Roper Refrigerator Repair

A Roper refrigerator is almost always a top-freezer built on Whirlpool's basic platform. Cold air is made at an evaporator coil hidden behind the freezer's back wall, and a small fan pushes it through the freezer and down a duct into the fresh-food side, where an air control regulates how much gets through. A condenser coil under the cabinet sheds heat with help from a fan near the compressor. Defrost runs automatically through a heater and a bimetal thermostat clipped to the coil.

When a Roper starts to fail, the pattern usually tells the story. If the refrigerator warms while ice cream is still firm, the defrost circuit has likely quit and frost has sealed off the evaporator. If both sections are warm and you hear clicking from the back every few minutes, the compressor start device or overload may be failing, or the condenser fan may have stopped. A whine that changes when you open the freezer door often comes from the evaporator fan motor.

You can rule out a few easy causes. Make sure the temperature dial and air control are where you want them and that food is not blocking the air vents in the freezer. Unplug the unit, remove the bottom grille and vacuum the condenser coil, which collects dust and pet hair fast. Run a dollar bill test on the gaskets: close the door on a bill and pull, and if it slides out easily, the seal is weak.

We test the defrost heater, thermostat and control, check the evaporator and condenser fans, and measure compressor current. We look at the gasket condition too, because muggy air leaking in through a torn seal adds frost and makes the defrost system work harder. You get the diagnosis and a price before any work.

Defrost components, fans, start devices and gaskets are reasonable repairs on a Roper. Refrigerant leaks or compressor failure on an older top-freezer generally point toward replacement.