC refrigeration cooling unit. Still working fine 3 years in.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #10 – September 28, 2022, 09:44:49 am

Pierce. Interesting statistics. Do you have statistics of whe fridges sold in the US and Canada are manufactured. Most of the popular names are made in North America. The big box stores do have house brands made in China. LG and Samsung ( both junk) are Foreign made. Some other brands are made in Europe. GE is owned by a Chinese company. BUT even the big names use some Chinese components. Quality of all appliances are horrible. The days of 20 year old fridges are gone. You buy a $2500 fridge and 3 to 5 years later a repairman tells you it is not worth fixing. Or it need a control board that is either obsolete or back ordered. Our sob came with a Jen Air side by side. Made in the US. At 10 years we spent $800 in repairs. Died again and we bought a new one. Repair guy said we were lucky to get that many years of service.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #11 – September 28, 2022, 09:52:21 am

Glenn, read #2 reply from Andy; did you let the fridge sit for some time before you plugged it in? If fridge was on it's side for any length of time, the oil in the compressor will have moved and time will allow oil to drain back in before startup. You never mentioned where you purchased. Most big box stores have a 48 hour return no questions asked policy!

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #12 – September 28, 2022, 02:21:37 pm

Bought it at Home Depot last July
Waiting to hear back from Frigidaire
We leave Saturday morning
We'll just have to see how this works out
I installed it pretty well
Hard to imagine exchange

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #13 – September 28, 2022, 03:33:02 pm

Quote from: moisheh – September 28, 2022, 09:44:49 am

Pierce. Interesting statistics. Do you have statistics of whe fridges sold in the US and Canada are manufactured. Most of the popular names are made in North America. The big box stores do have house brands made in China. LG and Samsung ( both junk) are Foreign made. Some other brands are made in Europe. GE is owned by a Chinese company. BUT even the big names use some Chinese components. Quality of all appliances are horrible. The days of 20 year old fridges are gone. You buy a $2500 fridge and 3 to 5 years later a repairman tells you it is not worth fixing. Or it need a control board that is either obsolete or back ordered. Our sob came with a Jen Air side by side. Made in the US. At 10 years we spent $800 in repairs. Died again and we bought a new one. Repair guy said we were lucky to get that many years of service.

We have LG and Samsung appliances and have gotten superior service from them. LG stacked front loader washer/dryer are old but have worked flawlessly year after year. The Maytag we had and the one in a rental have been nothing but trouble, especially the one with the electronic controls. Our new fridge is a Daewoo and we love it. How about Norcold's track record?

Pierce

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #14 – September 28, 2022, 04:52:37 pm

You should be able to feel the compressor kick on from the outside door port. Some new ones wont run until the door is closed for a certain time. Mine wont . It has some sort of smart ECU running things.
Also , some warm air should be evident near the xchanger.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #15 – September 28, 2022, 07:40:13 pm

Frigidaire told me they would find a tech to send out to us. Never called back
We bought two thermometers......60 degrees in both compartments
I can't believe the effort I put into this exchange is for naught
What a heartbreak
Hopefully, we can find a tech along our travels. Pulling the unit out would be a nightmare, and I made minor modifications to the box, like removing the wheels and securing it to the coach.
Hard to deal with this setback.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #16 – September 28, 2022, 07:56:11 pm

Glenn, sorry to hear this. Let me ask some basic questions

1- Is there power to the plug? Breaker is working?
2- Do you hear the fridge come on?

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #17 – September 28, 2022, 08:02:47 pm

Buy some and use it like an ice box until you can get it working.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #18 – September 28, 2022, 08:10:17 pm

Another question are there two outlets one for inverter only and one for 110 vac ?

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #19 – September 28, 2022, 10:49:49 pm

A crazy question but have you tried bringing in shore power on an extension cord and plugging the fridge into it?

Pierce

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #20 – September 29, 2022, 06:56:41 am

Andy and Pierce....
funny thing. At 5 am this morning, I plugged into land line. I have two outlets behind the fridge. One is three pronged, labeled "ice maker". The other is two pronged. I have the coach on a land line. I tested the ice maker before I plugged it in. I could NOT test the two pronged with my three prong tester. I bet I screwed up. Anyway.....we'll see.
The fridge wasn't repackaged. It was well packaged when I got it. That was why I was lulled into thinking there was "no way" it wouldn't work, I'll let you know how it goes.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #21 – September 29, 2022, 09:24:32 am

Quote from: GleamB – September 29, 2022, 06:56:41 am

The fridge wasn't repackaged. It was well packaged when I got it. That was why I was lulled into thinking there was "no way" it wouldn't work, I'll let you know how it goes.

If it works when plugged in, great, but wasn't the interior light shining when you opened the door?

Living in the 21st and the latter days of the 20th centuries, products are no longer individually tested, it having been found less costly to ship you a new item.

Follow the three day rule: If it runs for 3 days it's probably going to last.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #22 – September 29, 2022, 01:49:24 pm

Meanwhile I wouldn't cancel any part of leaving on my trip. I would sit a 40 qt ice chest in the kitchen and move forward with my trip while trying to work thru the issue. Timing stinks but that's usually the case.

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #23 – September 29, 2022, 02:19:33 pm

I've also unplugged TVs, receivers, electronic devices for a few minutes and had them work properly when plugged in again. Especially ROKU TVs.

Pierce

Re: New Refrigerator too warm

Reply #24 – September 29, 2022, 03:45:08 pm

We put a Samsung in a few years ago and within a month the ball bearings started falling out of the freezer drawer slide mechanism. I was hesitant to call Samsung for warranty work because of the motorhome install. They actually sent a tech out and they had no issue with it being in a motorhome.

About 10 months after the first repair the same thing happened and service again came up and put new parts on. No problems the past two years.

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