Hotpoint Refrigerator Not Cooling

[no user name]

I have this Hotpoint model too. The compressor kicks on and cycles off but the refrigerator will not get any colder than 50 degrees. And the freezer freezes ice in time but will not maintain ice cream. The freezer is set on the lowest now and the fridge is currently on 7 though I've had it at various points on that spectrum.

Background info:
I bought the unit used one week ago and it hasn't worked properly from the beginning. It had been unplugged for quite some time prior to my purchase. Now the "nice" lady won't answer or return my calls.

Is this the defrost timer as well or any other ideas?
Thank you

Model HTS20GBNCWW

[Al Capone]

Hi,

Please be sure to read, Posting Basics - Starting a New Topic.

Note were it say's towards the bottom.

Please do not ask your own question in a topic.
In other words, please don't hijack the topic and make it yours.
Start your own topic and reference the other topic related to your issue.

I have made your reply into a new topic.

Thanks,

[Mr. Fix-It]

If the compressor is shutting of and proper fridge temp is not maintained I would suspect the refridgerator control to be the problem, part # WR17X11371

[JWWebster]

make sure the fan motor is turning down by the compressor. If the compressor feels hot then the relay may be bad. The relay mounted on the compressor may be sticking since it has not been run in a long time. I keep a hard start on me to check these things out but I try to replace the relays with the original parts.

[jumptrout51]

Check the evaporator fan motor in the freezer. Is it running?

[no user name]

All the fans appear to be working fine.

[Repair-man]

She does not accept your phone calls....nice lady already knew the box had problems.

[no user name]

She does not accept your phone calls....nice lady already knew the box had problems.

Have to wonder! She's not hurting either. I'm disabled, having to purchase used appliances and she's loaded!

[Repair-man]

It's a shame what folks will do sometimes...at any rate, to determine if you have a serious problem with the unit, a technician might first have a look in the freezer section where the cooling coils are located. Since you maintain that the temps on the fresh food side are high, yet the freezer seems semi-normal, one might suspect 2 possible causes.

1. Defrost problem  (coils covered in thick frost)
2. Sealed system problem  (poor or partial frost pattern on coil)

The first one is simple to resolve in most cases, but a sealed system issue means expensive repair work and is beyond the value of this model. If you can get to the evaporator coil in the freezer and look at it yourself, you might report back the findings.

Also be sure the unit has a cover on the back where the compressor is, or it can cause the unit to run warm.

[Mr. Fix-It]

I think there is a lot of confusing advice being given here considering in the original post the customer says that the compressor is cycling on and off. This being the case I would say the problem lies in the refrigerator control as I stated in my first post. The only acception is if when the compressor turns off does the freezer fan turn off as well if so then you have a bad control.

[no user name]

I think there is a lot of confusing advice being given here considering in the original post the customer says that the compressor is cycling on and off. This being the case I would say the problem lies in the refrigerator control as I stated in my first post. The only acception is if when the compressor turns off does the freezer fan turn off as well if so then you have a bad control.

I finally unplugged it but that sounds about right...when the compressor cycled off, the freezer fan stopped as well.
So if it is indeed the control, what can I do?

[Mr. Fix-It]

You need to replace the control (thermostat) inside the fridge its the part connected to the knob you turn to set the temperature. You can find your part by putting your model # in the box to the left on this page. Good luck

[Repair-man]

How about this first....since Mr Fixit deems the control to be bad, you can always test this theory by accessing the thermostat control and hooking the 2 wires together for 24 hours. The unit will cool constantly and will even go thru a defrost cycle. After 24 hours, you can determine if the box is actually cooling by measuring the temps. Then you can order a control if the box cooled down properly. If not, you have other issues.

The control is located above the temperature knob in the housing, as shown in the diagram below. (#620). The current thermostat part number is WR17X11371

Diagram of your model: HTS20GBNCWW

[Mr. Fix-It]

Well Repair-man with your vast experience maybe you know something I don't. I thought that if there was a sealed system problem or frosted coils (defrost problem) the compressor and or freezer fan would run continuiosly and not cycle on and off besides when the fridge goes into defrost. (Every 8 hours or so). Please enlighten me as to the other causes of these symptoms where the compressor and freezer fan cycle on and off before the fridge acheives proper temp. without it being the control.

[Repair-man]

I have vast experience at sarcasm too, but I try to avoid it around here.


I don't see where the gentleman said the unit cycled off normally...how do you know it was not in defrost when it did so? Only when he unplugged it did the fans and compressor shut off at the same time. I expect we need a little clarification from the person who made the topic.. a Mr. NO Name

We are obviously not getting the whole picture here...

[JWWebster]

You might have a bad condenser motor, if it feels hot to the touch it may be intermittantly stoping and that would cause those  problems.You said the ice box had been sitting up in storage. Who knows, it might just fix itself, given time.

[no user name]

I have vast experience at sarcasm too, but I try to avoid it around here.


I don't see where the gentleman said the unit cycled off normally...how do you know it was not in defrost when it did so? Only when he unplugged it did the fans and compressor shut off at the same time. I expect we need a little clarification from the person who made the topic.. a Mr. NO Name

We are obviously not getting the whole picture here...

I'm not sure if I understand your question. But, I would hear the compressor kick on from the other room periodically, nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. The times that I had heard the compressor and had the FREEZER door open, I could hear that fan blowing too. 

[Repair-man]

Ok, so to make things clear in our minds, can you say that the compressor could be heard cycling off even when the freezer fan was still running?  What we are trying to establish here is either a cold control problem or a compressor that is cutting out. If it is indeed a cold control problem as MR Fixit suggests, this could be further exemplified by the fans cycling off at the same time as the compressor.

If it is just the compressor doing the cycling and the fans remain on, you have other problems. Do the fans stop when the compressor does or not?

[no user name]

Ok, so to make things clear in our minds, can you say that the compressor could be heard cycling off even when the freezer fan was still running?  What we are trying to establish here is either a cold control problem or a compressor that is cutting out. If it is indeed a cold control problem as MR Fixit suggests, this could be further exemplified by the fans cycling off at the same time as the compressor.

If it is just the compressor doing the cycling and the fans remain on, you have other problems. Do the fans stop when the compressor does or not?

No, I'd have to say that the compressor and fan cycle on and off as a team...when one stops so does the other and when one kicks on the other does too.
I'll plug 'er back in just to be good n sure. But I do seem to recall that when I had the freezer door open when the compressor was indeed running, there was cold winds blowing from the freezer vent which would indicate that fan running at the same time.

[Mr. Fix-It]

The important point is weather the fan shuts OFF when the compressor does this would zero in on the control.