Kenmore SXS Coldspot 106.54582400 — freezer & fridge not cold, icemaker not working
I’m hoping to get some guidance with our 2005 Kenmore fridge (model # in subject). It came with the house we just purchased, so I am not sure if previous homeowners had any extended service plan with Sears. I thought we could try to do some exploring on our own before calling in a service appt.
When we moved in over Memorial Day weekend and started putting food in freezer and fridge, and using the in-door icemaker and water, all was well. Last week or so, when I had put ice cream in the freezer I was surprised when it was softer than I expected. I decreased the freezer temp all the way, and that seemed to help a bit. But then we started having this really hot and humid weather and the freezer temp was still not as cold as it should and then the ice production really slowed down. I was a bit worried about the fridge too over the weekend, it just looked like there was a lot of condensation on the milk jug, cans of soda, etc. Water dripping in the freezer, and now no ice at all…frozen waffles not frozen…ice cream bars = yucky mess. So I don’t know if this unit was on its way out , if the heat & humidity sped things up, or if we just have bad luck.
Any ideas or a checklist we could go through to explore possible solutions? We don’t have some of the gadgets I have seen mentioned, and my husband is handy, but hasn’t tinkered with many appliances. I will be picking up our small chest freezer to use tonight, but having no fridge or freezer with a family with kids is just not practical…and with the new house purchase, the prospect of having to pay lots to repair or worse, to replace a major appliance is not a good one.
Thanks in advance!
The first thing I would check is your condenser and condenser fan.
Take the bottom grill off in the front, next to the floor, it just snaps off, pull hard. Open both refrigerator and freezer doors first. Then get a flashlight and look at the condenser coils and if there clogged with lint/dirt clean them, use a vacuum then blowing them out with compressed air or air compressor helps alot too.
Then pull your refrigerator out from the wall, then take off the lower back access panel, and see if your condenser fan is turning good.
Also, in your freezer section, take some food out so you can see the back panel inside your freezer. Do you notice frost build-up on it?
