Refrigerator not cooling but Freezer section is working just fine...

[SVRocinante]

Good evening folks

I'm having a problem with our fridge and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction... as the title stipulates, The small freezer compartment is working just fine (makes and maintains ice cubes) but the refrigerator is not; it's currently at ~50° while set to max.

The freezer compartment is one of those small units sitting inside the refrigerator section that holds a couple of icecube trays and perhaps a bit more, but that's it. That is, it is not a seperate box/unit.

Any quick thoughts on what would make it behave this way?

Not sure what info would be helpful for diagnosis, but ask away.
BTW, I don't think it matters, but it's an isoterm unit with a front door and a top "hatch".

Thanks for any and all help/suggestions!

regards,

[newhaul]

Is there significant frost buildup?

[SVRocinante]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Is there significant frost buildup?

I'm going to say no newhaul. I have a bit of frost building around the little plastic door of the freezer, but that's about it.

Thanks for taking the time to help - greatly appreciated!

BTW, just in case we differ in what we consider "significant" here is a current photo:

[Typhoon]

Yes , that is a lot of frost. Ice and frost buildup on your evaporator plate insulates it and prevents it from cooling the refrigerator. You need to have airflow around the plate , it looks like the frost has filled in the space between the evaporator and the box wall , not good . It will also interfere with the sensing tube that controls your compressor.

Try defrosting, then check all your seals make sure they are in good shape , that will help to slow the frosting up process again .

Regards John.

[newhaul]

Dang it john I just woke up . You stole my thunder
What he said defrost that fridge (frost is almost as good an insulator as foam. )

[Typhoon]

Originally Posted by newhaul

Dang it john I just woke up . You stole my thunder
What he said defrost that fridge (frost is almost as good an insulator as foam. )

LOL Sorry Newhaul.

Couldn't resist .

Regards John.

[senormechanico]

A BIT of frost? LOL

On our boat, when you can feel the frost, it's time to defrost.

[Rorzech]

Originally Posted by SVRocinante

Good evening folks

I'm having a problem with our fridge and was hoping someone could point me in the right direction... as the title stipulates, The small freezer compartment is working just fine (makes and maintains ice cubes) but the refrigerator is not; it's currently at ~50° while set to max.

The freezer compartment is one of those small units sitting inside the refrigerator section that holds a couple of icecube trays and perhaps a bit more, but that's it. That is, it is not a seperate box/unit.

Any quick thoughts on what would make it behave this way?

Not sure what info would be helpful for diagnosis, but ask away.
BTW, I don't think it matters, but it's an isoterm unit with a front door and a top "hatch".

Thanks for any and all help/suggestions!

regards,

Could be one of a few things causing this.
1st. if your frost on the outside of your freezer is more than 3/8 in. then the heat in your food may have a hard time getting through the frost which acts like insulation at this point.
2nd. Your compressor may not be getting a low enough suction pressure in order to make it cold enough to do the job.Yet it is still cold enough to freeze things in that little freezer evaporator.
3rd. You may have a serious air leak in a torn door gasket. Check all around for a good seal.
4th. You may be low on refrigerant and the little bit left is just spraying in the evaporator a a very low pressure which means a very cold temperature but without it's normal volume of heat gathering ability a flooded evaporator would provide.
5th. Maybe a mouse borrowed a bunch of your insulation to build a nest on the other side of your boat !

[MarkJ]

I will go the frost.

It takes surprisingly little to upset the thing.

On my freezer the thermostat it up near the door and just the slightest icing makes the compressor run for ages.

Also air circulation. Can cold air get to the fridge?

[SVRocinante]

Quick thanks to all; newhaul, ColdEh Marine, senormechanico, Rorzech & MarkJ
Appreciate the help and will get back to everyone with the results...

Thanks again!

[svHyLyte]

A. Defrost the unit entirely;

B. Leave the front cover open. The ice trays in contact with the evaporator plates will still freeze/make ice but with the door open, cold air circulation will be much better. Make ice before a passage and store it in zip-locks in the "freezer" compartment.

BTDT...

[SVRocinante]

Quick update:

Defrosted (i.e. turned off unit overnight and left top off)
Amazing (to me at least) how long it took to defrost!

Temp is better, but still not low enough; i.e. hovering around 40° in the lowest part of the fridge and I'm currently in Maryland with average temp of say 70° so figuring it will only get worse when we hit the Florida Keys this winter!

I've now left the freezer "door" open, we'll see!

I'm thinking my next step will be to see if I can provide better air circulation for the compressor/condenser... will keep everyone posted on progress.

Thanks again,

[newhaul]

Did you Clean the condenser? That will also make a big difference.

[Typhoon]

Originally Posted by SVRocinante

Quick update:

Defrosted (i.e. turned off unit overnight and left top off)
Amazing (to me at least) how long it took to defrost!

Temp is better, but still not low enough; i.e. hovering around 40° in the lowest part of the fridge and I'm currently in Maryland with average temp of say 70° so figuring it will only get worse when we hit the Florida Keys this winter!

I've now left the freezer "door" open, we'll see!

I'm thinking my next step will be to see if I can provide better air circulation for the compressor/condenser... will keep everyone posted on progress.

Thanks again,

You should make sure your condenser is clean and not stuffed full of dust , better air flow equals lower condenser temperatures which will help the unit to perform better.

Regards John.

[newhaul]

Did you know that according to the usda and the aerican dairy council the optimum temp for milk is 38° to 40°f . Just a side note.
Now to maintain those teps how long is compressor running ?