Submitted by: Richard Caldwell
As the food inside your refrigerator gets colder and colder it radiates less heat to the air inside the refrigerator. The air temperature inside the refrigerator will remain colder as this process occurs. To regulate the temperature inside most refrigerators and freezers either a thermostat is used or a thermistor/control board combination.
Thermostat Operation
A thermostat called a cold-control will cycle the compressor on and off to keep the temperature inside the refrigerator within a specified range. Typical average temperature settings of most refrigerators will be around 45 F. You can always adjust the fresh-food temperature setting by turning the dials on the cold control. Most cold-controls on Whirlpool, Maytag, Whirlpool, and GE refrigerators are located in the fresh-food side of the refrigerator, top and front near the interior light.
Thermistor/Control Board
A thermistor is an electrical device, which changes resistance when a change in temperature occurs. Thermistors are typically mounted on the inside walls of the fresh-food compartment, and the freezer compartment. The thermistor sends a signal to the control board circuit. The firmware in the control board is designed so that resistance of the thermistor will correspond to a given temperature and will adjust fan speed, fresh-food damper door, and compressor operation to achieve the set temperature.
On most Whirlpool, Kenmore, Maytag, and GE refrigerators all one evaporator produces the cold air for both the fresh-food compartment and the freezer compartment, which is located behind the rear interior panel of the freezer compartment. Since the freezer air is so much colder than the fresh-food compartment, it is easy to see why it is logical to use this one evaporator to provide the necessary cold air for both the freezer and fresh-food compartments of most refrigerators.
Most of the cold air that is produced by the freezer/refrigerator evaporator circulates in the freezer compartment by the evaporator fan. The evaporator fan also circulates air to the icemaker and through the damper door to provide cold air to the refrigerator. Most of the damper door assemblies are located in the rear-top-left of the fresh food compartment. Only a small amount of cold air needed in the food compartment to keep it down to the proper temperature so the damper door will close when the proper temperature is reached. The control for this damper door is the other of the two dials within your refrigerator cold control or is adjusted on the user interface.
One very common complaint I receive from customers are that the freezer is freezing but the refrigerator is warm. The first thing we must realize when this happens is the compressor is doing its job and is working properly. Its job is to maintain cold temperature in the freezer. It is the damper door, control, and evaporator fan, which control the refrigerator. That is "most" refrigerators. When the damper or fan is not working properly, there will be no freezer air diverted to the refrigerator for cooling. When the control board is not working properly, the damper control will not allow proper regulation in the refrigerator.
About the Author: Rich is the owner of Western Appliance Repair in Boise Idaho appliance repair boise
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