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My no-frost fridge fan stopped working and it caused frost buildup at the back of the freezer and eventually the fridge stopped chilling the lower compartment. I assumed that the fan was broken but it turned out that there was no power at the fan socket and the fan was fine. I can't reach the back of the fan socket but I can connect the fan directly to the mains power.

Would it cause any problems? Is it supposed to work all the time (except when the door is open) or is should it only work when the compressor is working?

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The fan in the fridge probably doesn't have anything to do with the frost-free features (or the compressor, for that matter). Most fridges only have chilling components in the freezer and then circulate cold air into the fridge portion with a fan, according to a thermostat in the fridge.

If your freezer is frosting up I would look at the defrost heater first. It should be located behind a panel at the back of the freezer, near the evaporator coils.

It's also possible you have a defective thermostat that is not calling for the fan to circulate air into the fridge as it should.

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  • +1 for the explanation. Actually I think the cause of freezing was a door left open. So the broken fan was probably a symptom, not the cause. But it doesn't answer my real question which is "is it OK for the fan to work all the time?". – cyco130 Dec 4 '15 at 17:17
  • @cyco130: Under normal conditions the fan will run occasionally, according to the thermostat. So the fact that the fan is not running at any given moment is not a necessarily a problem, but if it never runs than that is a problem. – Hank Dec 4 '15 at 17:24
  • It was never running. My question is if it is OK if it runs all the time :) – cyco130 Dec 4 '15 at 17:29
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    @cyco130: oh, it wasn't clear from your question that you were proposing to run the fan 24/7. No I would not do that. The fan is used to regulate the temperature between the compartments and running all the time is just as bad as running never. – Hank Dec 4 '15 at 17:51
  • Million thanks for your help. If you add that last bit of info to your question I'll accept it. – cyco130 Dec 4 '15 at 18:16

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