Refrigerator freezing food? I opened my refrigerator and the milk and food is partially frozen. My water bottles are almost ice! It feels extra cold in the refrigerator area but the freezer seems to be working fine. Last night before I went to bed everything in my fridge was cold but not frozen. If the food and liquids in the fridge are freezing, what would make my refrigerator all of a sudden start to freeze all the items in it? Is my refrigerator broken? Please Help!
Refrigerator Freezing Food
Quick Answer: If your refrigerator is “all of a sudden” freezing your food and drinks, the temperature setting for the fridge has been inadvertently set TOO LOW or TOO COLD. Try setting the refrigerator section temp to medium or the number 5. If your refrigerator lets you set the exact temperature, set it to 40 °F or a little below. This can happen on freezer-on-the-bottom refrigerators too where food in the fridge’s crisper drawer “all of a sudden” freeze. Set the temp to 40F in fridge section and 0F in the freezer section.
NOTE: On some fridge/freezers, the temp control in the freezer sets the coldness for the refrigerator section too.
Refrigerator Freezer Temperature Controls
4 Reasons a REFRIGERATOR will FREEZE FOOD and items in it:
1 – The temperature for the refrigerator has been set TOO LOW or Set warmer. Most common reason.
(HOW TO FIX = Adjust the temp setting to correct the problem)
2 – If the coils on your fridge are dirty or dusty, then the compressor needs to work harder and longer to keep the freezer temperature at freezing temperature. When this happens, on some refrigerator models, the refrigerator can over cool and freeze food and drinks.
(HOW TO FIX = Clean the coils on your refrigerator – Pull the refrigerator away from the wall and use a canister vacuum to remove the dust off the coils)
3 – There is a gasket on your freezer door. Make sure it is sealed/sealing correctly. If the freezer door is not sealing properly, the freezer will run continuously and cause the fridge section to get too freeze.
(HOW TO FIX = Check seal on freezer door – If cracked, ripped, or worn, replace it with a new gasket/freezer door seal)
4 – Newer refrigerators have an air duct that is adjustable. Usually it is positioned where the milk is supposed to be to keep it colder than the rest of the refrigerator.
(HOW TO FIX = It may be positioned in the wrong area so slide the air duct door closed)
Refrigerator – Freezer Door Gasket Seal
Refrigerator Freezer Thermometer -40 to 80 degrees F
To avoid this problem in the future, buy a simple inexpensive fridge thermometer. Not only will you always know the exact temp in the fridge, but if the temp ever rises or lowers, you will know the temp setting has been inadvertently changed and needs to be adjusted.
If someone changed the temp in the fridge by accident, next time it may get changed the opposite direction and the temperature in the fridge could rise (get warmer). You need to watch the fridge temp to be sure it never gets too high. If the temp in the fridge rises (gets warmer), your risk for foodborne illness can rise also. So pay attention to the fridge and freezer temperatures.
To be sure your fridge is always working as designed, keep the temperature at 40 degrees fahrenheit or a little below. Many older refrigerators do not show the actual temperature in the freezer or fridge sections. Using an appliance thermometer will let you monitor the temp and re-adjust the temp of the refrigerator or freezer if needed. If your refrigerator does not have an actual temp display, use an inexpensive thermometer in the fridge and the freezer.
If your food, drinks and everything in your refrigerator is frozen or partially frozen and you need help, please leave your issue below and we will be happy to help.
We have a True fridge model TM-52 where I work that dropped to 18 degrees overnight and froze a good amount of the fridge contents. I’ve checked/fixed the gasket which was not seated in the groove properly and cleaned the coils that were a little dirty, nothing too extreme, and I tried adjusting the temperature control to a warmer setting but the fridge continues to drop to around 23 degrees.
Any suggestions on what I could try would be very appreciated.
Frigidaire compact 4.5 cu ft. unit is too warm at 5 setting 9 up to 50, and too cold at 6. Food freezes in the back of unit and fridge walls are covered in frost; then it shuts off. Can I put dial between 5 and 6 to correct this?
Just purchased a Vissani garage ready top freezer/refrigerator for my garage. The garage is not climate controlled The refrigerator is set to lowest (not coldest) setting, but is still freezing beverages and food. Please advise.
I have a Kenmore Coldspot model 106 64872401. Its a 2006. My fridge is freezing everything. Stuff in freezer has frost over everything. I turned the fridge part off for 3 days now and everything still frozen. I removed the rear cardboard panel to check for dust & dirt. It isn’t dirty. The gasket for fridge is a little rough in spots but the freezer one is fine.
I have a GE Profile Artica side by side refridgerator….the freezer side is fine works perfect however the fridge side is freezing everything to the point drinks exploded inside ive done everything to fix even unplugging and plugging back up I put the temp on recommend setting which is 37 but it always drops back down to 22 what do I do
Hello!
Could we set our Frigidaire small refrigerator to a setting/temperature low enough to freeze everything in it? If so, would that cause any problems?
Here is some information from the back label:
Model #FRT04L5DB0
FRT04L5DBO
Serial #RA63368040
Freestanding installation only. Amps – 1.25
Volts – 115
Hertz – 60
Refrigerant R134a
Charge: 2.3 oz. (65 grams)
Design pressures: LS 13.8 PSIG (95 Kpa)
HS 176.9 PSIG (1220 Kpa)
Hope that’s not too much information!
Thank you so much
Patricia,
Can you supply us the model number of your GE refrigerator?
The model number sticker should be on the inside top.
Open the GE freezer or fridge door and look in the top left or top right and the model number info should be there.
-RR
I have a GE refrigerator, my knob says OFF COLD and COLDER, so what setting do I put it on? Everything in the bottom of my refrigerator is freezing up everything.
My fridge setting has to be on coldest setting or my freezer section thaws, of course everything in my fridge freezes, it is a Whirlpool side by side.
I have a Whirlpool frig with freezer on bottom. The frig is freezing everything on the left side. Hubby says the freezer is too full and not letting air circulate. Could that be it or do I just need to rearrange things in the frig – it is a bit packed.
Easiest way to check the seals is with a fairly crisp dollar bill close the door on it and see how easy it is to pull out the harder it is to remove the better the seal.
The coils are external they are on bottom of fridge. Pull off kick panel on front and bottom cardboard or metal plate at the bottom of the fridge to clean coils.
My fridge freezer problem is my fridge turns my drinks to frozen and when I turn down thermostat down it turns down my freezer also, what can I do please help.
I have an LG GR-T712DVQ which leaks water on the inside.
At first the water was trickling down from the freezer, down the back wall to land under the fridge crisper at the bottom of the fridge but now its trickling through from the freezer to the top shelf of the fridge from the middle of the vent/drain on the top of the fridge section.
If I turn the temp up one notch the water freezes and then one notch down, it turns back to water.
I have tried to take the back panel off but it won’t come off.
I’ve also flushed warm water down the drain and have cleaned the fridge out and switch it off for a week but no change.
The seals maybe warn.
What can I do?
It is 20 years old, just trying to put off buying a new one for a bit.
The fridge settings go with the load capacity. The reason why it doesn’t ice big loads is that more heat energy is given out by the load( foods an drinks). So no icing in this case… But when the load is small very little heat load will be absorbed and icing will commence… I hope my answer is okay.
I have a GE profile and it freezes in the fridge as well as the freezer what should I do where can I get help to rectify this problem -the purchase was made @ Home Depot
Thank you please help
I have purchased a 2nd hand BUSH fridge freezer and the fridge part is freezing everything solid. I have set the temp to 1; checked the could are dust free and the gasket is intact. Is there anything else I can do?
I have a GE Profile side-by-side. I have several issues going on with the unit. Initially I noticed the freezer was defrosting, the ice was all froze & stuck together. The ice makings stopped working. Then I noticed freezer items thawing some, so I lowered the temp on the freezer. Didn’t work. I moved everything to a spare freezer. Several days later I noticed the fridge was not staying cold either. So I adjusted the temp on the fridge. It seemed OK, so I started using it more only to discover the bottom half (drawers & door) of the fridge is freezing anything I put in it & the top half doesn’t seem to be quite cold enough. The temp controls are digital. Both fridge and freezer are set at lowest temp, but actual temp is higher in both. Also water at the door stopped. Unit sometimes make a loud noise motor noise occasionally. Cold enclosed. I did pull out fridge & cleaned back & vent. Still acting crazy. Some days warmer, other days cold & at temp. Does anyone have any ideas on what the issue(s) might be. The fridge isn’t very old and should have several more years of usage.
My fridge freezes most everything in it and I’m constantly tossing food. We have a bottom freezer and we found the seal has a slit. In it. Will this cause our problem?
Most newer fridges don’t have exposed coils in the back. I also have a whirlpool fridge that is freezing up even though I never changed the temp settings. There are no exposed coils to clean they are all internal.
I have 2 MINI refrigerators. One of them freezes everything and runs all the time. Never shuts off. The other one freezes in the freezer compartment but doesnt cool in the refrigerator section. Can you help me fix them please??
I have a new Beeko Fridge Freezer which is less than a week old.
Frost has started to collect at the back of the fridge compartment and it has started to freeze the contents.
I have adjusted the setting to the lowest setting and this also hadn’t changed anything.
What could be causing this?
Hi. Our fridge is freezing literally everything. If the fridge is full, everything is OK, but if the fridge is empty…well..no cold drinks for us..it will be just sucking on ice cubes. And at the inside wall at the back of the fridge we have thick layer of ice. We do clean it off, but it comes back after couple of days . And I have been changing temperature from low to high, but its not helping. Now it’s in the middle, but still nothing changing. And I cleaned back coils.
I need help, because we can’t afford new one now and I’m really getting tired of binning frozen food and veggies
My food in the fridge is freezing. I try cleaning the coils but still freezing and temp turned up to 7 degree c from 5 . But not helping
I woke in the middle of the night to the freezer being cracked open. Now everything in the fridge keeps freezing. Pls help I cant afford a repair man so I have to fix it my self. I have tried turning down the temp in fridge but it still freezes everything.
My refrigerator started freezing everything and I tried lowering the temperature as it was as high as it would go but it kept freezing. Now it’s not freezing but defrosting even in the freezer. The temperature knob goes all the way around but uoi can’t hear it running. I live alone and don’t know anything about fridges. I’m afraid I’m going to lose everything but have no where to put it. What can a dumb girl to to try and get it working it’s an old camper refrigerator for my camper.
I have a 1948 Hotpoint refrigerator and I am restoring it as far as I know it’s never been serviced or had any Freon or service. It’s been in the family since it was new and now I have it. I put a thermometer inside and checked it after a few days and the temp is 22 degrees. Could having bad door seals have something to do with the freezing temperatures? I would imagine the compressor is working overtime trying to keep up making it freeze. Anyone have any suggestions on this matter? Thanks!!
My Haier refrigerator freezer is freezing food in the fridge and the only thing I can freeze in the freezer is bread because nothing else freezes completely. There is only one dial that controls both. If l turn it down too far then the freezer won’t freeze anything and the fridge won’t be cold enough for milk. Any ideas other than the obvious cleaning the coils or the gasket needing replaced?
Seems unusual as cold air drops. My food was occasionally freezing in my fridge as of late, I just cleaned out some sheets of newspaper which pushed to the back corners ( I use to help contain any possible spills ), hoping this will fix my problem. Do you possibly have a similar situation? I assume you’ve checked your seals for leaks.
Hi Kay, I never worry that much. For my fridge, 2 lbs of hamburger will take a full 2 days to defrost, if not more for the very inner core, but that is more easily pulled open to defrost within minutes. I choose to defrost on the upper shelf closest to the opening door. If I think the meat needs time out of the fridge to quicken the process I put into a loose plastic bag to semi contain the ambient coolness then on to counter or in cupboard (my preferred) for 4 hours ( much more seems to begin to turn the exterior of the meat )……. or in the cool oven can also put a freezer pack along side to allow additional ambient coolness.
Of course always rely on your sniff test, visual and (at worse)… feel… I will wash meat that has begun to slightly sour (before cookiing) with plenty of cool water and have had no ill effect dining on it for a week of refrigerated leftovers… (my fridge is quite cold).
Hope this helps you : )
My refrigerator in my apartment will not cool the bottom part unless on the coldest setting which in turn freezes anything on the top shelf even if it is closer to the bottom.Freezer is on top.
I have an older GE fridge that I shipped overseas. My problem is that the upper part of the fridge keeps freezing up with a build up. I have replaced the defrost timer, fan and a glass tube in the freezer below the coils. The fridge is ok for a week or so, sometimes longer and then the problem starts all over again. I’ve had a repair person come to fix it and replace the above pieces 4 times. I am hoping that perhaps you have had this problem before and might be able to suggest what piece I need to replace to finally repair this problem.
When they open the freezer the coils have also had ice build-up.
Thank you
Have any of the below commenters even read what is above? Fixing any issues with your thermometer or pulling the vaccuum out and vaccuming the coils behind or under the fridge will take care of the problem in most cases.
My refrigerator is set @ highest setting and still freezing everything
My garage fridge suddenly started freezing everything in the refrigerator side. Freezer is fine. I recently had a water issue where the wall it’s plugged into was filled with water. Could this be the reason this is happening, or is it unrelated?
my whirlpool fridge is 4 yrs old, I have never touched the temp controls, both controls have been set in the middle since installment, my food in my fridge have been freezing (eggs,brita water, veggies, milk) for about a month, lowered the control on the fridge side one notch & still freezing…
2 year old whirlpool refrigerator freezing food and some liquids
Compressor running constantly
Coils were very dusty cleaned them but no change
My Samsung fridge controls started blinking and then all the food in the fridge started freezing. I can’t seem to find the problem.
Is the temperature to be set at a lower number or higher for colder
My refrigerator freezes everything I put in it. It is set at the lowest possible temp. I have had the repairman here 5 times. He has changed four parts and it is still freezing everything.
lg refrigerator lmx25964st freezes everything in refrigerator section,and no water output on door.
My fridge keeps freezing my food. I cleaned freezer out and made sure vents weren’t blocked worked for a week now it’s doing it again.
I put raw meat in fridge to thaw for a whole day. So why is it frozen? I don’t know what I’m supposed to do. I’m scared to take it out the fridge in case of bacteria but feel it is never going to thaw if I don’t take the meat out and put it on the work top. I would appreciate some advice on this please. Thank you.
I have Westinghouse fridge. I cleaned it and everything is getting frozen. Drinks, foods. What should I do
Went away for two days; during my absence refrigerator door was slightly open. Upon my return, fridge had most likely been running constantly to keep temp at 40 degrees. After closing the fridge door tightly, fridge then dropped temp to 20 degrees, where it has remained. Temp setting is at 5 (midpoint) where has been for 6 years. Help! Everything in fridge is freezing!
Frig keeps freezin things.Food and liquid.Frig set at 42 and freezer at 2.Still freezing.