Freezer compartment works okay but refrigerator compartment gets warm. Pulled bottom shelves and noticed ice build-up. Not sure of the problem. Any ideas and solutions?

Did you vacuum the condenser coil and make sure that the area is free of debri?

Most likely it is a problem on the inside. Do you have any ice build up in the freezer compartment? If so, ice could be telling the thermostat that all is well in thre refrigerator. Sometimes it is hard to see ice build up behind the back panel and you should take the food out, remove the shelves and remove the rear panel to get a good look. If there is ice there, you need to defrost your unit. Either unplug and leave the door open or hurry it up with a hair dryer - DON'T USE WATER TO DEFROST!

Once you have it defrosted, then you can plug it back in and check operation. If it worked and things start cooling down and freezing again, then you need to order the defrost assembly for your make and model because within a few weeks the ice will build up again and then you need to be ready to change the defrost assembly.

check in bottom and top of refrigerator for vent door,most likely plugged up with ice,

Ok.. Just a bit of info for you if you have to sometime in the future do a parts search. This unit is the same as the Hotpoint HSS25GFTWW

Now for the icemaker problem.

When ice makers start making less ice it is usually a sign of some other problem.
1. Ice build up on the evaporator coils in the back of the freezer.
2. A slow or not functioning evaporator fan.
3. Dirty condensor coils in the back or the unit
4. A condensor fan that is running slow or not turning.
5. An automatic defrosting problem (most common problem)

If you have ice cream you probably notice that it is softer than usual. Or things in the freezer just are not as stiff as they usually are. When you notice this the freezer is warming up but the fresh food compartment is fine.

1st.. check to make sure the control panel settings are set to "0" for the freezer and "37" for the fresh food compartment.

2nd.. look for any obvious signs of ling build up in the bottom and back of the unit.

3rd .. Listen to the evaporator fan in the freezer compartment.
a. must be running full speed
b. should not sound like it is striking anything

4th.. Is the chassis near the doors hot to the touch? (should be warm not hot)
a. if hot to the touch the condensor is not getting rid of the heat due to lint build up, or slow / stuck / failed condensor fan.

5th.. there is always the very rare chance that there is an actual problem in the ice maker. (thermostat)

Parts reference: http://www.appliancepartspros.com/partsearch/model.aspx?model_id=5203104&diagram_id=24933028#d24933028

Thanks for using FixYa.

Kelly

Hi,

On this unit the shelves are the cooling coils and carry the refrigerant (freon) through the system. They will attract the warm moist air by design, so if you have an air leak in the door or elsewhere it will tend to build up there first.

This being said you need to check something else first. Make sure the other shelves are cold. If they are frosted and cold like normal then you most likely have a door that is not closing all the way or a bad seal. If the lower shelves are not cold then you have a system problem, typically a refrigerant (freon) leak that is causing the top shelf to absorb most of the work and not enough refrigerant to flow to the bottom shelves.

I hope this helps

Check to make sure the fan in the freezer compartment is working and not blocked. This delivers the cold air to the refrigerator. The fan should run every time the freezer calls for cold.

Yes it could be clogged causing this .

Had the same problem. I noticed that the fan in the freezer never shut off so I suspected the thermostat. I ordered and installed a new thermostat (about $30 and 15 minutes to install), the fan now cycles correctly and the ice build up is gone.

Same problem here with an Amana refrigerator with the freezer on the bottom. I removed the back panels and vacuumed dust and cat hair out. The back panel in the freezer was frosted over with ice on the bottom. I removed the shelves and food and used a hairdryer to loosen the panel. The ice maker made it harder to remove the plastic panel so I pulled it back and saw the cooling fins frozen solid. I used the hairdryer to melt the ice and a shop vacuum to collect the water. It works like new again.