[coblas]

Freezer doesn't go below 20 degrees now and refrigerator is around 45 degrees. Can this be repaired and/or is it worth it or should I buy a new one? It's about 6 years old.

[drtom4444]

If it was something like the compressor it would not be cooling at all, but it's most likely something easy, like the defrost system. You can check it with a good meter and if the heater and timer are bad you can replace them for about $30.00. It could also be dirty and just need cleaning, which is the most common reason, or the condenser or evaporator fan could be bad, These are cheap parts. Here are some manuals: https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...Jun%202004.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...rigerators.zip
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...5427241%29.pdf
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/...rigerators.zip

[coblas]

I didn't have any problems with it until the power surge I mentioned. Several other electric items were ruined, too. Sounds as though repair makes sense. Thank you for your suggestions.

[drtom4444]

The defrost timer has a small motor in it to advance the clock and a power surge will burn it out as will happen to the small fans in your unit. What you need to do is get a whole house surge protector that you install in the breaker box on any 220 breaker. You keep the ground wire on the device as short as possible because you want the surge to reach ground before it can reach your appliances. I put a Square D model in my house because I was having way too many surge problems and losing all of my electronics. After I put it in I never had another surge and it did not matter about lightning storms or power surges. Those things work! And you can buy a very good one for about $30-40 and install it yourself. Attach the two wires for hot wares to a 220 volt 2-pole breaker and the green ground wire to the grounding bar. Go through the breakers in the box and tighten all lugs on the wires with good screwdrivers with an insulated shaft. Torque them all down, including all on the neutral and grounding bars. You should also go through the house and tighten all screws in your receptacles and light switches, too. They all loosen over time and will cause a fire. Replace any where you find that they have overheated and burned off some insulation on the wires.

[coblas]

Interesting info. About the surge protector. Due to the power surge, the protector my computer equipment plugged into was fried. I had another one (brand new) and plugged my computer into it next. It blew, too, so I guess the surge was still happening at the time. I also lost a few other items and am waiting for the electrician to check out the whole house, just to be safe. I don't feel comfortable doing it. I'll ask him about the whole house surge protector. Guess I'll be filing a claim with the power company. Thank you very much for your help.

[drtom4444]

I would be surprised if you could file a claim without having a whole house surge protector installed. If you have one you will be insured. I always install it on the air conditioner condensing unit circuit because it will not only cause it to be insured but it will protect the rest of the house. You probably have a loose neutral on the line coming in your house, and you need to tie all ground wires together with thick copper wire and have a good central ground rod driven into the ground. Sometimes the water table drops and you lose some of the grounding and also people like telephone installers will ground the lines somewhere other than where the power is grounded which will cause a surge problem as well as loose connections around the house. Any house over a few years old needs to have the connections checked for tightness. I have seen wires heat up from being loose and burn off 8-10 inches of insulation and destroy the receptacles and switches. Your house is a fire waiting to happen. HUD always requires a whole house surge protector on houses they finance. Get one and fix your ground problems as they cause surges and prevent surge protectors from working, as do loose wires.

[coblas]

The power company was responsible for the surge which occurred when they were working on the line after a utility poll broke into 3 pieces. It was about 1/2 mile from my house and appeared to be rotted through. I saw it with the cables still connected to one of the sections. The power company rep suggested I file a claim, having received calls from other residents in the area around the same time. I called the utility several times myself. An electrician came yesterday and checked out everything. He determined there are no further problems. A repairman will come today to fix the refrigerator. I'm shopping for a surge protector similar to the one that sacrificed itself for the computer. Also, my vcr (yes, I still have one) was ruined and I have to figure out what to replace it with so it's compatible with my TV. (I only have a rooftop antenna for over-the-air broadcasts and that's really all I need.) My homeowners insurance deductible is $1,000, too high to make it worthwhile to file a claim (and probably raise my rates as a result). I just had wondered what the extent of the damage to the refrigerator might be so I would know if it made sense to repair it or if it would be better to replace it. Thank you again for your suggestions.

[drtom4444]

The best surge protector for you would be the Square-D model that is installed in the breaker box. It cost about $30.00 and almost anyone can install one.