Is this the right place to ask about a refigerator problem?

[Citation]

I'm hoping some smart people here can help me with an LG refrigerator problem. My house came with an LG lfc20760st. You know, the old lfc20760st. It's an undersized (20ft^3) model with a freezer on the bottom and double doors on top. It's way to small for my needs and generally I don't like it. However, until the kitchen is remolded, it's the biggest thing that fits where some idiot previous owner put it in the kitchen. I really don't want to spend $1900 to replace it given it's a crappy

Anyway, it is cooling but not getting cold. The freezer is about 48*F, the fridge is about 55*F. The pump is quite warm to the touch, but I honestly don't know how hot it would normally run. I verified that it did turn on when I plugged the fridge in (it also cooled things). All the fans appear to work. When I pulled the thing out from the cabinets the air intake vent was very *very* dusty. I cleaned all that up with a vacuum and compressed air.

One post I found said something about the starter relay? Would that turn on then off?

Any suggestions?

 

[Milton Shaw]

Most of the time when it running and not cool enough the unit is not defrosting. On those bottom freezer you have to remove the drawer to find the cooling coils and then defrost them and repair the defrost problem. Heater, thermostat or control board/timer. Having to climb into the freezer to work on bottom freezer refrigerators is one reason I retired when I did. Should be able to see frost on back wall of freezer is this is the problem. But all the drawer parts usually have to come out to remove the inside back of the freezer to thaw it out.

 

[Citation]

We think the thing stopped cooling yesterday. All the ice in the hopper was water. I'm certain we don't have ice on the coils at this point. It's like the fridge was left unplugged for a few days and now won't cool beyond 48/55 (freezer/fridge)

 

[ww3]

I had a similar problem with an LG. There is an access panel in the rear about on the middle left for the control board. On that control board around the middle is a reset button. You may have to press it several times. May or may not work but it's worth a try. I did this and the fridge has been working properly for several years.

 

[BillK]

it's the biggest thing that fits where some idiot previous owner put it in the kitchen.

I am just curious ? If it is the largest fridge that will fit in that spot how in the world does it make the previous owner an idiot ???????

All I know is that if my food was getting spoiled and I couldnt figure out how to fix it myself in a couple of hours, I would be calling a repairman.

 

[Gizzi]

Since you already cleaned the condenser coil and both fans are working and the compressor is continuously running, checking the defrost cycle and verifying the coil isn't frosted over is your next step before dealing with the sealed system. If all else has checked out, you could have a restriction, compressor pumping issue, or refrigerant leak. The compressor being HOT(!) to the touch is an indicator something is wrong.

 

[Citation]

I am just curious ? If it is the largest fridge that will fit in that spot how in the world does it make the previous owner an idiot ???????

All I know is that if my food was getting spoiled and I couldnt figure out how to fix it myself in a couple of hours, I would be calling a repairman.

With a different kitchen layout they could have put the fridge someplace else and had a larger fridge. Instead they chose to put it in a spot that really limited the size of the unit.

We have a much larger fridge in the basement so at least I have some place I can keep food cool in the short term.

My concern is if what I'm seeing is a failed compressor. LG apparently had a lot of compressors that barely made it through warranty. When I put the fridge in test mode (the back panel switch ww3 mentioned) it ran but the condensor coils hardly warmed up. the return line from the evaporator was cool to the touch but hardly cold. The pump starts running and sounds normal but then gets very quiet and has very little vibration. Less than I might expect but honestly, the last fridge I checked was one of those crappy dorm fridges so I'm not sure it's the best gauge.

 

[James-W]

Usually when a refrigerator is not cooling it is stuck in the defrost cycle. Older refrigerators had a mechanical timer to operate the defrost cycle but newer ones have a circuit board instead that acts as a timer. In a defrost cycle the compressor turns off, little heating strips turn on and melt the built up frost, and after so many minutes the little heaters turn off and the compressor turns back on again.

Since the compressor is running I don't see how it can be a defrost problem. More likely the compressor is defective, there is a restriction in the sealed system, or there is a refrigerant leak somewhere in the sealed system. Any one of these problems and the refrigerator is probably not worth fixing unless it is still under warranty. You said it was a small refrigerator, so spending a sizable amount of money on it is most likely not in your best economical interest.

 

[Citation]

I'm ordering a starter relay. They are about $10 so I figure it's worth a shot. My guess is the compressor is bad in some way. It clearly runs but with very limited output. Since I saw this when putting the system in a test mode I'm sure it isn't a defrost cycle. That any any frost would have melted away quite some time ago. Fortunately the basement fridge wasn't too full so I could move all the kitchen fridge food into it.

Sadly I suspect I will spend over $1k on a new fridge even though we expect to redo the kitchen in the next year or so. The new fridge will be redundant at that point since any redesign will include a larger fridge and the basement fridge is already much larger.

Thanks for the input. I'll report back once I get the relay installed.

 

[Walkers]

It doesn’t look like you pulled the drawers and back cover. Milton Shaw nailed it with the most common problem. You symptoms fit it to a T. The reason you don’t get any cold air is that the coils are an ice block and nothing gets past them, yet the thermostat is still saying it is too hot.

 

[Citation]

The fridge is now starting from being warm. No ice in this thing what so ever.

 

[FMB4]

With a different kitchen layout they could have put the fridge someplace else and had a larger fridge. Instead they chose to put it in a spot that really limited the size of the unit.

Our place has a similar problem in that the fridge in very limited in depth due a poor kitchen layout. We failed to notice the issue because the previous owners left their working fridge in place when bought the house. The issue became clear when we went to replace the older fridge.

 

[BillK]

With a different kitchen layout they could have put the fridge someplace else and had a larger fridge. Instead they chose to put it in a spot that really limited the size of the unit.

That still doesnt make them an "idiot" They might have bought the house like that or they might have been perfectly happy with that size fridge. To be honest with you I think ours is right around the same size and i am perfectly happy with it.

I guess it just bugged me that you are calling somebody an idiot over something they might not have had any control over.

 

[jlv03]

One of the things that always drove me nuts on one of those HGTV shows was that whenever a basement apartment was created the small/slim fridge was used. Sure it looks great, but with the cabinet layout you have now forced a very specific size fridge that might not be in stock anywhere and cost more than a standard fridge.

 

[Gizzi]

The fridge is now starting from being warm. No ice in this thing what so ever.

Likely time to call someone in or get a new fridge. If you are positive the defrost cycle was working and there is zero frost on the evap coil, you likely have a sealed system issue.

 

[Citation]

Likely time to call someone in or get a new fridge. If you are positive the defrost cycle was working and there is zero frost on the evap coil, you likely have a sealed system issue.

I suspect I do. I'm trying the starter because it's cheap and will be here tomorrow. It a long shot but the alternative is $1k for a temporary fridge. Worth a shot. Kind of a pot odds thing.

 

[Citation]

That still doesnt make them an "idiot" They might have bought the house like that or they might have been perfectly happy with that size fridge. To be honest with you I think ours is right around the same size and i am perfectly happy with it.

I guess it just bugged me that you are calling somebody an idiot over something they might not have had any control over

I believe the kitchen was the fault of the owner before the ones we bought from. They picked style over substance. Even worse much of what they picked was either poor quality or was just a bad idea (Spanish tile on a flexible sub floor... Lots of cracks in that). The fridge isn't the only bad choice.

 

[Citation]

I'm guessing it's a failed compressor. Just in case I tried replacing the starter. After several hours the freezer was down to 71*F.

 

[James-W]

I'm guessing it's a failed compressor. Just in case I tried replacing the starter. After several hours the freezer was down to 71*F.

Just a question, please don't think I am being a jerk, that is most certainly not my intent. I am just curious what your thinking process was. Here is my question:

Since the compressor was already running, what made you think the cooling problem might be the compressor starter relay?

 

[Citation]

Just a question, please don't think I am being a jerk, that is most certainly not my intent. I am just curious what your thinking process was. Here is my question:

Since the compressor was already running, what made you think the cooling problem might be the compressor starter relay?

Simple, it was a Hail Mary. In looking on line one post about LG fridges said 10% of the time it's the starter, 90% it's the compressor. The odds that a $10 part would fix this were poor but the alternative was $1k. Might as well risk it.