A couple weeks ago, I noticed the ice cream was softer than usual. I thought it was because it was moved to a different section in the freezer. Then my son noticed the freezer temperature was 10F instead of the target 0F. Ah, the real cause!
In the past, the usual solution was to clean the condenser coils. Our fridge is 23 years old and I've done this two times in the past, with success. However, our condenser coils are underneath the fridge and are not easily accessible. I decide to check for other possible solution.
According to the Internet, there were two possibilities:
- Condenser coils are caked with dust and need to be cleaned.
- Freeze is too packed and blocking cold air from the vents.
In our case, I expect one or both possibilities could be the cause. I decided to go with cleaning the condenser coils first, which involves unplugging the appliance, removing the lower grill on the front, pulling the refrigerator out, taking off the lower access panel in the back. With a narrow brush, I removed dust near the opening. Using a leaf blower, I blew out dust from the front first. Then I blew out dust from the back. As an added benefit, I vacuumed the space underneath the refrigerator, while vacuuming all the blown out dust.
Reassembled and plugged back the refrigerator. The indicator started at 16F and slowly declined to 8F. I stopped watching and checked back after an hour. Success, the freezer was at 0F and we avoided a charge for a service call.
This is not financial, maintenance, nor repair advice. Please consult a professional advisor.
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