Hi, CaptainWarmFridge speaking!! I have a Whirlpool Side By Side Model # ED25QFXHW00. Age is about 10 yrs not less then 1 year.
What happens is it will run and cool just fine in perfect temp range (30-40 degrees) for half a day, maybe even a couple days sometimes. Then it will either all of a sudden get super cold (10-30 degrees) so things practically freeze in my refrigerator or it will get so warm (40-60 degrees) that my freezer starts to melt and everything in the refrigerator goes bad.
I find when it’s stuck in warm mode if i give it a thump with my fist up by the control knobs it will kick back on, so when I see the temps getting out of range that’s what I have been doing for now. If it gets stuck in cold mode I turn the temp dial down so it shuts off then I put the dial back up to where it was.
I already replaced the Defrost Timer because a friend recommended that idea to me since it was cheap and easy. It does the same thing though with the new one as it did with the old one so it isn’t that.
What’s next? Anyone know what could be the problem or have any ideas to try next?
next time it happens turn the cold control knob up and down (not to off) to see if the unit will start working correctly.
If yes then I would replace the control thermostat.
Peal off the overlay from the control panel and remove all the screws, then let the control panel hang down. When it fails, tap on the cold control, if it now runs, you have a sticking cold control.
Thanks for the advice so far I will give them a try.
I haven’t tried recently but it seems when the temps are high nothing happens when I move the control knobs up and down, only when I give it a tap will it turn back on. When the temps are super cold I can turn it off by turning the knob down so it shuts off then I can put the knob back where it was and it will run fine for awhile.
I will see what happens today when I get home from work, that’s normally when its stuck into warm mode lol.
Yep, ok so when it’s stuck on and getting colder all I have to do is turn the temp control knob down a bit and it will click off then I put it back where it was.
When it’s getting warmer and warmer and don’t kick on I can move the temp control knobs all I want and nothing with happen. Then what I have to do is give it a thump and it kicks back on.
I just took a 4 day vacation over the 4th and when I got home the fridge was almost 80 degrees. Pretty sure that’s why they call me CaptainWarmFridge!!!
CaptainWarmFridge said:
Yep, ok so when it’s stuck on and getting colder all I have to do is turn the temp control knob down a bit and it will click off then I put it back where it was.
When it’s getting warmer and warmer and don’t kick on I can move the temp control knobs all I want and nothing with happen. Then what I have to do is give it a thump and it kicks back on.
I just took a 4 day vacation over the 4th and when I got home the fridge was almost 80 degrees. Pretty sure that’s why they call me CaptainWarmFridge!!!
Have you tried getting some WD40 inside the thermostat control? Also, the defrost timer should be cheap for your fridge and you may try changing it. Something similar to your problem happened to me on GE side by side. The problem there was that a wrong defrost thermostat was installed before. Check that you installed the right part number for the defrost thermostat also. Good luck.
Never use WD-40 on a control, use a non-residue contact cleaner available at Walmart. Also, it seems like your defrost timer is sticking in defrost and not a bad cold control. Next time it fails, turn the defrost control to get it out of defrost.