Cooler

Trouble-shooting a portable compact refrigerator that won't get cold enough?

My compact portable outdoor refrigerator turns on (I can hear it when plugged in), gets mildly cool, but doesn't reach anywhere near the temperature is should be reaching (even on the coldest setting). Last summer the refrigerator worked like a charm (drinks were iced after a few hours). It's an outdoor refrigerator, therefore I left it outdoors over the freezing winter in NJ (maybe my mistake). When I switched it on again this year (after about 8 months), it is "behaving" in the manner that I described above. I am (obviously) out of warranty and the manufacturer doesn't want to help me repair it. The refrigerator is shown below: http://www.nextag.com/Summit-FC07-Chest-Freezer-558278468/reviews-html Would appreciate if someone could please help me figure out what could be wrong with it. I don't mind opening it up to check what's wrong, but I just need to know what to look for and what to test. Thanks!

Public Comments

1. the fact it is running and not getting cold enough, sounds to me like you have a sealed system leak of the refrigerant. It was probably caused not because it sat outside, but sat outside unplugged. What usually happens with cheaper refrigerators when they are unplugged for any length of time, the coolant lines within the unit have a tendancy to rust. it would probably not be worth having it fixed as opposed to buying a new one due to its size