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I bought a BRAND NEW Panasonic NR-BP9417Q 2-door refrigerator 3 weeks ago. It’s NOT a non-frost refrigerator but a semi-automatic defrost where a button is pressed and it will shut off the compressor and let the ice melt by itself. Another option would be to just unplug it from the wall outlet. When the refrigerator was delivered, I read the manual and it states that the unit should be plugged in and set to high after 5 hours and wait 2 more hours before setting it to the desired level and putting food in. I did follow the instructions. After two hours of letting it run, I noticed that there’s an ice build up on the back wall of the refrigerator compartment which I never experienced before. When the compressor stops running, the ice will melt and it will become moisture. I called up Panasonic’s customer service and gave them the model number and I was told that the condition isn’t normal so they scheduled a technician from an authorized repair center to check my unit. But I decided to have the unit replaced with another brand new one of the same model which the dealer agreed right away. Unfortunately, it still has the same issue. So I agreed to have the technician from the authorized repair shop to check my unit. According to the technician, the ice and moist build up is perfectly normal. He explained that the reason the back wall wasn’t flat at all was due to cooling coils sitting behind the uneven surfaces to provide cooling to the refrigerator compartment. He explained that the non-frost that we are using before relies on a fan to blow cold air from the freezer to the refrigerator compartment and the single door fridge we have relies on the freezer to provide cooling to the refrigerator compartment since the freezer and refrigerator are in one casing. Since his explanation is reasonable, I still want to get some opinions from people here. Is it normal for my brand new refrigerator to have ice and moist build up in the back wall of the refrigerator compartment? I uploaded two photos. The first photo shows moisture build up when the ice has melted when the compressor is in the off state while the second photo shows the ice build after the compressor has run for some time. Lastly, the bottom part of the back wall has a drain hole similar to the freezer compartment where water can drain into a container just above the compressor at the rear of the refrigerator. Any information will be highly appreciated.
The freezer providing the cold to the refrigeration is how 95% of them work. It’s usually controlled by a vent from the freezer section to the fridge section and usually in the very lowest compartment of the fridge ()meat compartment)
If the freezer has a lot of frost or ice built up and the fresh food section is warm, and the freezer is fine, the problem is in the defrost circuit. All the ice is blocking the cold air to tge fresh food section. If you thaw the refrigerator by turning it off and leaving the doors open for 2 days, it will work fine for about 2 weeks, until the ice builds up again. To determine which componant failed, you’ll need to test ohms on tge heater, sensors and defrost thermostat with a multimeter or schedule a service call.
Hi @Paul Webbe What is the make and model number of the refrigerator? Check that the door seals are OK and that the doors are aligned top and bottom to close and seal the compartments properly (hinges?) preventing warmer moist outside air from entering the compartments. To check the seals, place a sheet of paper between the door and the door jamb and with the door shut normally, try to pull the paper out. It will come with a bit of an effort but not that easily and should definitely not fall out by itself. Do this at various places around the doors(s), top, bottom and both sides.
