Top Reasons Fridge Freezes Food — Refrigerator Troubleshooting

Refrigerator too cold or freezing food? This video provides information on how to troubleshoot an ice maker that is freezing food and the most likely defective parts associated with this problem.

Commonly replaced refrigerator parts:

Temperature control thermostat
Damper control assembly
Thermostat
Temperature control board
Main control board

Refrigerator part testing video playlist:

Find replacement refrigerator parts:

See our Refrigerator Repair Help for more troubleshooting information:

The information provided in this refrigerator troubleshooting video is applicable to all refrigerator brands: Admiral, Amana, Americana, Arctic Air, Bosch, Caloric, Crosley, Dacor, Danby, E-Wave, Electrolux, Estate, Frigidaire, Gaggenau, GE, Gibson, Goldstar, Haier, Hardwick, Hotpoint, Ikea, Inglis, JC Penney, Jenn Air, Kelvinator, Kenmore, KitchenAid, LG, Magic Chef, Maytag, Modern Maid, Montgomery Ward, Norge, RCA, Roper, Samsung, Scotsman, Sharp, Sub Zero, Tappan, Thermador, U-Line, Universal, Westinghouse, Whirlpool.

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[andrewtitcombe]

As a fridge engineer. I would like to add that if food in the refigerator is freezing. And you have a mechanical thermostat. The most likely cause is the thermostat so replace this first, But i have found that even after replacing the thermostat , the food still freezes. this is because the thermostat sensing line( capilary tube, the long silver wire ) insert tube has detached it's self from the back of the cooling plate. And therefore can't measure the fridge temperature correctly. Unfortunately this is built in behind the cooling plate and can't be accessed to be repaired, and therefore due to manufactured in or design fault the fridge has to be replaced . Even top name manufactured fridges suffer from this problem.

[notsure]

thx for the video. my 3 gallons of water was freezing, looks like it ran all the time. turned off t-stat and back on, and it did not turn on for 30 minutes or so. now it is working, temps went down from 22 to the 30ish range.
thx again, next time I will just up plug, pretty sure it reset something. saved me $999.00 buying new one.

[NegroJonesStrikesAgn]

I'm sure you guys help a lot of people with videos and supplies but after watching this I am convinced I need to call someone.

[alexlikesbts]

I just got my whirlpool mini fridge brand new out of the box and no matter what I set the temp to it just goes to 32° and freezes stuff. I unplugged it and thawed it out but that was no help. I also tried leveling it out but no difference so far :(

[jdh]

My fridge is freezing food in the fridge (mostly top shelf and bottom bin). I maintain and clean it very well (clean coils, fan, baby powder the door seals). When I hit/bump the fridge control it shuts off most of the time. I replaced the cold control twice over a several year period with new cold controls (p/n ER2198202) I purchased from you guys yet still continue having to fight it.. What is the most likely cause please?. Whirlpool model ED5GTGXNQ00. Thank You.

[wyattspop]

Hey, my side by side Frigidaire model FRS26R4A is running too cold on the fridge side (mid 20's) and not cold enough in the freezer (12-15 degrees). I can feel/hear the air flow, if it helps, the drinks on the top shelf are freezing but the food on lower shelves are not affected. I did a rudimentary cleaning of coils in the back, no seals are cracked on the doors.. This is a "garage" second fridge so no water lines are hooked up, no ice. Can you suggest where I might start? Temp control, air damper etc. Thanks much

[YannCamusBlissClimbing]

Thanks for this video! I dismounted the thermostat, tested it as shown here, found it was conducting current whatever the temperature / settings so I ordered one! That should sort out my problem :-) So happy you made me!!!

[ianwillis]

I replaced the thermostat but my fridge is still freezing everything. also, my ice maker isnt working but not as concerned with that but could point to the issue. Any tips are greatly appreciated!

[sharoncallen]

My whirlpool refrigerator/freezer model # ET18NK will freeze any item that's in the back of frig. Other items are fine. I keep coils clean! Any help appreciated!

[CruiseReport]

GE ZISS420DMC refrigerator freezing food and Quick Chill/Thaw drawer not thawing.
I have changed the main control board. No fix. I have checked the dampers, they open and close (not broken or frozen). No fix. I changed out the HMI board. No fix. I changed two thermistors in the fridge. No fix. I have run the diagnostics and everything checks out. Could it be the Quick Chill Air Handler?

[nancymersereau]

What about a Danby Fridge whose Thermostat still freezes food even with dial turned to off position? This crazy fridge DFF1776WE has no freezer compartment to blame, and no ice-maker to blame. Danby's Thermostat is obsolete but might actually be a Whirlpool part. I ordered the Whirlpool substitute part, but in the meantime (2 weeks) we have been running it for 2 hours each morning then unplugging the fridge then plugging it back in late in the afternoon for an hour. Anyone want a beer with a little ice in it? The Parts list that Danby sent me does not mention a Thermistor, or a temp control board so am hoping the part I ordered does the job. Lettuce is not enjoying the ride...LOL

[reneej]

Whirlpool freezer should be at what temperature

[TheNickybocker]

My amana fridge froze up the water to the dispenser before it got to the door. I think maybe it froze right in the fridge where the water cooler is. Do you think the little door that opens and closes letting cold air from from the freezer is bad? At the same time the food in the freezer was thawing. Could it be a bad defrost thermostat causing ice to build up interfering with the little door and causing the freezer to warm up at the same time?

[enicole]

Giles being a petty demon king is worth the while season

[thenimknocker]

Can I just remove the damper to make my fridge a freezer?

[thenimknocker]

How can I fault my damper to make the fridge a freezer

[pimpmyride]

Damn whirlpool. Should have gotten a kenmore.

[robertgarcia]

Appliance repair technicians make me laugh. They get called to your house to supposedly diagnose the issue but all they actually do is just guess which parts are more than likely bad then replace them. They are second guessing themselves, shoot I can do the same thing and call myself a appliance technician

[jevdawg]

this is too technical make some videos for the lay person

[benibelushi]

It’s not frozen in barm part of fridge, says filters not working