FIXED Whirlpool model: WRF535SMBM00 not cooling

[Srivan]

Model Number

WRF535SMBM00

Brand

Whirlpool

Age

6-10 years

Hi Jake (and team)!
I have a ~6-year-old Whirlpool WRF535SMBM French Door Fridge. The fridge is set to 7 (max) cooling, but the items in the fridge aren’t cold enough and food has been going bad over the past week. I’ve been monitoring it and don’t see any cold air circulating as part of the cycle. The freezer works fine. I checked the seals they seem fine. Appreciate any guidance!

 

[Jake]

On this model the freezer(evaporator) fan motor pushes the cold freezer air up into the FRESH FOOD section to make it get cold.

Do you see frost build-up on the back panel inside the freezer?

Is the freezer evaporator fan motor running inside the freezer? Just open the freezer door and listen for it running, you may need to press the door switch in while the door is open to hear it running.

If not running, get a multimeter and take a voltage test at the freezer fan motor and see if you get 120 volts to that freezer fan motor, if so and its not running then its bad.

Here's the freezer evaporator fan motor for your model, if needed:
WPW10128551 Evaporator Fan Motor


When you click the evaporator fan motor part link you will see a video on how to replace it.

 

[Srivan]

Good morning, Jake! Yes, the evaporator fan motor's running OK inside the freezer. I took the cover off in the lower French-door freezer off, and visibly see this fan running fine. The freezer works OK. I do see a small amount of frosting in the rear freezer wall around this evaporator fan cover. I just don't see/feel cold air in the open damper control (the damper opens/closes fine when I power cycle the fridge and stays open) in the upper fridge section. I also checked the condenser fan motor (by opening the rear lower panel) and that's spinning fine too. This used to be a noisy fridge when it started a cycle, and I don't hear that anymore. I hear the fridge running "all the time" with a gentle hum, and the upper fridge section isn't cold enough. Thanks for any insights!!

 

[Srivan]

Hi Jake. All is well now, and the fridge is up and running! No parts were malfunctioning (since the evaporator fan motor's running OK). Here’s what happened (and my experience may help others online) . A week ago, a portion of a plastic bag prevented the freezer door from sealing nicely. The next day the freezer was entirely covered with ice! The freezer section thawed briefly, but it appears that the evaporative coils in freezer rear remained fully frosted (visible via the freezer vents). The ice buildup in the coils & ducts prevented the cold air circulation from the freezer to the refrigerator section via the evaporative fan/duct. The solution is to completely let the fridge thaw for several hours, and the problem may fix itself. Thanks for your kind help! You rock!

 

[Jake]

Excellent, good job finding the problem.