Official Admiral side-by-side refrigerator parts

Troubleshooting your Admiral side-by-side refrigerator when its freezer isn't cold enough

Defrost system problems, dirty condenser coils, fan failures, leaky door gaskets or control problems can lead to your freezer not getting cold enough.

If your freezer is too warm to keep the ice cream firmly frozen and you see lots of frost inside the entire freezer compartment, then warm, moist air may be leaking through the refrigerator or freezer door gaskets. Check all door gaskets for damage and replace any damaged door gaskets.

If the gaskets are in good shape but a door sags on its hinges and creates gaps between the door gasket and the cabinet around the door openings, adjust the refrigerator door hinges so the gaskets seal properly to the cabinet around the door openings.

If you see frost buildup only on the back freezer compartment wall, then the automatic defrost system may have failed. When working properly, the defrost system melts frost off the evaporator coils every 8 hours or so to keep the air paths through the evaporator clear so the freezer and refrigerator compartments cool properly. If the automatic defrost system breaks, frost builds up on the evaporator and back freezer compartment wall. The frost buildup blocks cooling air paths through the evaporator so the freezer doesn't cool well. Our video troubleshooting defrost system problems in refrigerators will help you diagnose and repair the defrost system in a common refrigerator. If the defrost system in your refrigerator isn't working, you may need to replace the defrost sensor, defrost heater or other defrost components depending on the type of defrost system that your refrigerator uses.

Parts that can fail in your Admiral side-by-side refrigerator

• Condenser fan. The condenser fan is in the machine compartment of the refrigerator next to the compressor. It moves air across the condenser coils to help cool the hot refrigerant coming out of the compressor. The refrigerant is cooled before it moves through the expansion device and into the evaporator.
• Defrost bi-metal thermostat. The defrost bi-metal thermostat is a safety device attached to the evaporator coil. The defrost bi-metal thermostat shuts off the refrigerator defrost heater if the heater gets hot enough to damage the evaporator.
• Electronic control board. The refrigerator electronic control board controls the major electro-mechanical components in your refrigerator. When the electronic control board senses the compressor needs to run to cool the refrigerator, it sends voltage to the compressor and fans. It then receives input from temperature sensors to monitor the temperatures inside the refrigerator and freezer sections. With this information, the electronic control board controls the defrost cycle.
• Door gasket. The door gasket seals the gap between the door and cabinet to prevent warm air from leaking into the compartment.