Westinghouse fridges are both aesthetically and functionally great products. However, like most fridges, they are prone to refrigerator problems like freezing issues. Hence, this article will guide you to solve the problem of your Westinghouse fridge freezing food.
Table of Contents
Westinghouse Fridge Freezing Food – Quick Fixes
It is time you stopped asking “Why is my Westinghouse fridge freezing food?” and get doing. Below we have listed quick fixes to stop your Westinghouse fridge from freezing food.
1. Clean the Coils
The coils of your fridge are prone to dust and dirt. And when they get dirty, the evaporator fans will be forced to work harder.
As a result, the fridge may become too cold and begin to freeze your food. All you need to do is clean the coils.
To do this first make sure you unplug the fridge from the power socket to ensure safety. Next, turn the fridge from the wall so you will have easy access to the coils.
Use a canister vacuum to clean the dust as best as you can and then turn the fridge back on.
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2. Defrost the Fridge
When frost gathers on the air vents there will be a shortage in airflow. The fridge in a bid to make up for this will begin to work overtime.
When this happens, your fridge may become too cold and your food may get frozen. If this is the case, then you need to defrost your fridge. Check out this article for how to properly defrost your fridge.
Furthermore, you have to prevent the re-occurrence of this problem. Frost builds up in the fridge when warm air enters the fridge.
Therefore, try to prevent this by not leaving the fridge’s door open. Also, do not put warm foods in the fridge.
3. Turn up the Temperature
The problem may simply be because the temperature is set too low. So, get an an external fridge thermometer if your fridge model does not display the temperature. Test the temperature of the fridge.
If the temperature is below 37°F then increase it. However, ensure that you do not exceed 40°F as if you do, your fridge will become too warm.
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4. Store More Food
If there is not enough food in your fridge then the few items you have in the fridge may begin to freeze up. This is because there isn’t enough food to absorb the cold air that is being supplied to the fridge.
Try to store up more food in your fridge and see if the problem stops.
5. Keep your Food Away from Air Vents
There are air vents in your fridge that supplies cool air from the freezer to the fridge. If you place your food close to these air vents or in their paths then the food may freeze up.
Also, the food will block the vents causing a shortage in airflow. Subsequently, the fridge will work overtime in a bid to make up for the shortage.
Locate all the vents in your fridge and ensure you keep your food away from them.
Westinghouse Fridge Freezing Food – Technical Issues
If you try all of the quick fixes above and your Westinghouse fridge keeps freezing food then it may be a technical issue. In this section, we will discuss the most common technical reasons your Westinghouse fridge is freezing food.
1. Worn Out Door Gasket
The door gasket helps to prevent warm air from entering the fridge. It does this by making sure the fridge’s doors are properly closed at all times.
However, if the door gasket gets worn out then warm air will get into the fridge. When this happens, the warm air will freeze and become frost. The frost can then cover the vents and prevent the proper flow of air.
Inspect the door gasket and if it looks worn out, replace it. Or you may test it by switching on a flashlight and placing it in the fridge. Then close the door of the fridge and if you can see the ray of the flashlight then the gasket is bad.
How to Replace Westinghouse Fridge Door Gasket
To replace your Westinghouse fridge door gasket follow the steps below:
Step one: For safety, unplug the fridge from the electrical socket.
Step two: Open the fridge, with a flat head screwdriver pry off the right corner of the gasket.
Step three: Grab the gasket with your fingers and pull it off the track.
Step four: Get the new seal, ensure it is compatible with your fridge’s model. There is a small plastic dot on each corner of the seal. Clip the plastic dot to all four corners of the door.
Step five: With your fingers work your way around the track and clip the gasket on it.
Step six: Double check to make sure there are no pumps and the seal is laid on the track properly. If it isn’t, then press it on properly on the track.
2. Faulty Thermistor
The thermistor is a device that reads the air temperature of the fridge. It then sends this reading to the control board. In turn, the control board uses the reading to regulate the evaporator fans and compressor.
In the case where the thermistor is faulty, it will send incorrect readings to the control board. And the control board may cause the evaporator fans and compressor to work overtime due to the incorrect reading.
Since the evaporator fans and compressor are working overtime the fridge may become too cold.
To diagnose and replace your fridge’s thermistor watch this video.
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3. Defective Damper
The damper is a simple motor that regulates the amount of cool air that goes into the fridge. It does this by opening and closing periodically. If the damper is defective, it may stay open allowing too much cool air into the fridge.
Depending on your model, the damper may be at the ceiling or back of the fridge. To check it for fault, you need to inspect it visually. If the damper is defective then it has to be replaced.
How to Replace Westinghouse Fridge Damper
To replace the damper of your Westinghouse fridge, do the following…
i. Make sure you unplug the fridge from the power socket to ensure safety.
ii. Open the fridge and take out the top shelf to create more room to work.
iii. Locate the damper assembly and then take off all bolts and screws holding it in place.
iv. Unplug all wire harness attached to the damper control assembly and the fridge. Remove the assembly and take it to a work table.
v. Disconnect every wire harness connected to the damper and remove it from the assembly.
vi. Get the new damper and put it in place. Next, reattach the wire harness back on the new damper.
vii. Take the damper control assembly back to the fridge and screw it back on.
4. Malfunctioning Control Thermostat
The control thermostat regulates the temperature of the fridge by turning the refrigerant system off and on from time to time.
If the control thermostat is malfunctioning, the refrigerant system will work overtime. Subsequently, the fridge may begin to freeze food.
To diagnose the thermostat do the following:
i. Ensure the compressor is running.
ii. Turn the temperature dial from the lowest to the highest level.
iii. While you do this, listen for a click sound. The click sound is an indication that the refrigerant system has gone off.
iv. If there is no click then the thermostat most likely is bad.
You may decide to use a multimeter to check for continuity if you are not convinced with your diagnosis. If there is no continuity then the thermostat is bad and should be replaced.
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How to Replace Westinghouse Fridge Control Thermostat
Do these easy to follow steps to replace your Westinghouse fridge control thermostat
i. Disconnect the fridge from the power outlet.
ii. For more work room take off the top shelf of the fridge.
iii. The control thermostat may be on the top side or ceiling of the fridge. Take off all the screws holding the thermostat panel in place.
iv. Pull off the temperature dial; use a plier to remove the screw underneath the dial.
v. Take out the panel, the thermostat should be visible at this point. Unplug all wire harness connected to the thermostat.
vi. Gently pull out the thermostat.
vii. Place the new thermostat and push the probe into the hole. Reconnect all wire harnesses to the thermostat.
viii. Put the thermostat back in the panel. Put the panel back and screw it back on. Reattach the temperature dial.
5. Faulty Temperature/ Main Control Board
The temperature or main control boards are rarely the problems and hard to diagnose. However, if the problem doesn’t go away after you do all of the above then one out of the two may be the problem.
But the repair is not easy to DIY except you have enough technical knowledge. Hence, we recommend that you get the help of a service technician.
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