The short answer
On the AQF refrigerators this complaint is far more often about air than about the cooling system: the compressor is still running, and something has stopped the cold reaching the food. On these models a frosted evaporator is the first thing this page would have you rule out. All but one of the causes below can be settled without a technician.
What you observe on these models
- The cabinet is warm and the appliance is plainly running — You can hear the compressor; the air inside is not cold.
- Frost has built across the freezer back wall — A sheet, rather than the usual light dusting.
- The back of the appliance is hot and the box is not cold — Heat is being made and it is not being rejected.
- NEAR MISS — the appliance is silent and nothing is cold — That is a no-power or start-circuit fault and it belongs on a different page.
Causes, most likely first on this family
- Airflow blocked by frost on the evaporator — A defrost cycle that stalls rather than fails outright lets a sheet of ice build on the evaporator over weeks; the fans keep running, the compressor keeps running, and less and less air reaches the food. It leads because it is the likeliest of the set on these cabinets. One design carries every cabinet size in this family, so it holds across the line.
- Door gasket leaking warm, humid air — A gasket fault shows first as sweating along the door edge and an appliance that never cycles off, well before it shows as warm food. Second: common enough on these models to come before anything below it.
- Start relay or compressor overload — An overload that keeps tripping means the compressor is being asked to work too hard, so find the cause of that load before replacing anything. Third on the list, where the likelihoods start to fall away.
- Sealed-system or compressor fault — This sits last for a reason: it is the least common cause of the complaint and the only one that is not an owner repair. Last of the set listed here, and the least likely of them on this family.
- Body: The departure here is airflow, up: one design stretched across several cabinet sizes asks most of the air path in the biggest of them, so airflow faults lead on this family.
Check in this order, and why
- Take the freezer rear panel off and look at the evaporator face for a solid sheet rather than a light dusting of frost. — It comes first because it matches the cause ranked first above.
- Close the door on a strip of paper at several points round the frame and see whether it pulls out with no drag. — Next in order, following the ranking rather than convenience.
- Listen at the compressor for a short hum followed by a click rather than a steady run. — Last of the set, and only worth doing once the others are clean.
Disconnect before you open it up
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Never bypass a door switch to keep a part running while you look at it. Keep the doors shut meanwhile and move perishables to a cooler: a refrigerator holds food safely at 40 °F (4 °C) or below, a freezer at 0 °F (−18 °C) or below.
Models in the AQF family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| AQF1201TRW | amana:refrigerator:aqf |
| AQF1613TEW | amana:refrigerator:aqf |
| AQF1613TEW* | amana:refrigerator:aqf |
| AQF2013TEW | amana:refrigerator:aqf |
| AQF2013TEW* | amana:refrigerator:aqf |
| AQF2023TEW | amana:refrigerator:aqf |
When to call a technician
The line is the rear panel. Everything in front of it is an owner check; the evaporator, the defrost circuit and the sealed system behind it are not. Call straight away if the compressor is hot enough to smell.
The other faults covered for this family
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
