Kenmore Repair · Bay Area

Common issues

Kenmore never made its own refrigerators. Every Kenmore is a rebadged unit, usually built by LG or Whirlpool, and Sears is gone, so the brand is effectively discontinued. There is nothing new to buy. We service the ones still out there, and the first thing we do is figure out who actually built yours, because that decides what to expect.

LG-built Kenmore units carry LG’s known compressor reliability issues, along with defrost problems. They show the same patterns we see on LG kitchen units. Whirlpool-built units are generally the sturdier of the two, but by age most are off-market and parts get harder to find every year.

The model number tells us who built it before we open a panel. A Kenmore number that starts with 795 is an LG build; one that starts with 106 is Whirlpool. On the LG-built Elite french-door units, the 795.7206 series and their cousins, the giveaway inside is a dual-evaporator layout with a three-way diverter valve that switches refrigerant between the fresh-food and freezer coils. When that valve sticks, one compartment drifts warm while the other holds dead-on. It reads like a fan or a defrost fault from the front, but it is a sealed-system part, so we force each side and watch the coil temperature to tell them apart, the same way we work an LG.

We identify which one you have before quoting anything. The model tells us where the trouble usually starts and whether the parts are still available. Either way, these are units living out their days, not fridges with a long road ahead. If a repair makes sense and the parts exist, we’ll do it. If you’re putting good money into a fridge that’s near the end, we’ll say so.

The $75 service call is flat and includes full diagnostics. Most repairs run from $250 plus parts, but the final cost depends on which unit you have and what failed. We quote before any work.

Still running an old Kenmore? Call ADRIUM and we’ll take a look.

A Water Inlet Valve, On Camera