Amana Issues

[tdelorme]

Our side by side Amana is having issues. Last weekend the freezer went up to 35 degrees forcing me to eat a 1/2 gallon of Pralines N Cream at one sitting. OK, I had some help but I did most of the work. The next morning everything was back to normal and the temp was 12 degrees. I checked it every day since, and today it's back up to 35 degrees.
I really like this fridge and would like to fix it, but if this is a slippery down hill slope with continuing problems I just as soon avoid the grief and replace it now. Any wisdom appreciated.

[Darl-Wilson]

Ted, buy more Pralines 'n Cream.

[MangoMike]

Mel-the-ice-cream-man-Torme,

A common problem is a clogged filter at the base of the refrigerator. Just a partial blocking will cause it to work less efficiently, thereby melting your prailines and cream.

Mike

[garyde]

Ted. Make sure the fins are free of dust and lint. They may be located under the refer or behind.

[MangoMike]

Mel,

Gary is right. I meant to say fins not filter.

Mike

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Mel, or Ted, or whoever you are, let me share my limited experience with said Amana (nee Maytag).

If your refrig is the same or similar model to the ones typically installed in Libertys it is a fairly simple device. Your symptoms sound like mine so I will give you the short version of what was a saga. The intermittent operation is what I had and I had two problems. The first is simple to diagnose. When the compressor is running you should also have a fan in the freezer side running at the evaporator coil area. That fan is what is distributing the air within the freezer, blowing it across the coils, and when it is not running the lack of air circulation does not allow the air surrounding the contents of your freezer to cool down sufficiently. That can be checked and replaced with the refrigerator mounted in place.

I fixed that and the SOB still gave me sporadic operation.

I pulled the refrigerator out (build a 3" high platform to roll it onto) and then slide the whole thing where you can get at the rear. In the lower rear is another fan. This fan cools the condensing coils. On mine it was intermittent, and so when we were driving the refrigerator worked perfect because the vibration of running down the road was enough to jar the fan and get it spinning. When we were parked it would operate only occasionally. Replacing that did the trick.

I had previously replaced the evaporator coil, but if that has a leak or there is a leak anywhere in the system it will not work at all. Your on again, off again operation suggests the fans may be the culprit.

You can get parts at a Maytag repair parts store. They are available despite what you read if you do an online search.

If it is not a crisis and you can wait a week I will do a search and possibly find the spare evaporator fan I have somewhere. I may also have the pertinent poop on the condenser fan. We are heading out for a week otherwise I could get at it tomorrow, but I got too much I have to get done.

[lewpopp]

jON, THESE BIG WORDS FOR THE IGNORANT....NEE MATAG, AND SOB. YOU'VE GOT THE SMART ONES SCRAMBLING AGAIN.

Seriously, what was the reason for the 3" platform. I need to slide mine out to find a leak in the water feed to the icemaker.

[tdelorme]

Thanks all. Jon, I pulled the lower interior panels in the freezer and the fan is running fine. Flipped the breaker off and back on several times and that fan always starts and runs just fine. So, as much as I don't want to do it, I'll start getting set up to roll her out. Why a 3" high platform as opposed to rolling it out onto a 3/4" piece of plywood?

[Jon Wehrenberg]

The Liberty refrigerator installations I have seen have the refrigerator installed on a platform that is 3" off the floor.

If your refrigerator is installed at floor level you don't need the platform. I had to build one so I could roll my refrigerator out, but I also built it with carpeting on the bottom so I could slide it out of the aisle to access the rear. The installation on my coach requires it to come forward all the way, and then to even see the back side of it I have to slide the whole thing sideways toward the front of the coach into the open area I create by removing the dining table. It is a real PITA.

With a floor level installation you need nothing except an open area.

Your problems could also be in the control, but I tend to attack problems starting with the simple stuff first. If it relates to the control there could be a lot of things that might be going on. It could have a failed temperature sensor, there could be issues with the defrost cycle timing, or you could have problems relating to the compressor. I dogged my problem because I did not want to have to go to the effort and expense of replacing the refrigerator due to the effort that is involved in adding finishing panels, painting the exposed portions to match my interior, and risking the damage to my coach bringing a refrigerator in and out through the windshield.

[Gary & Peggy Stevens]

We have a GE Side by Side Refrigerator with the Ice / Water thru the door.

Why does the frost or ice build up just below the ice bucket in the door in the top of the Ice shoot, when my bus sits up?

When I store the bus in the barn, I lift up the Auto Ice Maker Arm so it doesn't continue trying to make ice, but within a week, the shoot where the ice falls out of the door is plugged up with Frosty Ice inside the door????

Thanks

Gary S.