Some premium refrigerators, particularly those with humidity-controlled crisper drawers, monitor compartment humidity and adjust accordingly. A humidity sensor fault means the sensor providing this data has failed, is reading inaccurately, or has lost connection to the control board.
What Triggers This Error?
The control board receives a reading from the humidity sensor that is outside the possible physical range, or receives no reading at all, triggering the fault code.
Common Sources
- Sensor degradation: Capacitive humidity sensors degrade over time, especially in environments where they are repeatedly exposed to condensation and drying cycles.
- Moisture damage: Paradoxically, excessive moisture can damage the humidity sensor’s delicate measurement surface.
- Connector corrosion: The sensor’s electrical connector, located in a cold, humid environment, is prone to corrosion.
- Physical damage: The sensor may have been dislodged or damaged during cleaning of the crisper drawer area.
Solutions
- Locate and inspect the sensor: Humidity sensors are typically mounted in the crisper drawer area or fresh food compartment wall. Check for physical damage and reseat the connector.
- Clean the sensor surface: Using a dry cotton swab, gently clean the sensor element. Do not use liquids directly on the sensor surface.
- Test the sensor output: Using a multimeter or the refrigerator’s diagnostic mode, check the sensor’s output value and compare against the specification.
- Replace the humidity sensor: Humidity sensors are generally inexpensive, model-specific components. Replacement resolves the fault in the majority of cases.
- Verify crisper functionality after replacement: Test that humidity levels in the drawer are now being maintained correctly.