Fetching a bottle of cold water from the refrigerator sounds convenient, doesn’t it? The background process is complex, and only special brains could develop this engineering mastermind.
Many things work together continuously to make the refrigerator run seamlessly inside a fridge. Let’s talk about it in simple words. Inside the refrigerator are the evaporator coils. The evaporator fan takes the air from the fridge. It blows the air into the evaporator coils.
The refrigerant present in the evaporator coils, in turn, gives off cold air to cool the items inside. The compressor converts the liquid refrigerant into gas and pumps it into the condenser coils.
Here, the fan cools the gaseous refrigerant, and the heat is pumped out of the refrigerator. But does the evaporator fan always run? Let’s delve further to find out!
Does The Evaporator Fan Always Run?
Are you wondering if the evaporator fan always runs? We will give you a detailed answer.
The refrigerator must keep on working in cycles. If you notice that your fridge didn’t shut off all day, you should know that there’s a problem. You likely have a problem with the condenser, evaporator fan, or compressor.
When your refrigerator is constantly working but still warm, the problem may lie within the evaporator fan. If so, you will not notice any air blowing as well. If you understood the refrigerator cycle earlier, you would know that a faulty evaporator fan will prevent cool air from circulating.
The evaporator fan is not supposed to run all the time but until the refrigerator reaches a set temperature. However, it runs in combination with the condenser and compressor fan. This is one school of thought. When the evaporator fan runs only with the condenser, you save up a lot of power.
When the fan runs without any break, it causes air to circulate correctly. This will produce an even temperature throughout the refrigerator. This is what some experts believe. The working of the evaporator fan is important as it blows the air from the coil into the refrigerator.
So, when the cool air does not reach your food, it will ruin over time. The refrigerator tries to handle the situation by working overtime. The problem may also lie with the evaporator fan’s motor. You will get to the main problem only when an expert looks into it.
How to Check Your Evaporator Fan?
There are a few things to check if your evaporator’s fan motor is not turning on. However, we recommend reaching out to a professional if dealing with electric appliances is not your cup of tea.
Undertaking repairs and maintenance of these appliances can be hazardous, and you’d be assuming risk to yourself and your property if you don’t have enough knowledge.
- When the evaporator fan fails, the stuff in your freezer will defrost. Open the freezer and check if you can feel cold air. If yes, then the problem may not be the evaporator fan.
- Can you hear a loud pitched squeal from your refrigerator? This is an indication that the evaporator fan will fail soon. To counter this issue, remove the rear panel. It will allow access to the fan’s motor. The noise also depicts that the fan blades may not be working the right way. The worn-out blades need to be replaced. In case of evaporator fan noise, the refrigerator is warm, and the items take longer than usual to cool down.
- When you remove the rear panel, check if there is any frost on the coils. If the refrigerator starts working, it shows the problem wasn’t with the evaporator fan or its motor.
- Check to see if there is any frost on the coils. If the refrigerator starts working, it shows the problem wasn’t with the evaporator fan or its motor.
- There might be a problem with the grommet. The evaporator’s fan sits on the mounting bracket and prevents the noise. So, check out if the grommets are damaged instead of the evaporator fan itself.
- For some of the tests, you may need a multimeter. You can easily find one at your nearby hardware store if you don’t have one.
- First, determine whether the evaporator’s fan runs in the diagnostic mode or not. To enter the diagnostic mode, press the light switch of your refrigerator thrice within two seconds and then press and hold it the 4th time until you hear a long beep. However, be mindful that it may or may not work on your refrigerator, depending on its model. If it doesn’t work, you may need to refer to the tech sheet for instructions.
- To test the evaporator’s fan, press the light switch twice once you have entered the diagnostic mode and wait until you hear two beeps. Repeat this step three more times.
- Your refrigerator is now in the evaporator’s fan test. If the evaporator’s fan runs during the diagnostic test but not during the usual operation, you may need to replace your electronic control board.
- If the evaporator’s fan doesn’t run in the diagnostic mode either, then you may need to delve further and check to see if there’s something wrong with the evaporator’s fan or wiring. The components may wear out over time, which may lead to this problem.
- To check the wiring, unplug the refrigerator and remove the screw that holds the control box.
- Now pull the control box down and inspect the red wire with the white stripe. If you see any visible damage, repair the wire if it is pinched or broken.
- Even if the wires seem fine and you don’t see any visible damage, there could still be a problem.
- Consider seeking help from an electrician to find out what’s wrong with your refrigerator. They will conduct a thorough inspection and tell you what needs to be done. Make sure to ask for a free estimate to get an idea of the total repair costs.
How Much Does it Cost to Change the Evaporator Fan?
The cost depends on the problem. If you change the motor in your evaporator fan, it will cost you anywhere between $150-250. It will not break your bank but may affect your monthly budgeting plans.
So, during your kitchen work, if you noticed the refrigerator didn’t shut off, the problem can lie with several components. Whether the evaporator fan works round the clock or not depends on several factors. A normal refrigerator works in cycles.
Thus, it shuts off from time to time. Most people believe that the evaporator fan runs all the time. However, others think it shouldn’t because it consumes a great deal of electricity and power. A faulty evaporator fan does not cool the food and defrosts the one in the freezer.
The inside is warmer than it should be. Get in contact with a repair technician to look into the matter.