Refrigerator Weirdness

We have a 15 year old Whirpool frost-free refrigerator with a freezer on the top.
From time to time the defrost drain tube plugs up and we have to unfreeze/unplug it......not a big deal.

Had to be done mid-February...and oddly again today.

What is even odder is the fact that the outer, and now the inner walls of the freezer portion are beginning to dimple.....and one side at the top of the unit is kinda caved in.

We've tried a google search without any luck and are totally at a loss as to why the walls would dimple like this....it seems to be a closed system and we are guessing there is insulation between the inner and outer walls....

Does anyone with appliance experience have any ideas????

Pics??

Would be helpful to see an affected bit and unaffected bit.

Sounds like frost damage though

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

When that problem happens, Do you see water on the floor ?

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

The insulation in modern 'fridges is a liquid foam inserted through holes in the body of it and then the foam hardens in place. I think that you have allowed the machine to "defrost" too long and condensation has entered into places that normally it does not. that moisture then freezes Expands 15% or so) and disrupts the panels that are not otherwise greatly anchored in place.

Put a thermometer on a top shelf in the fresh food part and check it in 24 hours. The ideal temp there should be about 37 degrees to retain freshness of the foods and the best conservation of energy. The freezer part is wasting energy if your thermometer registers lower than zero degree. (If you are not in the US, you need to convert those figures, of course.) Zero in the freezer gives you rock hard ice cream (that they you must warm in the microwave to dig out of the carton. A setting of 12 degrees in the freezer is a decent temp.

No harm done to the unit, but the plugged drain can be caused by a number of things: Insects in the tube (if it has a tube) bloody, sticky substances that drip into the drain, overloading with high-moisture content room temp foods, and warm room air leaking in around the gasket because of a poor fit, too much opening of the door, etc. Take some time to know your machine. It does not seem that you have a mechanical problem that requires a tech or an new unit.

a reply to: Aliensun
Interesting, thanks!!!!!

So, it is a problem starting in the 'fridg, possibly?

What makes the freezer go into defrost mode? Does it happen twice a day, or when conditions are right?
How would the CONDENSATION get there? Or would it just be an automatic thing due to temperature issues?

The freezer seems to be at an ideal temp, but hasn't been checked....ice cream is at a good consistency and ice cubes freeze in a timely fashion...and don't all clump together in the cube container.
Will check the temps though in both areas.

It's reassuring to know you don't see a mechinical problem from what I has mentioned.

Oh, there is another thing...we do get loud pops from time to time, maybe over that last year....they are infrequent...and i am not sure what part of the cycle the unit is in when they happen.

Thanks for your input.

a reply to: Phatdamage

i'll have to charge the camera LOL



a reply to: Trueman
No, I always catch it before that happens.....and at this point I have a small plastic rectangular bowl that catches most of it.....then it collects under the crisper in a groove...which is easy to wipe up.

The first time it happened many years ago it did get to the floor, and the dog got blamed

I've got experience in that subject. It's time to get a new refrigerator. Be lucky that you got about fifteen years out of it, new ones only get around seven or eight years.

At that age, it probably is not worth fixing anymore. The door seal must be going. The frost is taking it's toll.

a reply to: rickymouse

Please! Don't simply tell the guy to go out and buy another unit! That is so typically modern American!

The fridge has a clock timer somewhere inside and they usually go off twice a day. It if is doing that, then the timer itself is not bad. I suspect a door seal. Take a dollar bill and sandwich it between the frame and the seal and pull it out. If some resistance is felt, then fine. If it is a loose fit, then air is sneaking in and causing the condensation. If the seal is bad, like the magnets falling out or losing their grab, that is one thing, but another reason could be that a door, usually the large fresh food side, has taken a bit of a warp. In that case, a simple fix could be as easy as pressure applied by a knee or toe against the area that does not suck up to the frame. For example, if a gap is at the bottom, a top against the bottome and a good pull on the top of the door may solve the problem.

I don't recommend replacing the seal, they are outrageously expensive and not that easy to correctly install.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I think i have something that explains your problem.

a reply to: Aliensun

Good ideas....thanks.
The seals seem fine.
And glad we don't need a new fridge in the immediate future.

After turning the unit back on...after my husband de-iced the tube....we see some condensation on the upper back wall of the fresh food part...no idea why.

And, those popping noises are a mystery.

originally posted by: yuppa
a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I think i have something that explains your problem.

LMAO!!

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

There is a little flexible plastic check valve, check it.

a reply to: Trueman

thanks for that tip

a reply to: Aliensun

It costs about twenty five bucks for a set of seals, and the cost of the deicing unit is between thirty and fifty bucks if you can still find it. They make parts for only about eight years or so then the fridges are obsolete. No parts available.

If the inside sheathing is already warped and delaminated, it may not seal anymore. Throwing money at something with multiple problems is not wise. I am very thrifty, I have restored a lot of things in my life and have found that sometimes, it is time to let it go. He has multiple symptoms there.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

15 is old for a fridge. It sounds like water has gotten into the insulation between the interior and exterior. Look carefully at the freezer compartment to see if there are any cracks at all. When you defrost water from melting ice can enter these cracks and then expand when it freezes up again causing the insulation to expand.

PS Your thread title immediately brought to mind the line from Dr. Venkman in Ghost Busters II when in Segourney Weavers kitchen. "Strange, you don't often get this kind of behaviour from a major appliance".
I thought I was going to read about a strange voice coming from the refrigerator along with green light and fog. ZUUL ! ! !

originally posted by: yuppa
a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

I think i have something that explains your problem.

I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who thought this. LOL

a reply to: AutumnWitch657

We see no cracks. And this is above an area where water would even collect.

15 isn't that old....we have an older model in the basement....no problems there....knock on wood.

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Thee drain freezing up is probably that your drain heater has moved slightly out of place, or is beginning to go bad. I would check for out of place first, and put it back into optimum position if possible.

The sides starting to cave in, seems very weird, coupled with the loud popping noises which you said were periodic seems worrysome in my mind. It could be your insulation is going bad and something periodically is getting caught in a fan blade, but it could be more serious than this too, or even that could cause a larger problem down the road, at a time you least likely expect..

On those things I would call a technician, tell them you don't have any money to speak of and you would like to get their best advice and opinions over the phone. Get as many opinions as possible, not just one. Call every single technician in your area if you have to.. find out what they are all saying (that is common to each other) and then try to make an informed decision on what best to do.

Sometimes having a technician out to fix a problem is cheap or cheaper than replacement, sometimes its not, it really all depends on how serious the problem is - but if you are going to be facing many unknowns and possibly a broken down fridge full of food at some point in the future.. its good to be prepared, know exactly what you are facing, and saving toward that end if need be.

I can also call a technician on monday to get some over the phone advice.. and tell you what he says. But he is not in til monday..

a reply to: DontTreadOnMe

Whirlpool is a good brand. I tend to go with Kenmore because they are cheaper but not by a lot. Hopefully these guys have offered some good advice and it will last longer. 15 is old to me. That's about how old mine is and we're ready for a new one but God they cost an arm and a leg these days. I'm longing for a shiny French door stainless. I've got stainless now but it's got black on the sides and it sucks the energy out of my bright little kitchen.
Good luck. I hope you can squeeze another five years out of the old girl.