I replaced this unit ten years ago, and it evidently crapped out again; freezer temperature is normal, refrigerator is pushing 60°F.

Fat chance finding a parts store open on Sunday, so I ordered from Amazon with expected delivery some time at or before 10:00pm tomorrow, meaning that I probably won't be installing it until the following morning.

For the interim, is there any way that I can temporarily open the valve (flap, door, whatever it's called) manually, to let cold air into the refrigerator compartment until I have the new unit installed?

Here's the thing I ordered, same part number that fixed the problem when you told me what to order, back in 2014.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Ir may not be the damper control, anything that restricts air flow can cause this. Another indicator is water dripping in the refrigerator compartment, or overflowing from the defrost cycle catch pan under the unit. If air flow is interrupted, even for just a few hours, ice can accumulate in the air passages, making the problem worse.

If the fridge is of the recent design where cold air from the freezer is vented to the reefer compartment for cooling, make sure the vents in both compartments are unobstructed. After this, you might have to out wait the next defrost cycle before regular operation is restored, but blockage of these vents is what causes this problem in my fridge. Yes, this means that the back third of both compartments is not usable, an absolutely terrible design.

Also, check that you have a good seal all the way around the door. Per our repair guy, he says that manufacturers often ship without hanging the door correctly, and the big box stores rarely adjust them properly. He spent almost four hours shimming the door to ours when we first bought it and had the same cold/hot problem.

quote:

Originally posted by architect:

Ir may not be the damper control <snip> If the fridge is of the recent design where cold air from the freezer is vented to the reefer compartment for cooling

Yes, that type design.

This model is sold, with slightly different trim and brand badge, as Whirlpool, Maytag, and a few other brands.

I had the same problem ten years ago, 2014. Brad mentioned that he had almost the same refrigerator model (different brand, but basically same) in his kitchen. He told me what was wrong, and the part number that I needed to fix it. I got the part, very simple install, and it worked just fine for ten years.

Then this morning I got up, took the butter out, and realized that the butter dish did not feel cold, as it normally does. Checked temperatures and sure enough, freezer was normal but refrigerator was at least 20°F warmer than it should have been. Exact same symptoms as last time, so I ordered the same part.

Brad told me, when this happened ten years ago, that failure of the controller is not at all unusual; it's an inexpensive part (compared to the cost of a refrigerator) and easy to replace, even for a mobility-limited Old Guy like me.

I took the part out of mine and stuck a screw driver in it and popped the damper open. I reinstalled it and used it for a couple of weeks until I had the new part and time to install it. It would freeze the stuff on the upper levels. Other than that it worked fine.

If you can't rig it until you install the new part, I'd say bring some food stuff to the shop. Fridge there is nearly empty, I never use it.

Couldn't help you about the fridge as I've never attempted any repairs on one.

rtguy -- when yours failed, was it electrical (motor failure), or mechanical (door thing broken or dragging)?

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Edmond -- good idea if I had caught it earlier, but I think most things have spent too much time at warm temps now. The good news is, there really isn't that much that has to be thrown out. We were getting a bit low on consumables, I had planned major Publix and Costco runs for today and tomorrow to replenish stuff. Those trips will be done a couple days later than originally scheduled.

We cooked all the bacon today, that was in the fridge, so rescued that before it had a chance to go bad, had nice bacon sandwiches for lunch.

The damper door was in the closed position. It moved freely no dragging or binding. I assume the motor quit working. I replaced the thermistor along with the damper because I wasn’t sure exactly which one failed.

quote:

Originally posted by rtguy:

The damper door was in the closed position. It moved freely no dragging or binding. I assume the motor quit working. I replaced the thermistor along with the damper because I wasn’t sure exactly which one failed.

The motor was my assumption, that's what failed last time. I hadn't even thought about the thermistor or any other component in the control loop. We'll see what happens when I replace the damper assembly, which is the most likely culprit.

This may not help you now, but a similar thing happened to me some years ago.

I have a big-assed cooler (Coleman cooler, usually you put ice in it, camping and such.

I went to the grocery and bought, I think it was, about 5 pounds of dry ice. DON"T TOUCH IT WITHOUT GLOVES AND SOME LEARNING!!! I had them break some chunks into 1/2 size pieces.

The grocery had some pamphlets how to use dry ice, for refrigerated use vs freezer use.

I *think I remember* putting some newspaper in the bottom of the cooler, putting dry ice on that, then a few inches layer of newspaper above that, and put the refrigerated food in that. I monitored the temp, and by adding or taking out and moving around the dry ice, I was able to maintain around 36 degrees.

I didn't add all the dry ice to that big cooler, I tossed the rest in another cooler to keep it on hand for the next few days and to move around/adjust quantity for a few days until the appliance guy came out to fix it.

If your freezer goes out, you can get some dry ice chunks and put them at the top, colder air will sink, and manage to keep your freezer food frozen just fine.

Since this is your refrigerator part not working but the freezer is, you might be able to add dry ice to the refrigerator, hoping that that may not screw up the freezer part. I don't know so I'd err on the cautious side and use a big Coleman type cooler.

You WILL need to research this before hand, as part of any preps and notes you keep, and thus have the written knowledge and notes available immediately. Got to be a little organized.

I know this may or may not apply to your situation, but if someone else can find use in this, go for it.

Best wishes to you Sir.

*Oh by the way, dry ice is not water. It is frozen pure carbon dioxide, CO2. It does not melt, it sublimates, so be aware of that and keep the surroundings well ventilated. A few years I was in New Mexico and bought multiple cases of Hatch Chile Cheese Rellenos. I had a big cooler in the car, bought some dry ice, packed the cooler as instructed, and it was still completely frozen when I got back to OKC a few days later.*



There are lots of videos on youtube
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V-Tail, I replied to your email.