Is Your GE Fridge Cooling Unevenly?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around issues related to uneven cooling in GE refrigerators, particularly focusing on a side-by-side model that is approximately 11 years old. Participants explore potential causes for the observed temperature discrepancies between the freezer and fridge compartments, including mechanical failures and airflow issues.

Discussion Character

  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Experiential accounts

Main Points Raised

  • One participant reports that their GE refrigerator has a freezer temperature of -7F and a fridge temperature of 55F, suggesting a potential malfunction of the control board.
  • Another participant questions whether the fan is effectively moving air in the fridge compartment, noting common failure modes such as ice blockage and a broken plastic impeller.
  • A follow-up post indicates that the fan is operational but that a gate valve between the freezer and fridge compartments may have been stuck closed due to ice buildup, preventing cold air from reaching the fridge.
  • One participant shares an experience with a different brand of refrigerator, identifying a failed defrost thermostat as the cause of ice clogging that obstructed airflow to the refrigerator.
  • Another participant recounts a similar issue where ice clogged the internal matrix of their fridge, leading to persistent cooling problems, and suggests that replacing thermistors on the circuit board resolved the issue.
  • Concerns are raised about air circulation at the back of the unit, with one participant noting that insufficient space between the refrigerator and the wall can lead to overheating of heat exchangers.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express various hypotheses regarding the causes of uneven cooling, with no consensus reached on a single definitive cause. Multiple competing views and personal experiences are presented, indicating that the issue may arise from different mechanical failures or conditions.

Contextual Notes

Participants mention specific components such as the control board, fan, gate valve, defrost thermostat, and thermistors, but the discussion does not resolve the exact nature of the problem in the original poster's refrigerator. There are also references to potential limitations in airflow and the impact of ice buildup, which remain unresolved.

erobz
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I have a GE refrigerator( side by side ) about 11 years old now. I noticed warm milk yesterday. The set points for the freezer/fridge are 0 F and 37F respectively, and the actual temps are -7F and 55F. It seems like the freezer is running constantly, and the fridge side can get a word in endwise.

Condenser and fan are all reasonably clean.

Has anyone encountered this issue before in general? It seems like a malfunctioning control board to me, just asking for other thoughts.
 
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Is the fan moving air in the fridge compartment?
The usual ways to fail are ice blockage and broken plastic impeller.
 
Lnewqban said:
Is the fan moving air in the fridge compartment?
The usual ways to fail are ice blockage and broken plastic impeller.
Actually I examined it a bit further just now. The fan is in the freezer compartment and is running, turns out there is nothing but gate valve ( I think ...) between the compartments, when I pulled the cover off, the valve opened. It seem to have been stuck closed somehow, perhaps ice buildup.

This seems consistent with observation of a lower actual temp in the freezer, and higher temp in the fridge. The fridge side must have been continually calling for cold air but was unable to receive it due to the closed gate.
 
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Our 20+ year old Amana did this a couple of years ago. In our case it was the defrost thermostat that had failed. The lack of a defrost cycle meant that eventually ice clogged the air path leading to the refrigerator.
 
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JT Smith said:
The lack of a defrost cycle meant that eventually ice clogged the air path leading to the refrigerator.
I had a fridge freezer which went really silly; woudn't defrost and chill cabinet was hot. It was ice clogging the internal matrix (the frost free system never cleared between cycles). I thought 'ahah - gotcha' but, even after melting all ice and draining out, it reverted to the same problem. I eventually contacted a guy in UK White goods and they also have a brilliant forum. The opinion was that I needed to replace both thermistors on the circuit board. I did that and it worked for years after.

My mother in law's fr frz used to clog up regularly but a 'deep defrost' solved the problem. I now suspect it was to do with poor air circulation at the rear. Those poor heat exchangers at the back can easily overheat if there's not enough space between the back of the unit and the wall. They are often supplied with spacers to keep them off the wall but they are easily knocked off.
 
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