The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above. It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling. Whirlpool serviceman came and
checked components and said it was the heater timer which cycles every
8 hours, but he didn't have one. I asked him how hard it would be for
me to put it in so that we could save another $150 service charge and
he showed me how easy it was. So we ordered the part, made in Mexico
(cost about $60), and it came a week later. In the meantime we got the
fridge working so the non-freezer section stayed around 40. I had
turned it off to allow the coils and fins to thaw.

This morning, as the temp rose to 50 in the regular cooling section
because the freezer was iced up again, I replaced the timer -- an easy
job but you must have nimble fingers to get the screws back in.

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal? It's iced
up now and so how long will it take for the heater to start removing
the ice from the coils. I turned the timer's red knob until I heard
it click before installing it, so I'm guessing that THAT means the
heating cycle started as soon as I plugged the fridge back up. Should
I have waited with the fridge unplugged until the ice melted, or will
the poor little thing stabilize itself and start doing its duty as a
frostfree refrigerator, with both compartments at their proper
temperature? It's been two hours, and the fridge is running, but I
don't see the temperature dropping in the non-freezer section. It's
still on 50.

Thanks in advance and you have some good and very helpful reading in
this newsgroup. I'm sure there is some helpful soul here who can
advise what to do.

wrote:
The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above. It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling. Whirlpool serviceman came and
checked components and said it was the heater timer which cycles every
8 hours, but he didn't have one. I asked him how hard it would be for
me to put it in so that we could save another $150 service charge and
he showed me how easy it was. So we ordered the part, made in Mexico
(cost about $60), and it came a week later. In the meantime we got the
fridge working so the non-freezer section stayed around 40. I had
turned it off to allow the coils and fins to thaw.

This morning, as the temp rose to 50 in the regular cooling section
because the freezer was iced up again, I replaced the timer -- an easy
job but you must have nimble fingers to get the screws back in.

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal? It's iced
up now and so how long will it take for the heater to start removing
the ice from the coils. I turned the timer's red knob until I heard
it click before installing it, so I'm guessing that THAT means the
heating cycle started as soon as I plugged the fridge back up. Should
I have waited with the fridge unplugged until the ice melted, or will
the poor little thing stabilize itself and start doing its duty as a
frostfree refrigerator, with both compartments at their proper
temperature? It's been two hours, and the fridge is running, but I
don't see the temperature dropping in the non-freezer section. It's
still on 50.

Thanks in advance and you have some good and very helpful reading in
this newsgroup. I'm sure there is some helpful soul here who can
advise what to do.

Hi,
Is the fan working? The one circulating cold air inside the box.
Or intermittent timer? Since you got a replacement, I'd just replace it
and make sure the fan is working OK.
Tony

Tony Hwang wrote:
wrote:
The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above. It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling. Whirlpool serviceman came and
checked components and said it was the heater timer which cycles
every 8 hours, but he didn't have one. I asked him how hard it
would be for me to put it in so that we could save another $150
service charge and he showed me how easy it was. So we ordered the
part, made in Mexico (cost about $60), and it came a week later. In
the meantime we got the fridge working so the non-freezer section
stayed around 40. I had turned it off to allow the coils and fins
to thaw. This morning, as the temp rose to 50 in the regular cooling
section
because the freezer was iced up again, I replaced the timer -- an
easy job but you must have nimble fingers to get the screws back in.

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal? It's
iced up now and so how long will it take for the heater to start
removing the ice from the coils. I turned the timer's red knob
until I heard it click before installing it, so I'm guessing that
THAT means the heating cycle started as soon as I plugged the fridge
back up. Should I have waited with the fridge unplugged until the
ice melted, or will the poor little thing stabilize itself and start
doing its duty as a frostfree refrigerator, with both compartments
at their proper temperature? It's been two hours, and the fridge is
running, but I don't see the temperature dropping in the non-freezer
section. It's still on 50.

Thanks in advance and you have some good and very helpful reading in
this newsgroup. I'm sure there is some helpful soul here who can
advise what to do.

Hi,
Is the fan working? The one circulating cold air inside the box.
Or intermittent timer? Since you got a replacement, I'd just replace
it and make sure the fan is working OK.
Tony

I hate to think of it, but I wonder if the heater could be bad? I might
add that while I doubt of the tech would have missed it, a low Freon charge
can mimic some of what you are seeing.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

wrote:
The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above. It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling. Whirlpool serviceman came and
checked components and said it was the heater timer which cycles
every
8 hours, but he didn't have one. I asked him how hard it would be
for
me to put it in so that we could save another $150 service charge and
he showed me how easy it was. So we ordered the part, made in
Mexico
(cost about $60), and it came a week later. In the meantime we got
the
fridge working so the non-freezer section stayed around 40. I had
turned it off to allow the coils and fins to thaw.

This morning, as the temp rose to 50 in the regular cooling section
because the freezer was iced up again, I replaced the timer -- an
easy
job but you must have nimble fingers to get the screws back in.

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal? It's
iced
up now and so how long will it take for the heater to start removing
the ice from the coils. I turned the timer's red knob until I heard
it click before installing it, so I'm guessing that THAT means the
heating cycle started as soon as I plugged the fridge back up.
Should
I have waited with the fridge unplugged until the ice melted, or will
the poor little thing stabilize itself and start doing its duty as a
frostfree refrigerator, with both compartments at their proper
temperature? It's been two hours, and the fridge is running, but I
don't see the temperature dropping in the non-freezer section. It's
still on 50.

Thanks in advance and you have some good and very helpful reading in
this newsgroup. I'm sure there is some helpful soul here who can
advise what to do.

Hi,

The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above.

Model#?
http://www.applianceaid.com/model.html
Some model# helps.

It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling.

Clear ice like an ice cube or white frost like snow?

we could save another $150 service charge

I -have- to raise my rates

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal?

Did you defrost the refrigerator?
If no, possible days. If yes, 4-6 hours.

Something that may help...
http://www.applianceaid.com/defrost_cycle.html

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/

Thanks for the replies. To answer both of you the fan is running and
the Whirlpool serviceman checked the heater and said that from his test
equipment it functions properly. His test equipment showed that the
timer is defective, so that is what I replaced. If the compressor is
weak, or low on freon, I'll have him come back.

I tore into the old timer -- it is an el cheapo motor-driven electric
clock with contact points which obviously switch the heater on.

I'll give it a while to see what it does. Cooling compartment
temperature was 40 yesterday, 50 today, and still 50, 5 hours after I
plugged in the new timer.

wrote:
Thanks for the replies. To answer both of you the fan is running and
the Whirlpool serviceman checked the heater and said that from his
test equipment it functions properly.

That should be a good test. It is not hard to do a test on them.

His test equipment showed that
the timer is defective, so that is what I replaced. If the
compressor is weak, or low on freon, I'll have him come back.

I tore into the old timer -- it is an el cheapo motor-driven electric
clock with contact points which obviously switch the heater on.

I'll give it a while to see what it does. Cooling compartment
temperature was 40 yesterday, 50 today, and still 50, 5 hours after I
plugged in the new timer.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

wrote in message
ups.com...
The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above. It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling. Whirlpool serviceman came and
checked components and said it was the heater timer which cycles every
8 hours, but he didn't have one. I asked him how hard it would be for
me to put it in so that we could save another $150 service charge and
he showed me how easy it was. So we ordered the part, made in Mexico
(cost about $60), and it came a week later. In the meantime we got the
fridge working so the non-freezer section stayed around 40. I had
turned it off to allow the coils and fins to thaw.

This morning, as the temp rose to 50 in the regular cooling section
because the freezer was iced up again, I replaced the timer -- an easy
job but you must have nimble fingers to get the screws back in.

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal? It's iced
up now and so how long will it take for the heater to start removing
the ice from the coils. I turned the timer's red knob until I heard
it click before installing it, so I'm guessing that THAT means the
heating cycle started as soon as I plugged the fridge back up. Should
I have waited with the fridge unplugged until the ice melted

this is Turtle.

Here is where this job went Hay Wire. You should clear all the ice off the coil
before tring out a new defrost heater or timer. Now only about 50% of
refrigerators will be able to burn the extra ice off the coil in normal use
because of the thickiness of it.

TURTLE

"Appliance Repair Aid" wrote in message
ups.com...

wrote:
The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above. It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling. Whirlpool serviceman came and
checked components and said it was the heater timer which cycles
every
8 hours, but he didn't have one. I asked him how hard it would be
for
me to put it in so that we could save another $150 service charge and
he showed me how easy it was. So we ordered the part, made in
Mexico
(cost about $60), and it came a week later. In the meantime we got
the
fridge working so the non-freezer section stayed around 40. I had
turned it off to allow the coils and fins to thaw.

This morning, as the temp rose to 50 in the regular cooling section
because the freezer was iced up again, I replaced the timer -- an
easy
job but you must have nimble fingers to get the screws back in.

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal? It's
iced
up now and so how long will it take for the heater to start removing
the ice from the coils. I turned the timer's red knob until I heard
it click before installing it, so I'm guessing that THAT means the
heating cycle started as soon as I plugged the fridge back up.
Should
I have waited with the fridge unplugged until the ice melted, or will
the poor little thing stabilize itself and start doing its duty as a
frostfree refrigerator, with both compartments at their proper
temperature? It's been two hours, and the fridge is running, but I
don't see the temperature dropping in the non-freezer section. It's
still on 50.

Thanks in advance and you have some good and very helpful reading in
this newsgroup. I'm sure there is some helpful soul here who can
advise what to do.

Hi,

The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above.

Model#?
http://www.applianceaid.com/model.html
Some model# helps.

It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling.

Clear ice like an ice cube or white frost like snow?

we could save another $150 service charge

I -have- to raise my rates


This is Turtle.

With that kind of money for refrigerator service calls , I need to rething about
going back to refrigerators. These 20 ton Roof top units don't seem good now
with this kind of money for a refrigerator call.

TURTLE


Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal?

Did you defrost the refrigerator?
If no, possible days. If yes, 4-6 hours.

Something that may help...
http://www.applianceaid.com/defrost_cycle.html

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/

You're telling me! I don't do any where near that!

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Appliance Repair Aid" wrote in message
ups.com...


we could save another $150 service charge

I -have- to raise my rates

The refrigerator is a Whirlpool Gold about 4 years old, with freezer
below and regular section above. It iced up in the freezer section
and the other section quit cooling.
CY: Air flow blocked with ice.

Whirlpool serviceman came and
checked components and said it was the heater timer which cycles every
8 hours, but he didn't have one. I asked him how hard it would be for
me to put it in so that we could save another $150 service charge
CY: Wow, hundred and a half for a house call? I've got to raise my rates.


and
he showed me how easy it was. So we ordered the part, made in Mexico
(cost about $60), and it came a week later.
CY: Sixty? That's more than I get.

In the meantime we got the
fridge working so the non-freezer section stayed around 40. I had
turned it off to allow the coils and fins to thaw.
CY: Hope over night, wtih a fan blowing into the freezer section. They can
really get thick with ice. I'm guessing you didn't get it all.

This morning, as the temp rose to 50 in the regular cooling section
because the freezer was iced up again, I replaced the timer -- an easy
job but you must have nimble fingers to get the screws back in.

Question: How long before the fridge gets back to normal? It's iced
up now and so how long will it take for the heater to start removing
the ice from the coils.
CY: The heater only runs 25 or so minutes every cycle, so it isn't likely to
get caught up with a solid block of ice. You'll have to leave it open (and
unplugged, and a fan blowing into the freezer) probably over night.



I turned the timer's red knob until I heard
it click before installing it, so I'm guessing that THAT means the
heating cycle started as soon as I plugged the fridge back up.
CY: There are a couple different clicks.

Should
I have waited with the fridge unplugged until the ice melted,
CY: Yes.

or will
the poor little thing stabilize itself and start doing its duty as a
frostfree refrigerator, with both compartments at their proper
temperature?
CY: Probably not.

It's been two hours, and the fridge is running, but I
don't see the temperature dropping in the non-freezer section. It's
still on 50.

Thanks in advance and you have some good and very helpful reading in
this newsgroup. I'm sure there is some helpful soul here who can
advise what to do.
CY: total, thorough defrost of the freezer.

Might be a bad heater, or termination thermostat.

Low freon typically doesn't ice over, for refrig. sometimes central AC, but
not usually refrig.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
news:bF5ge.19585

I hate to think of it, but I wonder if the heater could be bad? I might
add that while I doubt of the tech would have missed it, a low Freon charge
can mimic some of what you are seeing.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

If your fridge has a circulating fan in the freezer section, check to be
sure it is clean and working efficienctly.

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message
...
You're telling me! I don't do any where near that!

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Appliance Repair Aid" wrote in message
ups.com...


we could save another $150 service charge

I -have- to raise my rates

Stormin Mormon wrote:
Might be a bad heater, or termination thermostat.

Low freon typically doesn't ice over, for refrig. sometimes central
AC, but not usually refrig.


You are probably right. I did have it happen once. Lucky I was within
the last month on the warrantee on the system. That was maybe 25 years ago.
:-)

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Joseph Meehan" wrote in message
news:bF5ge.19585

I hate to think of it, but I wonder if the heater could be bad? I
might add that while I doubt of the tech would have missed it, a low
Freon charge can mimic some of what you are seeing.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

wrote:
Thanks for the replies. To answer both of you the fan is running and
the Whirlpool serviceman checked the heater and said that from his test
equipment it functions properly. His test equipment showed that the
timer is defective, so that is what I replaced. If the compressor is
weak, or low on freon, I'll have him come back.

I tore into the old timer -- it is an el cheapo motor-driven electric
clock with contact points which obviously switch the heater on.

I'll give it a while to see what it does. Cooling compartment
temperature was 40 yesterday, 50 today, and still 50, 5 hours after I
plugged in the new timer.

Hi,
One thing to consider is when the timer was not working, there may be
too much ice build up due to lack of defrosting. May take a while to
settle down or once I had to manually remove ice to put the box back
into normal operation.
Good luck,
Tony

Thanks to Stormin Mormon for the definitive answer. This morning
after running the fan and melting the ice off the coils, the
temperature is about 36 deg. F in the cooling section.

Thanks to Tony, Joseph, Appliance Repair Aid, Don H, and Turtle. We
would have been in a pickle if we hadn't gotten all this great advice.

What is your mailing adress, for the bill? $48.50 online consultation.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


wrote in message
oups.com...
Thanks to Stormin Mormon for the definitive answer. This morning
after running the fan and melting the ice off the coils, the
temperature is about 36 deg. F in the cooling section.

Thanks to Tony, Joseph, Appliance Repair Aid, Don H, and Turtle. We
would have been in a pickle if we hadn't gotten all this great advice.

i agree that you must let the ice totally melt and drain for it to start
working again, the defrost cycle isnt long enough to melt a block of
ice..also,you may want to blow out the drain line with some mild
compressed air. if its got coils underneath be sure to clean them off
too. lucas