Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I have a Kenmore refrigerator model 106.9708283. It does not run at all, only lights.
It is very difficult to answer your question without more information as there can be many reasons your fridge does not cool. Most problems will require a service company to resolve as you will not have the knowledge or be able to resolve on your own.
I am a great believer in repairpersons whenever possible, but a fridge that doesn't cool at all might be major problems. You should probably consult someone, but in my experience fridges work nearly forever until they die. Then you buy a new one.
My Kenmore model 253 refrigerator is not cooling at all. However the freezer is working fine.
By L.J.
Our super dooper, hoity toity french door, bottom freezer unit did the same thing...(our old fridge has been running for almost 40 years). We were told to turn it off for about 6 hours (don't open if you can help it) and then back on. We have done this twice now.
Thank you so much for this advice. The top shelf in my fridge (bottom freezer) was not cooling, but the lower shelves had some cool and the freezer worked fine. I unplugged the fridge overnight and when I plugged it in again in the morning it started getting cold very quickly.
I got this fridge second hand and the lights inside came on, the digital read out was operational, no codes. I replaced the compressor relay and then the fans and compressor came on. There was still no cold. I replaced defrost timer; still no cold air. I inspected the mainboard for any signs of burnt or obvious signs of a blow out; all looked ok. I do not know what to do next. We can't afford a new fridge nor a repair man.
By Dwight
Older types of refrigerators need to have top ups of gas (sorry I don't know what type) in the compressor tank. Could you try filling it up?
My husband fixed our fridge three times by typing in make/model # and the problem into google and youtube. There was tons of information and how-to videos! Good luck.
My Kenmore model 596.67272790 bottom freezer stays cold, but top refrigerator gets warm after about a week. Everything has been cleaned out and door seals are in place. The blower fan runs. It seems like the unit is not defrosting and freezing up (bottom unit behind panel in freezer section). I defrost it, but in a week the top fridge gets warm again (no cool air flow from freezer). Bottom freezer never gets warm. Fridge kicks on and off with no problems. No issues at all until bottom coils freeze up again, then I defrost them. All is good for only a week or so.
By Glenn
The fan motor died in my previous fridge, so while I am fixing it I am borrowing a full size Kenmore stand up fridge/freezer from a friend who had it sitting in his garage. We brought it to my house on Saturday, and were worried it might not be good from sitting. But, we plugged it in, and it started getting cooler. We put my food in it, and it was cold Saturday night when I went to bed.
I got home from work on Sunday, and it actually feels warm inside now. All the meat I had in the freezer is now bad. It is running, and I checked the settings and both fridge and freezer are on coldest setting (that's where I set it when we moved it in, because I was hoping that would help it get cold faster). It almost seems like it's running non-stop. The friend who owns the fridge seems to think it's stuck in a defrost mode and can't get out of it. What should I do before all my food goes bad?
By Matt D.
Years ago you could rent a freezer unit in a warehouse. I don't know if you still can, but probably. People rented them after hunting and fishing trips when they had a lot of meat to freeze. Otherwise, surely a couple of neighbors could let you have a little room in their freezers and refrigerators temporarily.
An appliance repairman told me that it is not good to set the thermostat on the coldest setting, since the coils can overwork, and collect ice. Start at mid-level; the frig/freezer will cool without ice-buildup. You might unplug the appliance for a few hours, then re-set at a lower temp.
My refrigerator is not cooling and freezing. All I heard was a clicking sound. This morning there was water on the floor. I then unplugged it, but no help. The freezer is all filled with water and the refrigerator is not cool. The water has stopped coming from the fridge, but still it's all messy.
Please help, the model no. is 2537988832990.
You can contact Kenmore directly by phone for help in identifying the problem:
Retail Customer Care
1-800-549-4505
A tech from Sears changed the board in my 4 year old French door Kenmore fridge with bottom freezer. Three hours after installing it, I still don't feel the air flowing.
The fridge is running, but no change yet. Is it is too early to say or I should feel a temperature change already or what?The Sears tech replaced the board so contact Sears to answer your questions.
It is a side by side that is about 13 years old. The freezer works fine. It was over full so I took everything out, cleaned inside and out, cleaned the coils and around the compressor. It has been pretty much sitting empty for at least 12 hours and the temperature is hanging at about 40 degrees. I have settings 1-6 on the fridge. I had previously turned it up to 4 1/2 when it was full. I read that you should leave it mid way on the factory suggested settings so it will work better. I unplugged it for a few minutes and turned it down. I'm going to leave it where it is overnight and see what it is at in the morning.
Other than the things I have already done, are there any other diy suggestions on things I can try? Before I call a repairman or buy a new fridge.
More than likely what has happened is that you have water frozen in the lines that run between your freezer to your fridge. These lines are used for air to blow cold air into the fridge. If they get water frozen in them the air that is meant to blow through and cool your fridge is blocked, and your fridge acts like it is not working.
The power to this house was turn off for about 6 months and now the refrigerator and freezer are not working. They were working when the power was shut off.
I have found that sometimes things don't work properly if they are shut off for long periods of time. Goodness knows why that is, but that seems to be the case. My renter refused to use the dishwasher in our mobile home, and when she moved out, the thing wouldn't work any more. However, it seems strange to me that both appliances don't work. Could it be the outlets rather than the appliances? Is there some sort of shut off -- breaker or electrical switch that could be shut off?
What controls the evaporator fan inside the freezer and evaporator fan condenser? Is it the door switch?
By Albert
My refrigerator is not cooling and freezing. The motor stopped running and all I heard was a clicking sound. I cleaned the whole underneath and now the motor is running, but there is only cool air coming out and it is not freezing. This was 5 hours ago. Do I have to give it more time?
By Arlene
I doubt it. I do not know if refrigerators are economical to repair. When mine quit running, I bought a new one. Usually they run forever.
My Kenmore bottom freezer and top fridge is not cooling. I hear a relay click on and then a buzzing noise for about 10 to 15 secs. It does this continually.
By Dan S.
Could you be low on freon? My husband said that if the fridge is low on freon, it might not work.
The refrigerator is warm and the freezer is working fine. I have a bottom mount freezer, Kenmore model 596.69162990, that is 13 years old. The coils have been cleaned. The air vents in the refrigerator are not blocked. What next?
By Mary D
I had the same problem and despite the fridge freezer being frost free, it was completely clogged with ice inside. It took four days to defrost but now works fine.
I have a Kenmore side by side refrigerator and the cooling fan is not turning on. The water wasn't working, but I was able to defrost the valve located in the fridge behind the crisper. I tried unplugging it and vacuuming under and behind the fridge. Is there anything else I can do?
By James
I had the same problem after laying new tile. When the guys moved the fridge back, a tile lifted and was stuck under the fridge keeping the fan from moving. Mine actually got hot.
I have a Kenmore Hotspot Refrigerator side by side. The fridge is running, but then the freezer and frig get warm. What can I do to fix it myself?
By Juanita
I had a 'fridge do that to me (a GE) and I had a repairman in who said the thermostat was bad. It cost me $75USD in 2008 to replace.
The fridge ran for about another year and then started having the same problem again. I wasn't happy. The condenser kept cycling but the fridge got warmer. And warmer. And warmer.
I called the GE 800 phone number and talked to a living breathing repairman. The news wasn't good:
Apparently when a thermostat wears out the condenser should be replaced at the same time (wish the repairman had mentioned that little bit of info in '08!).
Considering the cost of replacing the condenser, it worked out to be a better decision to replace the old wheezer (it was about ten years old at the time) for a new more energy efficient model.
My Kenmore side by side is not cooling. It is 7 years old. The motor and fan run, but there is no cool air. I want to clean the dust underneath, but do not know how to remove front bottom panel. Any ideas of what is going on?
By Cheryl from Poughkeepsie, NY
I just went through that with mine, and after calling and talking to a repairman who couldn't make it out to where we are located. He suggested checking the temperature controls. The freezer unit should never, ever be set more than 1/2 way point on the controls. If it is set higher then the fridge spends all the time trying to bring down the temp of the freezer, leaving no cold air for the fridge. He suggested raising the temp to at least the 1/2 way point or "warmer" to allow the fridge to cool down properly. Don't know if it will work for yours, but it saved us from having to buy a new fridge.
I have a Kenmore top freezer refrigerator unit. The power is on, however my refrigerator is not getting cold.
By Ricky
I have a Kenmore side by side model #795.5881. It quit working completely.
By Frank
