The situation when Atlant refrigerator the food in the upper compartment stops cooling, while the lower chamber continues to freeze, is one of the most common complaints from owners of household appliances. This phenomenon often takes you by surprise, since outwardly the unit may appear to be working: the compressor is humming, the light in the chamber is on, and the indicators on the control panel may not show errors. However, inside the refrigerator compartment the temperature gradually rises to room temperature, which creates a direct threat of food spoilage.
Such asymmetry in the temperature regime indicates a violation of the refrigerant circulation or problems with the heat removal system. In contrast to a complete failure of equipment, when the compressor is silent, here the unit works, but does not perform its function in full. Atlant models, especially two-compressor ones, are designed so that the failure of one of the circuits does not affect the operation of the other, so the freezer can store food while chaos is happening in the refrigeration room.
Before calling a technician or starting disassembly, it is necessary to carry out an initial diagnosis. Often the cause is a simple violation of operating rules or a failure in the electronic control unit. Understanding the principles of operation of the freon line will help you quickly determine the source of the problem and avoid unnecessary repair costs if the breakdown turns out to be minor.
Primary diagnostics and checking the settings
The first step should always be checking the thermostat settings. In modern models with electronic control, a failure could occur due to a power surge. If you single-compressor refrigerator with the No Frost system, then one circuit is responsible for cooling both compartments, and the redistribution of air flows is regulated by dampers. Check if the settings on the display have gone wrong.
In mechanical models, the thermostat is responsible for the operation, which can stick or fail. Try turning the control knob to its extreme position, listening for a click. If there is no characteristic sound, perhaps the temperature sensor does not send a signal to start the compressor for the upper chamber, although the motor itself is working hard, trying to cool the freezer.
Pay attention to the tightness of the door. If the sealing rubber is worn out or dirty, warm air constantly enters the chamber. The compressor tries to compensate for heat loss by working continuously, but due to low performance in non-stop mode, the cold simply does not have time to spread to the upper shelves. Carry out a test with a sheet of paper: clamp it with the door and try to pull it out - if it comes out freely, the seal is broken.
⚠️ Attention: If you notice that the compressor has been running non-stop for days, and the temperature in the refrigerator compartment does not drop below +10°C, immediately unplug the appliance. Long-term operation in this mode can lead to burnout of the motor windings or failure of the start relay.
Problems with defrosting and the No Frost system
One of the most common reasons why Atlant refrigerator it does not cool in the upper compartment is simple freezing of the evaporator. In No Frost systems, cold is generated in the freezer and forced by a fan into the refrigerator compartment through special channels. If these channels become clogged with ice, the air stops circulating and the upper chamber becomes warm.
An ice plug is formed due to a malfunction of the defrost system. It includes three main elements: a heating element (heater), a defrost temperature sensor and a timer (or electronic control module). If at least one of these components fails, the evaporator becomes overgrown with a “fur coat”, which blocks the path to the cold flow. Visually this may not be noticeable, since the evaporator is hidden behind a plastic panel.
- ❄️ Faulty heating element: the heating element burns out and does not melt the ice during the defrost cycle.
- 🌡️ Thermal sensor failure: the sensor “thinks” that the evaporator is warm and does not give a command to turn on heating, or vice versa - does not turn off the heating element in time.
- ⏱️ Failure of the defrost timer: the mechanism gets stuck in the cooling mode and never switches to the defrosting mode.
To confirm this hypothesis, it is recommended to carry out a complete defrost refrigerator. Unplug the appliance, remove all food and leave the doors open for at least 12 hours (preferably 24 hours). If after turning on the refrigerator works normally, but after 1-2 weeks the problem returns, the diagnosis is confirmed: the defrosting system requires repair.
☑️ Correct defrosting of the refrigerator
Refrigerant leak and system blockage
If full defrosting did not help, and Atlant refrigerator still does not maintain the temperature in the upper compartment, the reason may lie in a violation of the tightness of the circuit or a clogged capillary tube. Freon is a working fluid that circulates through the system, taking away heat. If there is a leak, its quantity becomes insufficient for effective cooling of a large volume.
In double-circuit systems, it often happens that a leak occurs in the refrigeration chamber circuit. As a result, freon circulates only in a small circle of the freezer, so there is cold there, but not at the top. It is difficult to detect a leak visually, since the gas is colorless and odorless. An indirect sign may be swelling of the side walls of the housing or the appearance of rust in the places where the tubes are soldered.
Clogging of the capillary tube (often called “clogging”) occurs due to moisture entering the system or oil breakdown products. An ice or oil plug forms in a narrow section of the tube, which blocks the flow of refrigerant. The symptoms are similar to a leak: the freezer freezes (since the pressure is higher there), and the refrigerator is silent.
| Symptom | Freon leak | Capillary clogged | Compressor malfunction |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motor operation | Works for a long time, intermittently | Works constantly or turns off due to overload | Buzzes, clicks or is silent |
| Condenser temperature | Partially warm or cold | Hot before clogged, cold after | Barely warm |
| Evaporator | Clean, no ice | Partially covered with frost | No changes |
| Solution | Searching for leaks, soldering, refueling | Blowing the system, replacing the filter | Replacing the compressor |
⚠️ Attention: Self-filling with freon or attempting to solder pipes without vacuuming the system is strictly prohibited. This will lead to instant failure of the new compressor due to moisture and air entering the circuit.
Malfunctions of the compressor and start relay
In two-compressor models Atlant each chamber is responsible for its own motor-compressor. If the upper chamber does not cool, it means that the upper compressor (or the one responsible for the refrigeration compartment) is not working. In this case, the freezer functions independently, since it has its own independent unit.
The reason may be the start relay. This small element provides the impulse to start the engine. If the relay is burned out, the compressor will hum for a few seconds, then click and turn off without starting. You can check the relay visually: if a ringing is heard inside when shaking or traces of burning are visible, the part requires replacement.
A more serious problem is an interturn short circuit of the compressor windings or loss of performance of the piston group. The motor runs, but does not create the necessary pressure to compress the gas. In such cases diagnostics shows normal current consumption, but no temperature difference between the condenser and evaporator.
How to check the compressor with a multimeter?
To check, you need to ring the motor windings. Normal resistance between the contacts should be in the range of 10-30 ohms. If the resistance is infinitely large, there is a break; if it is close to zero, there is a short circuit. The resistance between the housing and the contacts is also checked (should be infinite).
The influence of climate class and operating conditions
Sometimes the reason lies not in the breakdown, but in the conditions in which the equipment is operated. Each Atlant refrigerator has its own climate class, indicated in the technical passport (SN, N, ST, T). If you use the device at an ambient temperature outside these limits, it may behave incorrectly.
For example, if a refrigerator designed for a temperate climate is located in an unheated garage in the winter at +5°C, the thermostat may not “understand” that you need to turn on the cooling, since it is already cold in the chamber. However, the compressor may run on the freezer, creating the illusion of partial operation. Years