Frost Over Condition with Frigidaire Refrigerator - Bad Defrost Thermostat?

[Matthew92174]

Model Number: FGHB2868TF2
Brand: Frigidaire
Age: 1-5 years

I'm having a problem with the Frigidaire 27.2 Cu. Ft. French Door Refrigerator Model #FGHB2868TF2 I purchased in April of last year.

Two weeks ago we noticed the ice maker was making ice very slowly, then last week we found the freezer was not keeping food frozen (ice cream was soft and bagels weren't fully frozen). I emptied the freezer and removed the drawer and shelves and removed the back panel exposing the evaporator coil which I found to be completely frosted over. I left the freezer turned off and let the coils defrost, then once they were melted and dry I put the freezer back together and plugged it back in.

It's been a week days since then and while the freezer is working better, it is still barely keeping the food frozen and there is some frost collecting on the food which we never experienced before, and the walls and ceiling of the freezer are collecting frost now.

After researching potential causes I removed and tested the defrost thermostat to see if it wasn't "closing" or shorting out when cold which seems to be a common failure that causes frosting over of the freezer. Upon taking the still freezing cold thermostat out of the freezer, the thermostat read "closed" or shorted on my ohm meter. After letting the thermostat come to room temperature it still showed "closed" or shorted, it never opened the circuit. I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if that be causing the frost over condition too?

Thank you very much

[MrG]

replace the defrost thermostat and see if this cures the problem.

[denman]

Below is a link to info on this unit.
http://b2b.frigidaire.com/support/Re...&Search=Search

The tech data should help you diagnose the problem re: force a defrost, check thermistors etc.

[Matthew92174]

replace the defrost thermostat and see if this cures the problem.

Thank you for your reply MrG

The appliance store I purchased this from was kind enough to order a new thermostat and timer at no charge so when they come in I will do that. Especially since I can't seem to figure out where they hide the timer anyway. If the thermostat doesn't do the trick I'll have to search harder for the timer location and swap that too.

Have a great night

[MrG]

Thank you for your reply MrG

The appliance store I purchased this from was kind enough to order a new thermostat and timer at no charge so when they come in I will do that. Especially since I can't seem to figure out where they hide the timer anyway. If the thermostat doesn't do the trick I'll have to search harder for the timer location and swap that too.

Have a great night

Thanks Matthew. That WAS nice of the store people to offer. Good for you. I hope it helps solving the problem. From your description it does sound like it's in the defrost system somewhere. The info in the spec sheet that denman sent you should help in pinpointing if it's not the thermostat. Good hunting. I'm still hoping someone in the know can help with my Kenmore shutdown problem.

Be well