Amana fridge hole inside back of cabinet?? Causing freezing

[Chris69]

Hi, 

The Amana refrigerator model # is BRF20TW. Mfg’d in 1996. The freezer is on the bottom.

This fridge was given to me by a friend who kept it in his garage and haven't used it for many years. Currently, the refrigerator cabinet is too cold and I need to leave it on setting "1" (warmest setting to keep it around 36 degrees and setting "2" on freezer for about 10 degrees. If I adjust the settings to the middle (setting 3, the fridge cabinet becomes too cold, about 30 degrees. I noticed there is an open hole on the inside, back wall of the fridge cabinet. There is cold air coming out from the hole. QUESTION: should there be a cap covering this hole?

FYI, I called Whirlpool support and they could not offer any help. The only info they had was the owners manual and didn't mention anything. I also checked parts diagrams online and couldn't find anything about this hole.

Attached are the pics showing a hole in the inside back wall of the Amana fridge cabinet. Pic 2 has duct tape over the hole.

Now if I put a piece of tape over this hole (pic 2), the temp is perfect, setting “3” at 38 degrees and freezer at setting “3” at 0 degrees. Freezer is on the bottom.

What’s also odd is this hole is almost aligned with the plastic molded shelf holders on the back side of the inside fridge cabinet (pic 3). The hole is ½ inch diameter.

Let me know your thoughts on what this “hole” may be used for. It doesn’t look like a vent because it doesn’t have any fins on it like a vent would have.  I’m wondering if a cap should be on this hole?

Many thanks!

[Vance R]

On 5/11/2022 at 1:59 PM, Chris69 said:

Let me know your thoughts on what this “hole” may be used for.

Some of the models had a meat drawer that took cold air to keep the meat at a cooler temp. If your lower shelf has a slide there should be a foam gasket to keep the cold air in the duct for the drawer. If there is no ducting or gasket there should have been a tape seal or plug.

[Budget Appliance Repair]

It's exactly what @Vance R says.

If you don't care about the extra cooling going into one of the crisper drawers you can leave the hole taped over.

The deli crisper drawer cover should have an oval gasket that seals up against that hole and directs the air into the deli drawer.   There is also a slide on each of the drawers to let more or less cold air into the crispers.   Both covers will go in either side but the one with the oval gasket that seals up to that hole should be on the left side.

See item# 0092 in this picture for the oval gasket on the deli drawer crisper cover.