3 days ago, Whirlpool refrigerator began acting up. Freezer side was thawing & fridge side was warming. Ice was melting all over the place. All lights were working but no fans operating. Slid temperature controls back & forth. Nothing, no fan or compressor kick in.
Thought about unplugging, but didn’t at that time.
Unloaded the unit, and decided to unplug. Pulled the plug waited 5 seconds and plugged it back in.
Well, shazzam, it began running.:eek:
The past couple of weeks, I have occasionally heard a different noise. Like crumpling up a piece of paper, noise. Would that be cause for concern?
In the mean time, I scheduled service and am waiting for repairman/woman now.
The unit has seemed to work fine since the unplug/replug. Is it possible that these new refrigerators can be "rebooted" like a computer?
Is there anything else I should be aware of or could be the problem?
Is it possible that these new refrigerators can be "rebooted" like a computer?
Yes they can.
FYI: This also applies to most electronic controlled devices DVD players, TV’s etc. So if they mess up always try unplugging it for a couple minutes to see if they will reset.
If you look in Section 10 you will see that this unit has a mechanical thermostat (Item 9) since moving this did not do anything I would say it is OK.
But it also has an Adaptive Defrost Control (Item 6) and it is electronic. It sounds like it got stuck in a defrost cycle. This holds the fans and compressor off. I would replace it.
If you are going to let the repair person replace it, make sure they bring one with them.
Otherwise they could show up and basically do nothing but charge you a service call.
I have occasionally heard a different noise. Like crumpling up a piece of paper, noise. Would that be cause for concern?
I cannot really comment on this.
What is running or not running when this happens.
Perhaps something is hitting one of the fans every once in a while, if the fans are running.
Try to locate the noise.
I have occasionally heard a different noise. Like crumpling up a piece of paper, noise. Would that be cause for concern?
I cannot really comment on this.
What is running or not running when this happens.
Perhaps something is hitting one of the fans every once in a while, if the fans are running.
Try to locate the noise.
— End quote
Thank you denman for your reply.
Ummm… I don’t believe the fan or compressor was running when I heard this noise. Haven’t noticed it since the re-boot.
I was thinking it could be water moving through the system, filling the icemaker or cold water storage. But it was a new noise I hadn’t heard before.
This is a "Original Warranty" repair, as it was purchased Oct 1, 2011.
The service man should be here soon. Hope he has parts. I’m a bit reluctant to suggest to the "pro" to bring replacement parts.
I’m just a simple consumer.
I’ll ask him about the 2 parts you mentioned. And see his reaction!
Only part he should need is the Adaptive Defrost Board.
I am sure they will be able to figure it out on their own oncethey hear the problem and how you troubleshot /repaired it.
The reason I say to replace the board is that if it happens again and you do not catch it then it could be costly.
Do not confuse the issue by mentioning the following to the service rep.
It will just confuse things and they may try to ding you for tyhe service call.
Also is the unit on a separate 15 amp line?
It should be.
Other devices on a line could cause voltage spikes.
Voltage spikes can effect the operation of the electronic board.
"richappy" another regular poster here recommends a put a 1000joule surge protector in the fridge outlet.
They are available at Home Depot etc.
I’m pretty sure it’s on a 15A line. My breaker box has many labeled circuits, but nothing for the refrigerator.
Will track that down when I have a spotter. It’s kinda a PITA tracking that alone.
Ya know, turn breaker off, run to see, … wrong one… do it again… :eek: LOL
Service technician stated it is probably an issue with the Defrost Board, as denman suggested.
He said Whirlpool was aware of the problem and thinks it’s from interference from microwaves, wi-fi’s, cell phones etc. that’s causing the issue with the Defrost Board. :rolleyes:
He’s filing a report with tech support and I’ll be on a standby list to have a redesigned board installed. ~shrugs~
He did mention if I noticed the "Water Filter Status" light was a different color than green. It was green when the problem occurred.
He said the WFS light was tied with the defrost board and a color change would indicate a Defrost Board problem.
He didn’t want to install another Defrost Board knowing there was an interference issue.
Now I guess it’s wait and see. I’ll follow up with them until the redesign is complete.
He said Whirlpool was aware of the problem and thinks it’s from interference from microwaves, wi-fi’s, cell phones etc. that’s causing the issue with the Defrost Board
Personally the above does not make sense to me.
Your fridge is metal so I cannot see how the above could effect the board.
Ever try to use your cell phone in a metal building?
Also microwave ovens are metal and have metal mesh in the glass doors for the specific purpose of stopping microwaves from escaping.
I hope you do not mind but I am going to put this in the Tech Talk section to get the opinion of others.
Yeah, I was a bit confused with this diagnosis also. I will be following up with this. I’ll give it a couple weeks and keep a sharp eye on the refrigerator. I may even contact Whirlpool directly and see what they say.
>>>I hope you do not mind but I am going to put this in the Tech Talk section to get the opinion of others.<<<
Absolutely, do with this wherever you believe may get more attention.
Not a problem. I’ll find Tech Talk and follow it, if I’m authorized.
As you can see, I just joined this forum. Lots of good info here, to be sure!
>>>I’ll find Tech Talk and follow it, if I’m authorized.<<<
denman…
Well, I’m not allowed into Tech Talk.
Perhaps you could keep me posted if the Tech Talk guru’s have any answers and post them here.
That would be great.
Thanks again.
denman - Thanks for the update. There are at least 2 of us interested!
So far, since the reboot 5 days ago, there has been no "interference" to affect the defrost board.
The unit has been running fine. But there is still that thought of failure in the back of my mind.:eek:
One thing to consider… Whirlpool had an issue where if the refrigerator wasn’t on a dedicated breaker but was sharing a breaker with an outlet where anything with a thermostat was puugged in,( i.e. coffeemaker, toaster, etc.), this was putting "noise" in the power supply line which was causing the electronic control to "think" it was an electronic command from the microprocessor and causing the water valves to fill an already full icemaker everytimg the thermostat kicked on or off. this was corrected by putting a ferrite bead on the power supply line at the refrigerator where the power supply line entered the refrigerator. I’ve seen this work on several occasions. I also saw it turn on and off a Kitchenaid dishwasher at random times. Turned out to be the coffeemaker which the customer left on 24/7. Just a thought but a ferrite bead is a cheap fix in this case. =]
Jerry, Thank you for the input.
I did a search for "ferrite beads, as I had no idea what you were talking about. So now, I’ve seen ferrite beads on components,
but had no idea what they were or what they did.
There is a coffee maker near the refrigerator, but not sure if it’s on the same circuit. Still need to isolate the refrigerator circuit.
Would something like this work? Or should I be looking for something different? Ferrite Bead
Thanks again!!
[COLOR="Blue"]Voltage spikes can effect the operation of the electronic board.
"richappy" another regular poster here recommends a put a 1000joule surge protector in the fridge outlet.
They are available at Home Depot etc.[/COLOR]
In my opinion the above will do a better job.
Thanks denman,
I checked the breaker box and the refrigerator is on a 20 amp circuit with some GFCI outlets in the kitchen.
Would this info change any opinions or advice?
Since turning off and on that breaker, I’m hearing that unusual sound again. It is a water gurgling sound.
At the time of the sound, fridge fan was not running. The fan kicked on and gurgling sound seems to have stopped.
Going to get the surge protector and see how it goes.
Will check with Whirlpool and see if they have something in the works to eliminate the "noise" issue, as I’m sure others with this model may have the same problem also.
Thanks
And see his reaction! 
