The freezer thermistor, along with the fresh food thermistors, will send signals to the main board so that it can determine when to turn the compressor off/on, speed up/slow down/cut off the fans or open/close the damper. If one of the thermistors is bad the refrigerator will not cool correctly.
What does freezer thermistor do?
Refrigerator freezer compartments use an internal temperature sensor known as a thermistor to regulate the compressor and evaporator fan. If there’s a problem with the thermistor, the freezer may be too cold or too warm, or the compressor fan may cycle on and off more than usual.
What happens if a thermistor fails?
When a thermistor is failing, it’ll display incorrect temperatures, or you’ll see impossible temperature fluctuations. When a thermistor in a car is failing, the AC system will blow cold air for a short time or the blower will stop functioning correctly.
Can you bypass a thermistor?
Generally speaking, a thermister is a resistor that is sensitive to/affected by ambient heat. When the ambient heat changes, it’s value will change. You can bypass it with a regular resistor, but you have to know the value associated with the thermister.
Do thermistors go open circuit?
The most common failure mode of a thermistor is an open circuit, as shown in Table 1. This results in inaccurate temperature measurements, thereby causing the thermistor circuit to provide incorrect thermal compensation as it ages.
Where should thermistor be located?
Proper location for the thermistor is on the 10th fin on the cooling fins at the back of the refrigerated cabinet.
How do you test a thermistor with a multimeter?
Since thermistors are designed to be temperature sensitive, testing them involves the application of heat. Set the multimeter to resistance mode. Hook up the terminals of the multimeter to leads on the thermistor. It does not matter which lead goes to the terminals, as polarity is not important in this test.
Can thermistors fail?
Failure Mechanisms and Anomalies The most common failure mode of a thermistor is an open circuit, as shown in Table 1. The cause of such failures are usually due to mechanical separation between the resistor element and the lead material, caused by handling damage, excessive heat, thermal mismatch, etc.
