Maytag Fridge Freezing Food [Solved]

Is your Maytag fridge freezing food and you do not understand why but you just want it fixed? Then we are here for you. In this article, we will discuss common reasons Maytag fridge freezes food. We will also give solutions to each of these issues.

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Solutions to Maytag Fridge Freezing Food

Below, we will give a detailed explanation of the reasons your Maytag fridge is freezing food. And then we will tell you how to solve the problem.

1. Set the Temperature correctly

One common reason your Maytag fridge keeps freezing food is that the temperature is set too low.

Usually, the ideal temperature for your fridge is 38°- 40°F. If your fridge’s temperature is set below 38°, then your food may begin to freeze up.

Simply turn up the temperature of your fridge to solve this issue.

2. Keep Your Food Away From Vents

Fridges usually have air vents through which cold air is supplied to the fridge. The cold air being supplied is what keeps the fridge cool.

These air vents are often in various locations based on your fridge’s model. If you place your food where the vents are, it might freeze. The vents will also be blocked and airflow will be decreased.

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To stop your food from freezing in the fridge, locate all the air vents in the fridge. When storing your food, avoid putting them close to these vents.

3. Clean the Coils

Sometimes, the problem may be due to dirt and dust on the coil. When the coils are dusty, it will cause the compressor to work harder than normal.

This will then result in the fridge being too cold and then freeze foods. All you have to do is clean the coils to solve this issue.

Before you do this, make sure you switch off the fridge and unplug it from the power socket. This is to ensure safety. Also, be sure to turn the fridge to a position that makes the coils easily accessible.

You can use a vacuum or soft fabric to clean the coils.

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4. Turn the Ice Maker Off

Whenever the ice maker is not connected to the water supply, turn it off. If the ice maker is on but not connected to the water supply, it will keep trying to make ice.

This will end up making the fridge too cold and food in drawers may get frozen.

5. Diagnose and Replace Malfunctioning Parts

If you try all of the above but the problem persists, then a part may be defective. While any part of the fridge can begin to malfunction, not all parts will cause the fridge to freeze food when faulty.

We will discuss these parts and explain how to diagnose them, so you can check and replace them if they are bad.

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i. Thermostat Control

The thermostat control turns the fridge off and on and monitors the fridge’s air temperature. It also directs voltage to the fridge’s refrigerant systems, making sure that the air temperature of the fridge stays stable.

If the thermostat control begins to malfunction, the compressor will operate longer than it should. This will result in the fridge getting too cold and then freeze food.

To test the thermostat control, turn the temperature dial from the lowest to the highest. Make sure the compressor is working when you do this.

Listen closely for a click sound which indicates that the refrigerant system has gone off. If you do not hear a click, then the thermostat is not working as it should.

Watch this video for how to replace your fridge thermostat control.

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ii. Thermistor

The thermistor reads the fridge’s air temperature and sends the reading to the control board. The control board then uses the reading to regulate the compressor and evaporator fans.

A faulty thermistor will send inaccurate readings to the control board. The inaccurate reading will then be used by the control board to regulate the refrigerant systems. This may cause the refrigerant systems to run longer than they should.

To test your thermistor, follow the steps below:

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i. For safety, switch off the fridge and disconnect it from the electrical socket.

ii. Open the fridge, the control board is mostly located at the top of the fridge. Drop it down to access the thermistor.

iii. Remove the thermistor

iv. Your fridge has a tech sheet that contains a temperature resistance chart for the thermistor. Get the tech sheet.

v. Let the thermistor warm up to room temperature. Use a multimeter to measure the thermistor’s resistance.

vi. Check the chart for what the resistance of the thermistor should be at room temperature. If it doesn’t correspond, then the thermistor is faulty and should be replaced.

6. Damper Control Assembly

The damper controls how much cold air goes into the fridge from the freezer. If the damper is faulty, then it may be stuck open, allowing too much cold air to get into the fridge.

How to Replace a Maytag Fridge Damper

To replace the damper, follow the steps below:

i. Locate the damper control assembly in your fridge and use a screwdriver to loosen all screws attaching it to the fridge.

ii. Disconnect any wire connected to the fridge and damper control assembly.

iii. Take out the damper control assembly. The damper will be accessible to you from this point.

iv. Remove all wire harness connected to it, and take it out.

v. Put in the new one, connect the wires back, and reattach the assembly back in the fridge.

Call a Repair Technician

If none of this solves the problem, then it may be time to call a repair technician. It could be the case of a faulty main control board or a defective temperature control board.

 

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