hot refrigerator

[Mark Thorman]

what causes this?

[Wayne B. Wilson]

Defrost heater may be stuck on

[Russell J. Hensel]

Its the mullion strip...Every notice that button or switch that says..ENERGY SAVER? That button actually sends heat to the little rubber mullion strip to prevent condensation from forming. 133 degrees is excessive but is that temp gun accurate? So it could be operating as intended. Try shutting that "Energy saver" button off for a bit to see if it will reset the strip. Empty refrigerator means that its been sitting for some time. Mullion strips can do that if not used. Door may have been closed for weeks, without opening...

[Joe Funderburk, CMI]

Originally Posted by rhensel

...is that temp gun accurate?

Easy test. Record the temperature of boiling water. Should be about 212.

[Russell J. Hensel]

Good one Joe.....thanks for the tip

[David A. Andersen]

Then you can work on emissivity, specular and diffuse reflection, ambient temps, temp reflect, and distance ratio of the device....

Or, you can just note that it is in fact working or not...

[Mark Thorman]

Thanks guys, it was an reo and it was the first time the unit had been on in months. When I leaned in to record the age of the unit I felt the heat. 1 hour later as I was shutting every down it had cooled off.

www.MauiHomeInspections.com

[Tim Spargo]

Condenser fan? Or clogged/dirty coils?

Have seen outer frames of refrigerators as well as the mullion get warm... very warm from that same thing.

6-7 years ago I had a side by side that was doing that very same thing and my wife mentioned what was going on.. I said " I don't have time... call an appliance guy"

$25 Condenser fan from Johnstone... nearly $500 repair Was that smart? I paid... even offered a $20 "tip"

I ran into him later... I got the last laugh.

In retrospect, I have learned that... sometimes when people offer tips... you may be *over charging* and they're pissed.