Thousands of verified Experts are ready to answer your specific questions 24/7.
Hi there, I have an Amana SBDT520T here in Australia. Problem is that Kleenmaid has gone out of business so support for Amana is getting very difficult. There used to be a much stronger draft coming from the right-hand side of the kickplate where the fan used to power-circulate the warm air from the condensor. Of late, I can't feel this breeze and the compressor seems to be running all the time, though the temp inside the fridge seems to be OK. I'm worried about this, can you help?? Thanks. Lem :-)
Make: AmanaModel: SBDT520T Already Tried: Cleaning the condensor coils thoroughly, even the parts deep inside. Also called a repairman (here in Brisbane) who probably didn't know enough about Amana fridges, and said that as the coils were just warm and the fridge cold, that there was nothing wrong. There used to be a distinct draft (warm or cool) coming from the right-hand side that I used to be able to feel about 2 feet away, this draft has since stopped (??)
So the fan by the compressor is no longer turning?
Hi Tom, thanks XXX XXXXXXX!! I'm not sure whether the fan beside the compressor is turning or not. The fridge still "hums" along, but there seems to be no draft or breeze along the right-hand side of the kickplate. As I understand, the fridge is designed to drawn in the air from the room on the left-hand side, power-circulate it around the coils and then blow it out on the right-hand side. When I put my hand on the right-hand side, I can hardly feel any breeze at all - I can feel a very faint warm draft. I'm wondering if the draft or breeze should be strong enough to flutter a piece of paper or something like that, an indication that the fan is turning strong or fast enough. Thanks!!
Can you pull out the fridge and remove the lower back panel and check?
Hey Tom, Before I will check, a "dumb question" - when I remove the back panel, what should I look for - is there a fan that should be turning somewhere? I'm guessing the compressor looks like a barrel-like thing, is the fan just next to it - with obvious fan blades??
Yes the fan is next to the compressor it looks like a regular fan.
OK, thanks XXX XXX info, can I please defer the checking till later this morning - it's 4.00am here in Brisbane, Australia and I should be getting some sleep. But I'll drag it out and have a look and get back to you. I guess the next thing is to try and narrow it down as to whether it's the fan that is gone or is it the circuit board... a great mystery to me!! But I'll get back, please wait a few hours. Thanks.
Ok i should be here for a while yet.
Hi Tom, I dragged the fridge out, unscrewed the back panel and had a look - the fan next to the compressor seems to be running OK. It turns as the same speed similar to a ceiling vent extractor fan, so I take that to be OK. The compressor seems to be running a lot though, for example, after we emptied the freezer and most of the fridge contents, it ran for five hours non-stop. Is this normal?
It sounds like the fan is running slow.
Sorry Tom, what I meant was the fridge's fan was running at the same speed as an electric table fan on the slowest speed - didn't describe it properly or correctly the first time.
What I can't understand is there used to be a distinct draft from the right hand side of the kickplate, when now there is hardly any breeze coming through. In your experience, should the draft coming from the right hand side be enough to flutter a thread or piece of string or a strip of paper? And that darn compressor seems to be running all the time too!
That fan should be spinning faster than that.It should be spinning at high speed.It sounds like it needs to be replaced.
Tom johnston
Home Appliance Technician
Just type your detailed question and click "Get an Answer."
In minutes you'll get a response from an Expert. You can always ask follow-up questions.
Happy with your answer? Please click "Accept" to let the Expert know.