GE refrigerator gsh22sgress Freezer is cold but fridge is not

"The Evaporator Coils are Frosted Over

If the freezer is cold but the refrigerator is warm and the evaporator coils are frosted over, there may be a defrost system problem. Several times a day the defrost heater assembly turns on for a few minutes to melt away any frost or ice that may have accumulated on the evaporator coils. If the defrost heater assembly has burned out, or the defrost thermostat or defrost control have failed the frost will build up on the coils and eventually no air will be able to travel through the coils to provide cooling. The most common cause for this condition is a problem with the defrost system.

Evaporator Fan Motor

If the refrigerator freezer is cold but the refrigerator is warm, the evaporator fan motor might have failed. Every refrigerator has a set of coils called an evaporator. These are the coils that get cold. A small fan and motor is mounted near the coils. This fan and motor - called the evaporator fan and motor, draws air over the evaporator coils and circulates it throughout the freezer and refrigerator. If the fan fails, the freezer or refrigerator will get much warmer than usual.

Damper Control Assembly

If the freezer is cold but refrigerator is warm the air damper control might be stuck closed or broken. The air damper control is either an automatic or manually operated door which opens and closes to let more or less cold air into the refrigerator compartment. If it doesn't open properly it won't let enough cold air into the refrigerator. If the evaporator fan is running, the damper door is open and no air is coming out. The evaporator may be frosted up caused by a defrost problem.

Thermistor

If the freezer is cold but the refrigerator is warm the thermistor might be defective. The thermistor is a sensor which monitors the air temperature. It is connected to the control board. If the thermistor is defective the refrigerator does not cool or may cool continuously.

Temperature Control Board

If the refrigerator's freezer is cold but the refrigerator is warm the temperature control board might be defective. The temperature control board provides the voltage to the fan motors and compressor. These boards are often misdiagnosed. Check all other components to be certain this is the cause of the problem.

Defrost Thermostat

If the refrigerator freezer is cold but the refrigerator is warm, the defrost thermostat might be defective. Several times a day the defrost heater turns on for a few minutes to melt away any frost that may have accumulated on the evaporator coils. In order for this to work, the defrost thermostat has to sense that the coils are cold enough. If the coils are cold enough the defrost heater will turn on. If the thermostat is defective it may not be able to sense the temperature of the coils and then won't turn on the defrost heater. If the defrost heater doesn't turn on, the frost will build up on the coils and eventually no air will be able to travel through the coils to provide cooling to the freezer or refrigerator. The defrost thermostat can be checked for continuity. It should have continuity when it reaches the low temperature of its operating range.

Main Control Board

If the refrigerator's freezer is cold but the refrigerator is warm the main control board might be defective. This is not common. The cause of this problem is almost always in the defrost components."

I had a very similar problem. The defrost system wasn’t working properly and the evaporator coils were frosted over and air was not circulating into the fridge well. After defrosting, the fridge returned to normal working order. For a while. A few months later, the problem came back. In my case, a clue was that the hole that drains the defrosted water was plugged with ice. I was slow to figure out that there was a clog of gunk in the drain line (not sure where it came from) because it never occurred to me that was possible. It seems to be working better now after defrosting AND cleaning out the blockage in the drain line.

"Turned out to be the evaporator fan.. still stops some times but just tapping the cover that houses the evaporator coils and and fan seems to get it going again. Not sure if the fan is failing or if it's freezing over and getting jammed I ordered an extra motor just in case but I haven't replaced it until I absolutely need to.

Mike"

"Hi @fixitnow414 ,

The fan located in the underside/rear of the unit is the condenser fan.

The evap fan is IN the freezer compartment behind a panel.

Here’s a link to the relevant section showing the parts. The evap fan is part #5

The evap fan stops if a door is opened and starts when the doors are shut. It will run as long as the compressor is running.

You may have to place an ear against the fridge to hear if it stops when you open a door and starts again when you close the door.

If you can’t hear it it may be faulty or iced up. If it is iced up it could be the defrost heater is faulty."

Had same problem on my Kenmore. Was the fan in the freezer compartment that forces cold air up to th fridge. Had somehow become cocked and hit something that stopped it dead. Just straightening it solved the problem. Motor did not burn up so don't need a new one. This problem is not mentioned in your fixes.

got a side by side gallery . freezer fine -4 deg fridge warm 45 deg not much air coming out of vent in top of fridge , unplugged 3 days ago & still no change after 24 hrs unplugged . where do i go from here , cleaned fan & underneith & took back out of freezer evap fan running fine . lots of air in freezer makes ice cubes in 2 hrs