BlueStar fridges and freezers on the market
BlueStar sells three groups of cooling products.
- The 36 inch PRO built-in. It comes with a single door over a freezer drawer, or as a French door.
- Column units in 18, 24 and 30 inch widths. Some are all fridge. Some are all freezer. They take custom panels.
- A 36 inch counter-depth French door that stands free.
The PRO has a stainless steel interior and a touch screen. BlueStar lists settings like Max Ice, Door Alarm and Sabbath Mode. The alarm sounds when a door stays open past five minutes.
Two compressors change the diagnosis
Most home fridges have one compressor and share cold air between sections. The PRO does not. BlueStar gives the fridge and the freezer each a compressor and a cooling coil. No air moves between the two.
That helps us when something fails. Say the fridge side is warm but the ice is rock hard. We know the freezer loop is healthy. The fault is in the fridge loop alone. It could be the fan that moves air over the coil. It could be a sensor, a start relay or the compressor.
The reverse is true as well. Soft ice cream with cold milk means we start in the freezer.
Warm fridge, frosty coil
The cooling coil is called the evaporator. It runs below freezing, so frost forms on it. Several times daily, a heater clears that frost. If the heater or its sensor fails, frost packs the coil solid. Air cannot pass through. The section warms up even though the compressor runs.
Signs are a white crust on the rear panel or a fan blade ticking on ice. We open the panel, clear the ice and test the defrost parts. Then we replace the one that failed.
Built-in units need to breathe
A built-in fridge sits tight in the cabinets. Its condenser coil dumps heat through a grille. Dust and pet hair cover that coil over time. The compressor then runs longer and hotter. Food warms up on hot days first.
Cleaning the condenser is part of many of our visits. It is a simple fix that people miss because the coil is out of sight.
Ice maker and door problems
The PRO has an ice maker in the freezer. No ice usually means no water. We check the fill valve, the fill tube and the water line. A frozen fill tube is common. Small or hollow cubes point to low water flow.
A door that does not seal lets in warm, damp air. Look for frost near the door edge or drops of water on the frame. The gasket may be torn or pulled out of its track. On column units with heavy panels, the hinges can sag. We adjust the hinge or replace the gasket.
What to check while you wait
- Make sure Sabbath Mode is off.
- Look at the set temperature on the screen.
- Move food away from the air vents inside.
- Vacuum the grille if you can reach it.
- Keep the doors shut. A loaded freezer can ride out many hours.
The $79 visit and whether to repair
Our home diagnostic fee is $79. Have us do the job and the $79 is dropped. You are told the full cost, parts and labor, up front. Nothing gets replaced without your okay.
A+ is independent. The same family still owns it. Every tech we send is licensed, insured and background checked. Fan motors, relays and defrost parts are kept on the truck. Cooling calls are answered from 6 AM until 9 PM, Saturday and Sunday too. A warm fridge gets a same-day slot whenever we have one. You can book online too.
A built-in BlueStar is worth far more than a fan, a gasket or a defrost heater. Those repairs are easy to say yes to. A compressor or a sealed system leak is a bigger bill. On a newer PRO or column, it still tends to make sense. On a worn counter-depth model, we will lay out both costs. All repairs come with a 30-day repair warranty.
Chicago owners can find us on the Illinois appliance repair page. D.C., Houston, Los Angeles and Virginia kitchens are on our routes. Other makes are on our refrigerator repair page. For the matching machines, see BlueStar appliance repair and BlueStar dishwasher repair.