I have a Hotpoint top freezer - model # HTF16BBMFRWW - that is about 5-6 yrs. old. The freezer is staying cold but the fridge area is warmer than it should be. Upon taking off the back of the freezer compartment, the chute between the freezer and fridge is frozen over and the fan (evaporator fan?) is not operating. after clearing out the ice jam in the chute, the fan seems to operate again but after several days the chute area freezes over again. It seems to me that I have a problem with the evaporator fan - I assume the motor to it.

2 questions: 1) is the evaporator fan motor the likely cause of my problem?
2) if so, how do i test the motor before buying replacement parts?

thanks, john

Hi John,

When you say the chute is freezing over, is it frost or ice thats clogging it? Do you have an ice maker in your freezer?

It seems the evaporator fan motor runs fine when there's no clog in the chute, so I wouldn't say its the motor, usually condensation of warm kitchen air is leaking into it that causes the chute to frost up, so check your door refrigerator and freezer door gaskets for a tight seal when the doors are closed.

Jake

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Thanks for the response Jake. There is a styrofoam chute that periodically freezes up with ice - not frost - and it blocks the freeezer air from circulating into the frig &,therefore, the frig area warms up. clear out the ice and the frig area seems fine.

I am not noticing any irregularities around the door seals and they seem to be in ok shape. Is there anything I can do to create a better seal so as to eliminate that as a possability?

also, no ice maker with the unit.

Ok, if your door gaskets are sealing fine, I'm not really sure whats causing the chute to get clogged with ice.

Check your drain hole, and run hot water down it to make sure thats not clogged. The drain hole is just underneath your evaporator coil behind the back panel in the freezer.

Jake

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Appliance Repair School 1987-1988
Star Appliance Tech. 2 yrs. 1988-1990
Wards Appliance Tech. 11 yrs. 1990-2001
Sears Appliance Tech. 4 yrs. 2001-Oct. 2005
Jake's Appliance Repair Nov. 2005-present

If you need more repair advice help on your appliance, click Here

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I need to clarify my initial descriptions of the refrigerator's problem. The refrigerator is in an apartment that I own so I don't see it's operation on a regular basis. My statement that the fan was running after I cleared the frozen chute was based on my observation a couple of months ago and my tenants statement at the time of my initial posting.

This weekend I turned off the frig & opened up the freezer area. The freezer coils had some frost on the top half and no frost on the bottom half. The door seals and the drain in the freezer seemed fine. The evaporator fan was not running but the bottom motor (compressor?) was running. I keep the frig off & open for about 1/2 hr during which time the frost on the coils melted away and I cleared away a little accumulating of ice in the chute that had built up over a week's time. When I plugged the frig back in the bottom motor kicked on but I noticed the evaporator fan did not come on for the remaining 45 mins or so that I was there. You could feel some cool air coming through the vent of the chute into the frig section but it was by way of natural air flow - not forced in by the fan. My tenant told me when he thought the fan was on it could have been simply the natural cold air flow instead.

So I'm back to thinking I may have a problem with the fan or something that would control the fan coming on. Shouldn't the fan have come on at some point after plugging the frig back in? I had tested the resistance on the evaporator fan and it read 793 on a 2000 setting.

Check your voltage at your evaporator fan motor with a volt meter, it should read 120 volts with the compressor running.

Here's the evaporator fan motor for your model, in case you need to order it:
Manufacturer part number WR60X10141 is RepairClinic item number 1092993
WR60X10141

Jake

__________________
Appliance Repair School 1987-1988
Star Appliance Tech. 2 yrs. 1988-1990
Wards Appliance Tech. 11 yrs. 1990-2001
Sears Appliance Tech. 4 yrs. 2001-Oct. 2005
Jake's Appliance Repair Nov. 2005-present

If you need more repair advice help on your appliance, click Here

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