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Refrigerator's Condensor Fan was stuck Samson 06-16-2006
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Posted by Samson on June 16, 2006, 4:36 pm
I've been noticing for over a year that the sides around both doors of
the refrigerator (top freezer, kitchen-aid, circa 1994) have at times
been hot to the touch. I also notice that both doors don't close well
on their own. They need some help to make sure they are sealed closed
and even then sometimes I can feel some cool air escaping.

So I decided to get someone to look at it and called out a repair
service. The guy immediately took off the bottom panel on the back
and showed me that the fan wasn't turning. Now looking up what it is
I see that it is called the condensor fan. He said that needed to be
replaced and quoted me $100+ in labor and $100+ for parts.

So I got down and took a look and saw that there is a piece of thick
flexible cardboard that was buckled up and interfering with the fan.
So I pushed the cardboard back to where it should be and now the fan
is working. He says that isn't going to fix the problem. But his
english was pretty bad and he wasn't able to explain why that wouldn't
fix it. I think he was trying to say that the compressor was damaged
too, pointing out that it was extremely hot to the touch, although
that would have meant that I would have been paying more than the $200
he had just mentioned. As I can't speak Azerbijianie and couldn't
follow his logic I gave up on him and paid the minimum for the
service call and will try to figure this out on my own.

So if the condensor fan was not working because it was stuck and now
it is unstuck, is it possible that I will have fixed my overheating
problem? It's only been less than an hour since I got the fan turning
but the compressor still feels quite hot, but the refrigerator is
working and the sides feel okay, but that might be just because I made
sure they were closed well. Should I feel the compressor get cooler
and if not do I need a new compressor that might have been damaged
from having a condensor fan?

\Samson

Posted by Speedy Jim on June 16, 2006, 4:57 pm
Samson wrote:

> I've been noticing for over a year that the sides around both doors of
> the refrigerator (top freezer, kitchen-aid, circa 1994) have at times
> been hot to the touch. I also notice that both doors don't close well
> on their own. They need some help to make sure they are sealed closed
> and even then sometimes I can feel some cool air escaping.
>
> So I decided to get someone to look at it and called out a repair
> service. The guy immediately took off the bottom panel on the back
> and showed me that the fan wasn't turning. Now looking up what it is
> I see that it is called the condensor fan. He said that needed to be
> replaced and quoted me $100+ in labor and $100+ for parts.
>
> So I got down and took a look and saw that there is a piece of thick
> flexible cardboard that was buckled up and interfering with the fan.
> So I pushed the cardboard back to where it should be and now the fan
> is working. He says that isn't going to fix the problem. But his
> english was pretty bad and he wasn't able to explain why that wouldn't
> fix it. I think he was trying to say that the compressor was damaged
> too, pointing out that it was extremely hot to the touch, although
> that would have meant that I would have been paying more than the $200
> he had just mentioned. As I can't speak Azerbijianie and couldn't
> follow his logic I gave up on him and paid the minimum for the
> service call and will try to figure this out on my own.
>
> So if the condensor fan was not working because it was stuck and now
> it is unstuck, is it possible that I will have fixed my overheating
> problem? It's only been less than an hour since I got the fan turning
> but the compressor still feels quite hot, but the refrigerator is
> working and the sides feel okay, but that might be just because I made
> sure they were closed well. Should I feel the compressor get cooler
> and if not do I need a new compressor that might have been damaged
> from having a condensor fan?
>
> \Samson

Compressor should be hot.
Run it. I think you'll be pleased with your "fix".

Jim

Posted by on June 16, 2006, 6:45 pm

>I've been noticing for over a year that the sides around both doors of
>the refrigerator (top freezer, kitchen-aid, circa 1994) have at times
>been hot to the touch. I also notice that both doors don't close well
>on their own. They need some help to make sure they are sealed closed
>and even then sometimes I can feel some cool air escaping.

Make sure the refrigerator is leveled so that the door closes by
gravity until the magnetic gasket contacts. Check the inside for
shelves/drawers that obstruct the door.

If it has an "Energy Saver" switch, this heats the outside of the
cabinet so that it does not sweat in hot weather. This may be what you
feel. I keep mine "Off".

>So I got down and took a look and saw that there is a piece of thick
>flexible cardboard that was buckled up and interfering with the fan.
>So I pushed the cardboard back to where it should be and now the fan
>is working. He says that isn't going to fix the problem.

Have seen several bad fans that did not hurt the compressor. Run it.
It probably isn't hurt.

>So if the condensor fan was not working because it was stuck and now
>it is unstuck, is it possible that I will have fixed my overheating
>problem? It's only been less than an hour since I got the fan turning
>but the compressor still feels quite hot, but the refrigerator is
>working and the sides feel okay, but that might be just because I made
>sure they were closed well.

Some dust accumulation in the condenser coils may be impeding the
cooling. Blow/vacuum CAREFULLY to remove all the dust you can but do
not flex or spread the coils. The cardboard on the rear has to be
there to direct the air flow properly.
--
Mr.E

Posted by Edwin Pawlowski on June 16, 2006, 8:17 pm

> So if the condensor fan was not working because it was stuck and now
> it is unstuck, is it possible that I will have fixed my overheating
> problem?

No, not until you spend the $200. If you want to cheat the poor service guy
out of an unneeded part, at least flush $200 down the toilet.

You will probably be OK for the next few years now.



Posted by Samson on June 16, 2006, 9:19 pm

>
>> So if the condensor fan was not working because it was stuck and now
>> it is unstuck, is it possible that I will have fixed my overheating
>> problem?
>
>No, not until you spend the $200. If you want to cheat the poor service guy
>out of an unneeded part, at least flush $200 down the toilet.
>
>You will probably be OK for the next few years now.
>

I decided to uplug the refrigerator for a couple hours, keeping the
ref and freezer doors closed, to see if I could lower the temp of the
compressor. The compressor cooled to warm and then I plugged it back
in. Now after an hour or so it is hot to the touch. Not so hot that I
can't touch it but hot enough so that I can't leave my hand on it.
I'm going to assume that's okay.

So when the condensor fan was stuck why was that causing the elements
in the walls of the machine to run hot and the compressor to run even
hotter than it is now running?



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