The short answer for this family
On the Criterion CWC refrigerator family a cabinet that runs without holding temperature is an airflow and heat-rejection problem far more often than a dead compressor, because a rear-panel evaporator with a circulating fan, or on some variants a thermoelectric module instead of a compressor is what this platform puts in the cold path. Only the last of the ranked causes below is outside owner territory. One model in the roster, so the notes below apply exactly.
What you observe on these models
- One compartment is wrong and the other is close to correct — There is only one compartment here, and on a dual-zone variant the two zones should be judged separately.
- Frost has built into a sheet where it is normally a dusting — Look at the rear interior panel. A hard white blanket there is insulation, and it stops this cabinet cooling long before it stops it running.
- The cabinet is warm and the compressor is clearly running — You hear the compressor and the cabinet still drifts up. That combination points into the cold path, not at the compressor.
- NEAR MISS: the cabinet is silent and nothing runs at all — Silence is a power, start-relay or control fault, diagnosed in a different order. Start there instead of here.
Ranked causes for this family
- Blocked condenser airflow or a dirty condenser coil — Ranked here by how this cabinet breathes: a glass door adds heat all day and the condenser has to carry it, so the condenser path matters more here than on a solid-door cabinet. Heat that cannot leave comes back as a cabinet that will not pull down.
- A door or lid seal that is holding the cabinet open — This platform carries a gasket on a glass door, sometimes with a heated frame to stop misting. A glass door shows a seal fault immediately as misting, which makes this the easiest cause on the list to confirm.
- A control, thermostat or damper that is calling wrongly — Ranked here because on this layout the thermostat or control decides when the cabinet runs at all, and a sensor reading wrongly makes a healthy cabinet behave like a failing one. Worth checking before anyone opens a sealed system, and after the mechanical causes above.
Where to start, and why here
- Confirm the cabinet is actually running — Listen at the back for the compressor and feel the condenser for heat. A cabinet not running at all is a different page. Each step rules out a cause the next one would inherit.
- Look at the cold surface for a frost blanket — Open up and look at the rear interior panel. Frost turned into a solid sheet is the cause, not a side effect, and it decides everything after it.
- Test the seal before accepting any of the above — Close the door on a strip of paper and pull: it should drag at every point. A glass door shows a seal fault immediately as misting, which makes this the easiest cause on the list to confirm. Clean the gasket and its landing before you judge it, because a sticky gasket reads as a good one.
- Listen for the evaporator fan with the door held closed by hand — Press the door switch in and listen. A silent fan and a frosted coil point at different causes and want different parts.
Safety first
Safety
Unplug the appliance or switch off its breaker before removing any panel; a capacitor can hold a charge after the power is off. Do not tape the door switch shut and walk away, and do not open, cut or braze any part of the sealed refrigerant circuit: that is licensed work. A refrigerator holds food safely at 40 °F (4 °C) or below and a freezer at 0 °F (-18 °C) or below, so move perishable food out while you work.
Models in the CWC family
Reference| Model number | Family key |
|---|---|
| CWC29CE1S | criterion:refrigerator:cwc |
When this stops being owner work
Call once the airflow checks are clean, because what is left on this family is the sealed system and the control board, and neither is an owner part. Call immediately for a burning smell, oil around the compressor, or a compressor that tries to start and cuts out every few minutes: oil outside the tubing means the circuit is open. On this platform a glass door is heavy and easily damaged, and it is the part that gets broken when a cabinet is worked on in place.
The rest of 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.
