# Fridgidaire Gallery LGUB2642LF0 Running Almost Constanly and Fridge Not Reaching Temp



## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Also. 2 final things to note. 
The user control panel never shows a fluctuation in temp reading that I have as yet to see.
When is does shut off I can hear a percolating type sound down by the compressor.


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

pull the cover off of the evaporator, the coil should have a light coating of frost from top to bottom. That is the first thing to check


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> pull the cover off of the evaporator, the coil should have a light coating of frost from top to bottom. That is the first thing to check


Light coating of frost is good? Heavy or no coating would be bad?


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

thick bad but fixable, none very bad.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> thick bad but fixable, none very bad.


Depending on what I find. What components should be on my list? 

My one concern is that the freon level is not right.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> thick bad but fixable, none very bad.


Light coating of frost as described. Heavier coating on the supply and return tubes on the right. 

Straightened all the bent fins while I was in there.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Also the user control board registered the change in temp in the freezer.


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

my next question would be, how do you know the damper is working properly. If your sure it is pull off the air control cover and check for ice blockage. Although 0 degree freezer temps should be more than sufficient to achieve a lower than 40 degree fresh food temp., I would be a little concerned about why I could not get below 0 if its running non stop. FYI, IMO that refrig is a huge pile of crap


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> my next question would be, how do you know the damper is working properly. If your sure it is pull off the air control cover and check for ice blockage. Although 0 degree freezer temps should be more than sufficient to achieve a lower than 40 degree fresh food temp., I would be a little concerned about why I could not get below 0 if its running non stop. FYI, IMO that refrig is a huge pile of crap


LOL. I am starting to think that as well. However it is what I am stuck with at the moment. 

I had the damper area apart while the fridge was running. The damper was wide open. When I cut the power at the control panel it closed. Did this several times. 
Also I can feel the air flowing When everything is assembled. 

Its shutting off for defrost cycle. 

Also I moved my digital thermometer to the return grate instead of in front of the fan in the freezer. 

So whats next?


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

find the return air passage to the freezer and see if by chance there is ice build up. What is your biggest concern, run time or temps?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> find the return air passage to the freezer and see if by chance there is ice build up. What is your biggest concern, run time or temps?


The size of the electric bill. 

I'd like to get it tuned in so that it cycles properly. 

What is the standard temp coming off the evaporator for a Frigidaire?
I assume it should be several degrees lower than the -6 the control panel will go to. 
It would seem to me that if the temp coming off the evaporator is not at least -6 there is the possibility of improper freon levels.


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

besides putting on a line tap and connect a set of service gauges,the best and most accurate way to check refrigerant levels is the frost line on the evap. coil. That was why I had you check it.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> besides putting on a line tap and connect a set of service gauges,the best and most accurate way to check refrigerant levels is the frost line on the evap. coil. That was why I had you check it.


I suspected as much. Had the A frame on the heat pump leak a few years back. It froze right up. The techs showed up with a much bigger A frame. That worked out well for overall efficiency. 

Have not had a chance yet to look at the returns since last night. However. Whenever we open the fridge doors the temp reading on my thermometer changes pretty quickly. There is def air flow. 
Also I did not see any frost or ice on the bottom of the returns when I was checking the evap. When I had the fridge area apart last there was nothing noticeable there either.

Currently I have the freezer set to 2 degrees. The fridge is set to 33 degrees. 
The temp of a glass of water in the fridge is 37 degrees. 
The temp at the return grate is currently 6.5 and has been falling. Must have hit a defrost cycle earlier.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Also I believe mentioned it earlier. Every once in a while I would see the freezer temp jump. The read just under 30 degrees at one point. 
It was not in a defrost cycle. However the heat element appeared to be on. 
Not sure if this is as it should be or a possible clue to my problem.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Just checked the digital thermometer when I walked though the door. It was at 0.0 degrees at the return grate. So it is achieving a temp below my setting on the control panel.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> thick bad but fixable, none very bad.












I am going to recheck the coils. When I looked the frost was not as heavy as the normal frost in the picture.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)




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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)




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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

did you turn the refrig off to get this picture? Get another shot, this time show the entire coil. It looks a little light but its hard to tell, when you got the picture it may have just come out of a defrost or it took you a long time to get to the coil.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> did you turn the refrig off to get this picture? Get another shot, this time show the entire coil. It looks a little light but its hard to tell, when you got the picture it may have just come out of a defrost or it took you a long time to get to the coil.


Will do.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Here are the updated photo's.
The last defrost cycle was about 3 hours prior to this. Plenty of time for frost to build. 
Also I emptied the freezer then let the it cool for about an hour and half prior to removing cover. 
Took me about a minute to get the panel off and photo's taken.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

So what do you think I am looking at here. 
A sealed system problem?


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

nope, looks like you have a full frost pattern to me.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> nope, looks like you have a full frost pattern to me.


Hmmmmm.
So what should I be looking at as a cause of the fridge not getting down to temp and shutting off? 
If I can eliminate a restriction or an inefficient compressor. What is the next likely suspect? 

I have to keep the setting for the fridge at 33 in order for it to maintain a temp of about 36-37 degrees. 
As I mentioned earlier I was noticing the defrost coil coming on when the fridge was not in defrost cycle. My digital thermometer showed 30 degrees while the compressor was still operating. 

Also the food temp in the freezer is 6 degrees, while I have the temp set to 2 degrees.


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

Sev said:


> As I mentioned earlier I was noticing the defrost coil coming on when the fridge was not in defrost cycle.


must have missed when you said that. How do you know it is?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> must have missed when you said that. How do you know it is?


I would see the temp on my digital thermometer jump to 29-30 for a few minutes and then start to drop back down. The compressor and fans are running when this occurs. 
The compressor and fans shut down about 3-4 times in 24 hours that I have noticed. I am assuming that is the actual defrost cycle and is the only time the defrost coil should be on.


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## hardwareman (Oct 9, 2010)

Sev said:


> I would see the temp on my digital thermometer jump to 29-30 for a few minutes and then start to drop back down. The compressor and fans are running when this occurs.


that doesn't mean the defrost is coming on, that could very well be a restriction in the capillary tube or something weird like that. How old is the refrig, most manufacturers carry a 5 year sealed system warranty.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

hardwareman said:


> that doesn't mean the defrost is coming on, that could very well be a restriction in the capillary tube or something weird like that. How old is the refrig, most manufacturers carry a 5 year sealed system warranty.


It was manufactured in Mexico between Nov 26 and Dec 2 2010. 

I have been told that the most common restriction points are the cap tube and drier cleaner. Sound information?
Would a restriction there also explain the evap not producing sub 0 temps?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Is there anything else I should be considering as being the source of the problems described? 

I have American Home Shield. So work on the fridge is covered up to 3000 dollars. 
However I have done work for similar companies on the commercial side. The contractors are given a limited range of pay for the work provided. 
I would like to be able to direct the service tech as accurately as possible to the source problem so that they can get the parts and complete the service call as efficiently as possible. It will give them some breathing room time wise on the job. 

I am going to include the repair of the upper ice maker in the call as well which only makes sense. I dont expect any problems with that aspect of the repair as the unit is modular and is only a matter of popping the mechanical unit out and replacing it. I'll have them check the defrost sensor and coil while they are in there as well.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Been continually monitoring the fridge and freezer temps. 
Fridge has been holding steady at 36 degrees. The temp of the food in the freezer has been holding at 6 degrees. 
As of yesterday there has been a 2 degree shift. The temps are now 4 degrees and 34 degrees. 

No settings have been change. 

I bumped the freezer temp up to 5 degrees to see if I can get the compressor to shut off. 

Any idea's on why the sudden shift in temps? Could something causing a restriction have let loose?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Anybody out there?


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## bilug (Apr 16, 2014)

I'm guessing you have a bad temperature sensor(s) that are relaying the information to the board or the system needs to be calibrated if possible.
What are you using to verify the temperature?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

bilug said:


> I'm guessing you have a bad temperature sensor(s) that are relaying the information to the board or the system needs to be calibrated if possible.
> What are you using to verify the temperature?



That was my first thought. 
The sensors are new. I recently replaced them. There was no change in the behavior of the unit. 
I am using a series of digital and regular thermometers in both the fridge and freezer.


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Well something changed. 
I noticed a temp difference in the freezer Thursday evening. 
Turned the temp down to -1. It got there. 
Decided to set it to its lowest setting of -6 today. The temp at the return in the freezer got there. 
However the fridge is still not getting to temp. 
I have that set to 33. A digital thermometer in the crisper is holding at 36.1. And a digital thermometer stuck to the plenum is holding at 37 degrees.

Perhaps it is a calibration problem as bilug suggested or one of the control boards is flakey. 

Thoughts?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

-11 in the freezer now.

What control panel is responsible for operating the damper?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Come on guys. 
Any likely suspects on what the problem is?


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## Sev (Feb 19, 2015)

Got some major frosting on the back side of the compressor. I was told by a local tech that this was normal on all fridges. 
I was also told by greater minds to look for a signs of over charging early on. 
What do you think?
Also I am not to sure about that sharp bend in the cap tube.


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