Whirlpool fridge and freezer not staying cold

[Cameron6392]

Hello!y whirlpool fridge/freezer Wrt318fzdw02 is only 5 years old. The freezer and fridge have only cool air despite having thermostat cranked. The fan in the freezer runs as well as the fan by the compressor. It runs non stop. Compressor is warm. Coils weren't that dirty but I cleaned them. 

 

I removed thw back panel in the freezer, it had ice buildup on the upper right side. I cleaned it off, let it dry out for an hour, then put it back together. This morning fridge and freezer are still warm. Any suggestions? Bad evaporator? 

 

I'd add a picture of the ice but the image size limit is from the 90s so I'll have to downsize the image quakity later. 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

Terminal failure - sealed system problem, most of the Freon/R134a has leaked out.

The ball of ice is all around the inlet of the evaporator because of the lack of R134a to flood the complete evaporator with gas vapor so it only cools at the very first inlet area of the evaporator.

You would have to find someone to find and repair the leak and recharge it - usually on a normal top freezer refrigerator it is cost prohibitive to do the repair unless you can do it yourself, (not really a DIY job unless you know the basic about charging a refrigerator and at least are able to dump in a bit of refrigerant leak sealer.

[Cameron6392]

20 hours ago, Budget Appliance Repair said:

Terminal failure - sealed system problem, most of the Freon/R134a has leaked out.

The ball of ice is all around the inlet of the evaporator because of the lack of R134a to flood the complete evaporator with gas vapor so it only cools at the very first inlet area of the evaporator.

You would have to find someone to find and repair the leak and recharge it - usually on a normal top freezer refrigerator it is cost prohibitive to do the repair unless you can do it yourself, (not really a DIY job unless you know the basic about charging a refrigerator and at least are able to dump in a bit of refrigerant leak sealer.

Thank you. Seems odd that it would leak after a few years. It's a duplex and this floor wasn't even used for a couple years. 

Are there any other logical failure modes with cheaper fixes, that would be worth trying first? 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

@Cameron6392 I've already seen about 3 or 4 and saw in these forums 1/2 dozen or so with same type of problem with these newer Whirlpool top mount refrigerators that are only 2 to 4 years old and out of R134a already.

I don't do sealed system work, so I don't repair when that's the problem and usually with the price of one of these units it's not worth having some find/repair leak and recharge, (probably in the $350 - $500 range depending on what needs done and they are only maybe $600-700 new).

Your compressor is running and you have the ice ball around the evaporator inlet where the capillary tube enters then that's your problem - no doubt about it.

You say the duplex it was in wasn't occupied for some time - if the refrigerator was left turned off with the doors closed - that's the worst thing for them.   The last person moves out and turns the refrigerator off or the power is off and the doors are left closed.  All the moisture closed up in the none running refrigerator can cause corrosion of the aluminum evaporator.

If you are going to leave a refrigerator unused it should be left completely open for a few days to make sure it all dried out inside and then newspaper or something to prop the doors open so they can't close so it can stay aired out.

 

[Cameron6392]

@Budget Appliance Repair well that sucks. Well guess I'll call whirlpool and see if it's at least covered under warranty. I'll be being a maytag to replace it. 

[Budget Appliance Repair]

16 hours ago, Cameron6392 said:

I'll be being a maytag to replace it

If you buy a Maytag to replace it you might be getting the same thing....

Maytag is owned by Whirlpool now.   You will find that they might look almost the same with just a different name brand on the front.