ice on outside of gasket

[Boman]

Not sure if the fridge with the rust spots is the one, but I recently had a fridge that had a chunk of ice at the top right corner of the freezer door/gasket on the outside. What would cause this? Leak in the gasket?

I should have marked it before I brought it home. Now I only have the one with the rust spots. The onl;y think I really know to do is check the gasket with dollar bill to see if it seems to be sealing.

Well, I might could check it with my infra red thermometer.

[jeff1]

but I recently had a fridge that had a chunk of ice at the top right corner of the freezer door/gasket on the outside. What would cause this? Leak in the gasket?

For sure an air leak would be prime suspect.

jeff.

[Boman]

I think this is the one with the rust spots. It would get waaay too cold in the freezer and the ff section.
I took the whole temp control unit timer and all out and replaced it with one from another fridge of the same make but a couple of feet smaller. Still gets waay too cold. I guess I need to check the defrost heater and /or stat now. Will check the drain while I have the panel removed.

Sound like a plan?

[jeff1]

Sound like a plan?

Sure.
What are the temps?
Odd two controls would both get too cold....air damper ok? Evaporator fan motor ok, blowing the correct direction?

jeff.

[Boman]

What are the temps?

My thermometer goes to 220 degrees I think. The temp gets past zero all the way back to 220.
I too thought it was too odd for both controls to do the same thing. We are talking the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment gets way below freezing.

Maybe I will know more when I remove the panel.

[jeff1]

We are talking the freezer compartment and the fresh food compartment gets way below freezing.


Make, model#?
Check that air flow carefully.

jeff.

[Boman]

I'll try to get that number today. I thought I had posted it on the other post about the rust spots.

Anyway, now I'm thinking this thing had the whole temp control piece hanging when I got it. I think I remember a piece of styrofoam in the fridge I robbed for this part. That piece of styrofoam may be the missing link. It fit toward the back of the housing and acted like an air duct or return, (I think).

I will look for this piece today when I go to the storage bin.

[Boman]

Model - GTS15BCMBLWW

The piece I was referringt ot hat might be missing is the duct foam. Like I said the temp control housing and all was hanging when I got this fridge with the mounting screws gone. I do not know what has been done to it or what may have been left out.
If a piece is not there when I disassemble something, I may or may not know something is missing.

Do you know if this unit has duct foam of any sort in the temp control housing on the freezer end that is attached to the ceiling of the fresh food section?

Ther diagram shows duct foam but I am not sure if it in the freezer section, ff, or both.

Thanks

[Boman]

http://www.a-1appliance.com/lookup/168207/1247380

303 in the diagram appears to be only in the freezer section. I will remove the rear panel today and see if it is still there.

[jeff1]

In the freezer...

485

486

Temp control is sensing the air being blown down...

487

488

jeff.

[Boman]

The duct foam is in place. Removed the df stat, placed in freezer and checked good. I have had the temp control thermostat in the freezer a few minutes. It is still showing continuity as if it is not shutting off. I will check again in a few minutes to give it plenty of time to do what it is designed to do. I have it set very low, not even on the one. It should shut off, right? It is disconnected from everything but lying in the control housing in my freezer.

Called myself checking the timer byt checking continuity between black and grey in cooling mode. Grey and blue in df mode. Showed continuity in both. What do I check to see if the timer is running when the power is sent to it? Put it in df and check it 20 minutes later? Btw, the heater does come on when timer is advanced to df.

P.S. when is the orange wire on the timer supposed to have continuity with something? I think it is going to the df stat.

[Boman]

This stat/temp control appears to be shutting off when it is freezing cold at different settings like I think it is supposed to do. I am at loss as to what the problem is. One of the components might have a sticky point?

My mind is going back to the timer maybe not advancing. Maybe both timers are bad.

[jeff1]

I have had the temp control thermostat in the freezer a few minutes. It is still showing continuity as if it is not shutting off. I will check again in a few minutes to give it plenty of time to do what it is designed to do. I have it set very low, not even on the one. It should shut off, right?

It should....but once it has been in there some time....maybe set a thermometer at the same time, that way you can see if the control opens and at what temp.


My mind is going back to the timer maybe not advancing. Maybe both timers are bad.

Wouldn't/should make the whole thing too cold, defrost timer will effect the defrosts and not the normal on and off temps.....still sounds like air flow, bad control or control bulb out of place and not reading the air flow.

jeff.

[Boman]

The temp control housing seems to be a little awkward fit when placing back in its place on the ceiling of the ff compartment. I might need to give that a careful going over to make sure it is fitting snugly and sealing off

[jeff1]

I might need to give that a careful going over to make sure it is fitting snugly and sealing off

That's a good idea!

jeff.

[Boman]

Got another thought on this.
I noticed the duct foam has been carved out on the right side (facing it)giving it a bigger opening. Not sure if this is the intake or return, but wouldn't that alter the amount of cold air being sent to and from the freezer section?

Dang! Still does not explain why the thermostat/temp control does not cut out.

Yesterday, I replaced the original temp control, df stat, etc. Checked it a little later, and it was cold and off at around zero and 40. This morning,, the temps are getting cold again, and it was still running. Actually, the freezer was a little warmer than I wanted it to be, and the ff was a little colder than I wanted it to be. It is like they are working toward the same temp.

My simple mind still does get why the temp control does not cut the comperssor off when the temp gets to a set level, regardless of what the df stat is doing, air leaks, etc...
Since the freezer is cold enough to close the df stat, I will go out there in a little while and put in df mode to see if the heater comes on.

Maybe an intermittent problem? But still, for both sets of components from two different fridges doing the same thing is odd. But if you change an old Ford solenoid with another old Ford solenoid, you may still get a clicking solenoid.

I like to think this thing is still adjusting, but the ff was near freezing, if not freezing the am. The freezer was like 20 degrees. Got a feeling they may level out at the same temp at some point.

[jeff1]

Is the test area heated?....above 70?F or below 70?F?

jeff.

[Boman]

No the test area is not really heated, and the fridge is near an open door..sorta. I have a piece of plywood I raise and lower on that end of my shop. In the 60's today and rainy today.

this thing checks different at different times. It might be on the money one time then way cold in both sections.

I decided to check the frost pattern. At first, I thought there was none. Then I noticed on the back side there was frost on the coils coming in (?).. The front have no frost. I had put it in df mode then turned the timer to cool while I ate supper when I checked it. Btw, there was no noticeable frost on the front coil when I first set it to df. I did not notice the rear coil at that time.

Blockage? Low on freon?

Thanks

P.S. How long should it take for a full frost pattern to show? I thought it would form quicky. Like I said in the time it took me to eat, thre back coil s were frosted over almost like snow.

[jeff1]

How long should it take for a full frost pattern to show?

20-30 minutes.


At first, I thought there was none. Then I noticed on the back side there was frost on the coils coming in (?).. The front have no frost.

Certainly -sounds- like a system issue, but how did it get too cold in the freezer is the system is inefficient!?

Wet your finger and see if it sticks to those coils.

jeff.

there was no noticeable frost on the front coil when I first set it to df.

[Boman]

I think I give up. This thing was setting on 220 degrees in the freezer with water almost running down the sides of it like it has a baaad air leak somewhere. Of course that is not 220 hot, it is back behind the zero cold.

As far as touching the coils, these are the type that has the tinsel like stuff on them. This tinsel like stuff was frosted over solid and bumpy for a little ways on the back coil.

This thing has a serious problem that I think contributed to the rust spots. Maybe it has a crack in the inner liner/cabinet or something.


..but how did it get too cold in the freezer is the system is inefficient!?

Never understood this one, but I have read where being low on freon can cause things to frost over. Does not make much sense to me.
I also do not understand how blockages occur in closed systems, unless oil gets in the lines or corrosion from the inside breaks loose.

Thanks Jeff. May try to change the gaskets from this one to another smaller fridge that calls for the same gasket. Just a couple cubic feet difference. Be good if the handles would interchange.

[jeff1]

I also do not understand how blockages occur in closed systems, unless oil gets in the lines or corrosion from the inside breaks loose.

That is exactly what happens....sometimes the oil might get cuaght in the capillary line, drier, high side....inside of the lines can corrode.


Never understood this one, but I have read where being low on freon can cause things to frost over. Does not make much sense to me.

More often the freezer temp increases, but since it is not cold enough in there the refrigerator keeps running and things can start to freeze in the fresh food section.

jeff.

[Boman]

Thought I would give an update on the is subject.
I decided to check the temp control again on one of these. After some thought, I decided I had checked both of these controls wrong by putting them in the freezer and going back to check them. I placed one in the ff section of a working fridge with the dial on the one being checked set at 1. Little while later when I checked with a thermometer also in the ff section, the control still had not shut off with the temp about 38 degrees. It also seems I have to manipulate the terminals to get a reading sometimes as if something is loose at the terminal.

Anyway, with the control still making up at 38 degrees with the dial set at 1, which should be a warm temp, In my mind, the control is bad.

I should add the fridge I had this control in was still running, but was about to shut off. But, with the dial set at 1, I think the test control should have opened way before 38 degrees.

Comment?

Thanks.

P.S. We had mentioned the unlikelyhood of both controls being bad on the two fridges I had been trying to figure out. I got to thinking, if someone took a bad solonoid off an older Ford vehicle and replaced it with a solonoid off another older Ford, he might very likely still get a clicking sound. I think maybe both of the controls I tried may be bad.

[jeff1]

Doesn't sound good for the control(s).....but thought you also have uneven frosting on the evaporator coils?

jeff.

[Boman]

Hmm, forgot about that. One of them did have a weird frost pattern. Like frost only on the front coils. Glad you mentioned that. I was about ready to buy a used control. I will have to see if the one I am rechecking is the one with the weird pattern. I can propably go back over these posts and figure it out. I think it was the one with the rust spots. I am not going to do anything with it as far as trying to fix it because of the spots and not being sure what caused them and if they will come back.

[Boman]

Hotpoint ctx14c1sdlwh frost pattern.

Got one back and thought I might try to take two to fix one. This one of the two we have been discussing for so long.
It has been running about 15-20 minutes. If the pattern does not change, can we assume there is either a blockage or it is low on freon?

I did wet finger and touched the coil near the df stat. There was very little sticky feeling.

Well, it seems I have exceeded my quota, so it will not let me post the pics. Does that mean my pics are too large, or does it mean I have exceeded what I am allowed to post overall?

[jeff1]

Well, it seems I have exceeded my quota, so it will not let me post the pics. Does that mean my pics are too large, or does it mean I have exceeded what I am allowed to post overall?

Probably too large.


It has been running about 15-20 minutes. If the pattern does not change, can we assume there is either a blockage or it is low on freon?

Give it a good 30 minutes and check the frost pattern, yes bare coils is a system issue of some sort.

jeff.

[Boman]

While I had this one running yesterday, I noticed every few minutes there would be an odd sound and the lights in the shop would dim then brighten up again as if something was drawing too much power. I'm thinking it has an old, weak compressor.

Could this thing need a hard start?

I replaced the stat on this fridge with one from the one I just got back. The one I got back shows to have a bad compressor. Both fridges are the same model.

Now the one I am trying to fix is one of the two I was having trouble with getting too cold or too warm.

P.S Guess I should add, the temp in the area of the shop this fridge is in is low, sometimes between 30 and forty when it is cold outside. So, I guess the oil could be a little thick. I had never noticed the lights doing this when this fridge was being tested.

[jeff1]

sometimes between 30 and forty when it is cold outside. So, I guess the oil could be a little thick

For sure will be!


I had never noticed the lights doing this when this fridge was being tested.

Clicking on and off is likely.


Could this thing need a hard start?

Anything with an PTC relay you shouldn't use a 3-1 style relay.....can for testing or just to get by until the right relay comes in.

jeff.

[Boman]

PTC relay

What is it and where is it? Under the cap on the compressor?

[jeff1]

Should help...
http://www.e-refrigeration.com/learn-refrigeration/refrigeration-repairs/ptc-relays

jeff.