Frigidaire Fridge Not Cooling But Freezer Fine?

By - Hs Saini

Updated -

Have you ever gone to get a drink from the fridge only to discover that the refrigerator is no longer cool? Yet your freezer appears to be doing its job?.

If your freezer is okay, but your fridge isn’t, you should know a few things about the cause of the problem and how to fix it.

If somehow, your Frigidaire refrigerator is not cooling but your freezer is okay; it’s most likely due to either a faulty evaporator fan, a faulty temperature control board, a broken defrost system, or a lousy Thermistor, or a bad-case scenario motherboard.

Why Is The Fridge Not Cold But The Freezer Is?

When your fridge is not cooling correctly, but your freezer is, it is initially not necessary to replace the entire device.

However, here are a few reasons that you may want to check in advance, which can prevent a new purchase.

#1. Defective Evaporator Fan/ Condenser Fan Motor

For Frigidaire and most refrigerators, both cooling units are very similar in structure. Some models have a standard cooling circuit or two separate cooling circuits. 

So-called evaporator windings (usually integrated into the rear wall) run on the inside of the back, which carries out the temperature exchange.

Heat absorbs cold, and cold absorbs heat – the basic principle of cooling units.

Fans and associated condenser fan motors ensure that the refrigerant’s cold is evenly distributed throughout the interior.

The cold air should therefore be able to circulate better inside the refrigerator.

#2. Defective Defrost Heater

Since your frigidaire freezer is cooling properly and the refrigerator is too warm. The evaporator coils may be overloaded, and the cause is a defective defrost heater.

Refrigerators with an integrated freezer can be models with one or two cooling circuits. In both cases, there are evaporator coils installed inside the cooling units.

The task of these coils is to dissipate heat from the interior. However, if ice forms outside these coils, they can no longer properly absorb the heat from the interior – the rings are overloaded.

The defrost heater prevents ice from forming on the coils inside the refrigerator.

As a result, the airflow can no longer circulate as desired when the interior of the rings is frozen, and the cooling capacity decreases.

#3. Faulty Defrost Thermostat

One of the most significant advantages of a combined fridge and freezer model type is that the motto “completely broken” does not apply in the event of a defect.

For example, a broken defrost thermostat can make the frigidaire freezer run as desired, but the refrigerator would not reach the set target temperature. 

This thermostat is responsible for continuously checking the temperature of the evaporator coils in the interior.

If the temperature of these coils falls below the set temperature, it sends a signal to the defrost heater.

By transmitting the correct signal, the defrosting thermostat prevents the evaporator’s coils in the refrigerator from freezing, which means the interior can no longer support cooling.

If this thermostat is defective, there will be no signal, the coils will freeze, and the refrigerator will not cool properly.

#4. Thermistor

A defect in the thermistor could also cause the temperature of your fridge to be too warm, while the freezer works fine. A thermistor in the fridge-freezer is an electrical resistor.

Depending on the temperature measured, this resistance changes in the component.

From there, the signal goes to the control board. This circuit board, in turn, is responsible for controlling the various fans and the compressor.

The error can thus occur in this chain that a defective thermistor passes on the wrong or no values.

As a result, the temperature control is incorrect, the cooling does not start (in time), and the device does not reach the intended temperature.

#5 Defrost Control Board

Have you checked all other possible reasons and still not been able to fix the defect? For example, if the refrigerator stays warm, there could be a defect in the defrost control board.

The defrosts control circuit board of the freezer or refrigerator is responsible for starting the defrosting process of the device.

On the one hand, the control board will receive signals (from components such as the thermistor), and on the other hand, it will itself pass on calls to other components (such as the defrost components of the heater). 

Suppose the component is defective, or the wrong signals transmit to the individual parts.

In that case, If the information that regulates the cooling circuit no longer reaches the individual components, the refrigerator’s interior could remain warm.

#6. Defrost Timer

Your frozen goods reach the desired temperature in the freezer, but your refrigerator is still too warm? One cause here can be a defective defrost timer.

The defrost timer in the fridge freezer is responsible for switching on the defrost heater after a set time. It frequently happens throughout the day.

Turning on the heater melts any frost formed on the evaporator coils. When these coils are free of ice, they can develop their cooling effect, and the refrigerator’s interior becomes cool due to the heat exchange.

However, the reverse conclusion is that if the defrost timer is defective, the defrost heater does not automatically come on.

As a result, ice covers the coils, and the refrigerator will not achieve the intended cooling capacity.

Other reasons why your frigidaire refrigerator is not cooling include flap control and temperature control board defects.

If everything else fails, the motherboard is the last component you need to check.

How do you Fix a Warm Fridge and Cold Freezer?

#1. Fix a Defective Evaporator Fan/ Condenser Fan Motor

First, locate the fan of the refrigerator. Now you should try to turn the fan blade by hand. Replace the fan motor if the fan blades do not turn freely or make a loud noise.

If the fan does not run, you can use a multimeter to check the part for continuity. If this cannot be determined here, replace the evaporator fan.

#2. Fix Overloaded Evaporator Coils

Check the instruction manual or the exploded view drawing on the Frigidaire website.

In addition, match this heater with a multimeter. If there is no continuity, replace the defrost heater as a component.

#3. Fix Faulty Defrost Thermostat

 First, check for continuity with the help of a multimeter. It reaches continuity when the temperature at the coils falls below the desired level. If the part is defective, replace the defrost thermostat.

#4. Fix Defective Thermistor

Measure the defrost thermostat with a multimeter to check the functionality. If the temperature changes, the resistance must also change.

If this is not the case, or if there is no continuity, then the thermistor needs to be changed.

#5. Fix a Defective Control Board

It is usually challenging to check the functionality of circuit boards without the corresponding in-depth knowledge.

We, therefore, recommend that you first check the components that give the signal, such as the thermistor or the heater itself.

If these are okay, the defrost control board should be considered a possible cause. To check this component, we recommend that you consult an expert.

#6. Fix Faulty Defrost Timer

To check whether the defrost timer of the refrigerator is defective, you should turn the dial. At the end of the defrost cycle, the refrigerator’s compressor must turn off, and the heater must turn on.

If, after 10-30 minutes, there is no indication that the dial is moving or the compressor no longer starts, the defrost timer is defective.

Conclusion

Frigidaire refrigerators and appliances are known to be durable and of high quality, but the possibility of something going wrong is always there.

If you have no experience fixing household appliances, we’d recommend that you allow a professional to handle it. 

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