Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

[Big Bubba]

Hello,
I have another question for you guys concerning my G.E. 30 CU foot side by side refirgerator. I am having a problem with it freezing the food on the refrigerator side of it especially at the top inside. What could be causing this and yes she has adjusted the manual thermostat settings and she says it is still freezing stuff up especially on the top section inside of the refrigerator side. I am over here in Osan Korea and she is telling me this and I am going off what she says. I was thinking about hiring a refrigerator technician to fix it or just go out and buy another one. I am not sure unless I can look at it myself which I want be home until 8 March 2008. Do you think there is dust on the coils or something what should I do? Let me know, thanks again, Bob.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

Dumb question but is it possible that adjusting the manual thermostat settings could mean turning it down even more? I ask because if the manual thermostat is all the way in the warmest position, the food in the freezer section shouldn't even freeze.

Of course, that's assuming the fridge is functioning properly. It's entirely possible that the thermostat may be shorted out or otherwise malfunctioning.

 

[Big Bubba]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

If I can remember, since I am not at home back at Mascoutah, Illinois that each side has it's own thermostat, but don't quote me unless I am looking inside the refrigerator at it right now, which I can't becuase I am currently in Korea. But she turned the refrigierator side down on that section and she says it is freezing food up somewhat. We have owned the refrigerator for 2 years now and haven't defrosted it. Could that be what I should tell her to do. I wish I was home to look at it myself and could give you a better description, but again I am going off of her word. Let me know becuase I don't want to have something simple that can be fixed now to turn into something where I have to by her another refrigerator and have to pay $800.00. I just hope it is an easy fix and save the money. Let me know so Ican relay the message back to her from my end. Take care and thanks again, Bob

 

[rwise]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

heres a thought, if there is to much in the top, enuf so air flow is blocked, (stuff against the back) this can happen (the freezing in top of fridge) it does in mine (not a GE). You must have room for the air to circulate! (no fan)
anyway, just a thought

 

[JB]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

My first thoughts are the same as rwise, that the food getting frozen is blocking the cold air flow to the temp sensor.

 

[Xcusme]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

Hmmm, It's been my experience that there's one thermostat for the freezer portion. This thermostat controls the temperature of the freezer side and controls when the compressor runs. There is a small fan that blows sub freezing air from the freezer side to the other side (food side) to keep milk and other foods cold. There should be a pass through vent between the two sides to allow the circulation of the cold air back to the freezer side. The so called thermostat for the 'food side' is really just a small adjustable vent door that allows more or less of the freezer side air to circulate to the food side.

If the unit was not defrosting the freezer side on a regular basis, as it would with a 'frost free' unit, the temperature of the freezer side will rise. Most units have a defrost timer. The timer is nothing but a small clock motor that operates contacts to the compressor and defrost heater wires. Usually once a day, the timer turns off the compressor power, turns on the defrost heater wires for approx 40 minutes to 1 hour. During this 40 minutes, heat from the defrost wires, melts any frost on the freezer coils. This water runs down a channel into the condensate pan below the unit which evaporates this water.
After 40 minutes of defrosting, the timer switches off the defrost heater and turns on the power to the compressor. This cycle happens everyday. There is another option on some refrigerators that operate the defrost cycle depending on the 'run time' of the compressor, but that's another story.

Personally , I'd take a temperature reading of the freezer portion to see if it's too cold. If it's circulating air that too cold, the food on the 'food side' can still freeze , even on the 'warmest' setting. Make sure the 'pass thru' vent' is not blocked. The pass thru vent is usually on the partition wall between the two sides of the unit, best seen in the 'food side' as a series of vent slits.

A friend once complained about her refrigerator not keeping the food side cold enough. Turns out the vent was blocked with a box of fruit juice. I explained that the 'return' air flow back to the freezer side was blocked, and the temperature of the food side rose. Unblocking the vent restored the air circulation and the problem was fixed.

 

[orion25]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

Not sure about this but our GE fridge was making a whistling noise. The motherboard was replaced under warranty because it could not determine what the temp in either area was so it cycled a fan continually.............

 

[Big Bubba]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

Hello to you,
I cut and pasted this in an email to my wife back at Mascoutah Illinois so she can read and do this that you suggested and let me know how it works for her. Also since were talking about the refrigerator, I did notice when I was home last year that the ice maker didn't freeze the ice cubes all the way threw. Basically the ice cubes had water inside and ice outside. I mean that the ice cubes were not frozen completely solid with water inside the ice cube. Would that blocking the vents cause that also, I am not sure? Let me know and I thank you greatly for your help. Thanks again, Bob

 

[oops!]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

hi
oops here.

i know a little somthin bout fridges.....

xcuseme.....if he aint a tech ...he should be.....

no you dont need a new fridge.....if you buy one i want your old one.

do not defrost your fridge.....

there is two possibilities....the fridge you have is a dual thermostat....

that means two electronic controls....OR
one electronic control ...and one gate type.....

xcuseme...is totally correct...all of it...so i wont go into detail....

if you have a gate type...(non electrically controled) a jug of milk has moved/broken the plastic cover around the gate and is letting more cold air from the freezer in to the fridge part....
uasually when this happens....the food at the bottom starts to freeze...ie ice chrystals in the lettuce

if you have a dual electronic control.......(newer models
the electronic control turns on a seperate fan blowing cold air into the fridge from the freezer.....then the control is shot and it is pumping cold air steady into the fridge.....when this happens...the food at the top uasually freezes...

but your outta town...ask wifey to look closely at the plastic thingamajig in the upper left hand corner of the fridge side...is it loose??? pulled away??
just get her to push it back into place...
if not.....get her to move the control (NOT the one that says off) back and fourth....does it feel like a peice of plastic freely moving??...if yes then it is a gate style...and the plastic is loose some where allowing too much cold air into the fridge....
if it feels electronic.....wait till you get back into town....
(just tell her to move the stuff down one or two shelves...or put somthing small in the door keeping only a small portion of the top of the fridge door open..
when you get home... well go from there

(cheep fix...d.i.y....25 bucks...pro...$135)....

it wont kill your fridge to wait till you get back home.....

sorry my spelling is so bad....its really late and i just spent 5 hours gringing on the bote..im tired....

if you want....pm me ill give you my phone number...and your wife can be my eyes and ears and ill diagnose/fix it right over the phone.

cheers
oops

 

[Big Bubba]

Re: Question on G.E. Side by side refrigerator?

Oops,

I sent your phone number by email to my wife and hopefully she will call you and ask for your help. If I was back in the states I would but it wouldn't do me or you any good becuase I wouldn't be in front of my fridge to look at stuff so we will have to rely on her to call you. Thanks again and hopefully it is something simple. I am very mechanical so changing stuff out isn't that big a deal for me. Thanks, Bob