Help me with my crazy refrigerator
July 6, 2019 2:03 AM   Subscribe

I just temped the yogurt in the top of my fridge, it was 57 degrees Fahrenheit, the bottom two shelves are freezing. I've had a beer bottle explode down there totally frozen. How do I equalize the temperature?

It's a double door fridge, left side is the freezer, right side is the fridge. We rent so it's not my own set of appliances. Given the space too I can't imagine a different setup would work as the wall is already pretty close to the door.

Is there anything I can do? I hate that we only have 2 usable shelves. Any reduction of the bottom also leads to a total warmth on top. I'd love to recirculate the air but I don't know how to do that without a fan, the cord which would interfere with the fridge.

The specific model is a kitchen aid superba, it really sucks not being able to use the whole fridge.
posted by Carillon to Home & Garden (8 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Check your door gaskets are sealing properly when the doors are closed but other wise your fridge needs a service person.
posted by Mitheral at 2:42 AM on July 6, 2019 [1 favorite]


How full is your fridge? Being overfull sometimes stops air circulation and leads to temperature differences. Can you try having a clear out and then testing again?
posted by kadia_a at 2:47 AM on July 6, 2019 [2 favorites]


Our fridge was doing this when we moved into our current rental. Turns out the fan was busted, and it required a refrigerator repair company to come out and fix it. It works just dandy now.
posted by Marie Mon Dieu at 3:20 AM on July 6, 2019 [2 favorites]


It definitely sounds like the cold air isn’t circulating properly. This is either due to your fridge being overfilled or due to a broken evaporator motor. (The evaporator motor is what blows air over the cold vapor coils inside the refrigerator. It’s separate from the condenser motor & fan, which are on the outside.)
posted by Johnny Assay at 5:08 AM on July 6, 2019 [2 favorites]


This is a major appliance supplied by your landlord, and it is not in proper operating order. It’s your responsibility to notify the landlord or property manager of the problem, and (at least by the terms of every lease I’ve ever signed) their responsibility to get it fixed or replace the appliance.
posted by ewok_academy at 5:36 AM on July 6, 2019 [12 favorites]


I just had this problem last winter. It's a fan in the freezer failing to circulate air properly. Not expensive, but not DIY either. Call the landlord.
posted by Dashy at 5:54 AM on July 6, 2019 [2 favorites]


Yes, check the fan; air is not circulating.
posted by theora55 at 8:26 AM on July 6, 2019


And how is the freezer? Is the defroster working? (I assume there is such a thing in this model)
If the freezer is clogged up with ice, it might not circulate to the refrigerator part correctly.
posted by MtDewd at 9:19 AM on July 6, 2019


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