Can a refrigerator work without the freezer

Can you hear the evaporator fan running? (it is inside the freezer compartment behind a panel. It stops when a door is opened and starts again when the door is shut). Do not confuse it with the condenser fan which is outside both the fridge compartments

The evaporator fan should be running as long as the compressor motor is running. This drives down the temp in the freezer and the refrigerator to the correct temps.

If the fan is not running then it may be iced up due to either a faulty defrost heater, thermostat or perhaps the fan itself may be faulty.

Jun 15, 2019 by jayeff

Hi,

My LG ref model no. GR-B207GSQV, a side by side door type, the chiller temperature has changed but still cooling some water bottles in it. The freezer wont freeze but still cold. The evaporator fan inside the freezer compartment is running. What to do to apply the process of elimination as there maybe couple of faulty parts not working properly.

Jun 15, 2019 by wesmae17

It's almost a year now, I ended up searching for the LG service center and it was so difficult finding the right service center for my area. It took less than a month before the technical support arrives.

Finally, the ref was repaired by doing a SYSTEM RE-PROCESS METHOD they call.

A day ago the freezer stop making ice again, tried to contact the service but to no avail.

I noticed that there's a build up of ice in the evaporator, what would I do to remove that ice block?

May 11, 2020 by Frank Dela Cruz

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Posted: Jun 15, 2019

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These are the most common things to check first. Let me know if one of these does not do the trick:

Cause 1

Condenser Coils are Dirty

The condenser coils are usually located under the refrigerator. They dissipate heat as refrigerant passes through them. If the condenser coils are dirty, they won’t dissipate the heat effectively. As debris builds up on the coils, the refrigerator becomes less efficient, causing the refrigerator to work harder to cool down. If the coils are significantly dirty, the refrigerator will not be able to maintain the proper temperature. Check the condenser coils to determine if they are dirty—if the condenser coils are dirty, clean them.

Cause 2

Condenser Fan Motor

The condenser fan motor draws air though the condenser coils and over the compressor. If the condenser fan motor is not working properly, the refrigerator won’t cool properly. To determine if the fan motor is defective, first check the fan blade for obstructions. Next, try turning the fan motor blade by hand. If the blade does not spin freely, replace the condenser fan motor. If no obstructions are present and the fan blade spins freely, use a multimeter to test the fan motor for continuity. If the condenser fan motor does not have continuity, replace it.

Cause 3

Evaporator Fan Motor

The evaporator fan motor draws air over the evaporator (cooling) coils and circulates it throughout the refrigerator and freezer compartments. Some refrigerators have more than one evaporator fan motor. On refrigerators with only one evaporator, the evaporator is located in the freezer compartment. If the evaporator fan is not working, it will not circulate the cold air to the refrigerator compartment. If this occurs, the freezer may still get cold, while the refrigerator will not get cold. To determine if the evaporator fan motor is defective, try turning the fan blade by hand. If the fan blade does not turn freely, replace the fan motor. Additionally, if the motor is unusually noisy, replace it. Finally, if the motor does not run at all, use a multimeter to test the motor windings for continuity. If the windings do not have continuity, replace the evaporator fan motor.

We’ve all been faced with the unpleasant surprise of opening up a warm fridge. If your freezer is still working, but the fridge isn't cooling, there are a few possible culprits, several of which are easy to identify. See if it's an easy fix you can take care of yourself or if you should hire a local refrigerator repair specialist to get the appliance back in good working order. Then, follow a few basic tips to avoid future refrigerator breakdowns.

1. Failing Thermistor

A common reason for your refrigerator not cooling is a faulty thermistor. The thermistor monitors the internal temperature of your refrigerator. When it detects the interior is excessively warm, it signals to the compressor to activate and start cooling.

If the thermistor isn't working, the appliance has no way to monitor its own temperature, so the evaporator coils and fan will either never switch on, in which case the temperature will increase, or they'll never switch off, in which case the fridge will be very obviously noisy and will probably ice up or freeze your food.

If your food is warm and you rarely or never hear the compressor or fan working, try decreasing the temperature setting by two degrees. Within a few minutes, the thermistor should tell the compressor to start cooling. If it doesn't, you've most likely got a faulty thermistor.

2. Broken Damper Control Assembly

When there's a problem with the damper control assembly, air doesn't move properly between the freezer and the refrigerator. The damper control assembly controls how much cold air passes from the freezer into the fridge. If this unit is blocked or damaged, it cannot efficiently pass enough air to the fridge to keep it adequately cool. 

You can check the damper control assembly by manually examining it. First, turn the fan on by decreasing the temperature on the thermistor. Next, cover the interior light switch so the fridge thinks the door is closed. Otherwise it may automatically shut the little door on the damper control. 

You should feel air coming out of the damper vents. If you don't, check the damper control door and make sure it opens and closes freely. Sometimes the door ices over, or little bits of insulation get stuck in there. If you've done all this and there's still no air coming through, it's likely your damper control assembly is faulty and needs replacement. But it could also be your evaporator fan.

3. Faulty Evaporator Fan

The evaporator fan pulls cold air into the evaporator coils, where it is then distributed through the fridge and freezer. If the fan isn't working, this doesn't happen efficiently. The most common problem with the fan is its motor.

A faulty evaporator fan motor is often the result of inefficiencies or faults in other parts of the appliance. In these circumstances, the evaporator fan motor has to work harder to compensate, increasing the likelihood of breakdown and shortening its lifespan.

Unless you have solid DIY skills, testing the evaporator fan is best left to the professionals, as you have to unplug the refrigerator and physically remove the sheath and disengage the fan before you can start running tests on it. But even if you have to replace it, it'll only cost between $100 to $150, installed.

4. Iced-Up Evaporator Coils

The evaporator coils are where the air goes to cool down. However, if they're covered in frost, the air can't pass through efficiently and won't get adequately cool, resulting in a warm fridge. A quick fix is to defrost the coils with a hairdryer, which will temporarily solve the issue. However, you need to find out the root cause of the icing over, or it'll just happen again.  

There are several reasons your evaporator coils ice up, one of the most common being that the defrost heater assembly isn't working. Or the heater could be in good condition, but the defrost thermostat is faulty, so it doesn't signal to the heater when to engage. 

The culprit could also be the defrost timer. This tool controls the heating and cooling cycles. In the first part of the cycle, the timer supplies power to the cooling element, then, during the second part of the cycle, switches to give power to the heating element. If the timer isn't advancing properly or gets stuck in cooling mode, the coils quickly ice over.

5. Temperature Control Board 

You’ll find the temperature control board at the back of the fridge and adjacent to the compressor. The control board monitors temperature sensors, powers the compressor and fan motors that make the fridge cold, and is in charge of the defrost cycle. If the board malfunctions, then your fridge won’t be able to cool to the correct temperature. 

Test other fridge parts and components before assuming that the control board is failing. If you still can’t pinpoint the issue, you may need to hire a pro to diagnose the problem and replace your control board.

6. Overstuffing

Imagine this: you're planning a big family celebration, and you've filled the fridge to bursting, having to resort to squeezing single lemons into the tiniest gap between the champagne and the cheeseboard. When you go back to try to slide something out of the jam-packed food jigsaw puzzle, nothing's quite as cold as normal. Sound familiar? That's overstuffing.

By excessively filling your fridge, you block the flow of air needed to keep the fridge's internal temperature adequately cold. Thankfully this one is an easy fix that doesn't require professional help. 

If you're particularly handy, you may be able to make some of these fixes yourself. However, because consuming food that's too warm can be dangerous and because throwing away spoiled food is hugely wasteful, it might be best to let the pros do the work for you, so you get it done quickly and efficiently. Many refrigerator repairs cost comparatively little, and they're usually more cost-effective than buying a new appliance—or having to keep buying new food.

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