On 21 Jan 2007 16:33:36 -0800, "Jeffy3" wrote:

I am assuming a thermostadt problem? We have a standard refrigerator,
about 10 years-old, with the freezer on top and an icemaker.


Several months ago we had a problem where the freezer was working fine
but the refrigerator was warm.

I have this "warm" problem two to three times a year. The cause is a
frozen-blocked cold air transfer duct from the freezer compartment.
(Explanation below). The cure is to defrost the fridge throughly.
Remove the fridge contents. switch off the power. Keep the doors open
overnight to melt the frost throughly. Put a towel on the fridge
floor to soak up the melt. Use the opportunity to clean the fridge
throughly. The duct and freezer box walls are usually covered in
plastic trim and not accessible. The "door open" defrost is still the
best solution.

Explanation: If you look at the back of the freezer there is a plastic
cover over a fan. Remove the cover. Next to the fan you will see an
opening into the wall of the firdge. There is a similar plastic cover
in the fridge compartment for the opening from this duct. This duct
transfers cold freezer air to the main fridge compartment.

If your fridge door leaks due to a bad door gasket or having the door
not close fully (1) moist air will condense inside that freezer air
transfer duct and block most of it. The main fridge compartment then
never gets cold enough (2 to 5 deg C) and the thermostat keeps calling
for more cold air from the freezer. That gets the compressor and fan
going way past what is needed to operate the freezer. The whole
fridge becomes a freezer compartment in the process.
(1= In my case I eventually realised I had too much stuff on the door
shelves. That abut onto the fridge contents and kept the door from
closing completely.)