Thanks for the responses. We've turned the freezer section temp lower
than before and will check to see if the temps will actually lower.

Now, would a refrigerant leak cause the smell to permeate the whole
1st floor of the house or would it be perceptible just near the
appliance?

Today, the smell is not as pungent as yesterday but there is still a
smell that now seems like ham/peas soup cooking or something.

Also, refrigerant is same as freon? I did some google checks and some
folks say that freon leak does not cause a smell.

Thank you!


On Oct 20, 2:02*pm, Joe wrote:
On Oct 20, 9:43*am, lora wrote:

Hello all,

Yesterday morning we noticed a very strong chemical smell in the 1st
floor of the house. It was hard to tell where it was coming from.

Then I noticed yesterday that the freezer section of our side-by-side
whirlpool refrigerator is not as cold as it used to be, i.e not
freezing temps.

I'm not entirely sure if a problem with the refrigerator would emit a
chemical odor throughout the home.

Can anyone advise please and how to diagnose this further?

Thank you!

Based on how a fridge works, you could have lost some refrigerant. The
freezer section usually supplies a portion of its coolth (new word,
eh?) to the other section. The fan between the sections is perhaps
running constantly to keep the service side cool enough, and the
system no longer has the capacity to keep the freezer temperature in
limits.
Better call a Whirlpool expert for diagnosis/repair as needed. Some
parts of the appliance may be under warranty so check that out.

Joe