GE Profile refrigerator side not cold enough

GE Profile refrigerator side not cold enough I have a GE Profile (Model PZS25KSEBFSS). It has digital controls for the freezer and refrigerator side. I had them set to 0F and 37F, respectively. I’m constantly checking the temperature when I walk by. Lately I noticed that the temperatures had risen to about 3F and 43F. Thinking that maybe it was just because the defrost heater was on, I ignored it. Several days later, it was still the same. I lowered the temperature controls as low as they would go for each side; -6F for the freezer and 34F for the fridge. After a day, the temperatures came down some. The freezer went to something like -3F and the fridge was about 40F. Still not right, because the temperature doesn’t match what I have it set to. Right now, set to -3F and 34F, the freezer is at 0F and the fridge is at 40F. I can’t get the fridge to go any lower. It seems that the temps are off by some offset; the freezer by 3 degrees and the fridge by 6 degrees, regardless of what they’re set to. As long as it’s cold enough (regardless of the setting) I guess I’m okay with that for now. However, I’ve noticed something else going on (I think). It seems like the upper part of the fridge is warmer than the lower part. Canned sodas in the top shelf of the door don’t feel as cold as bottle drinks in the bottom shelf of the door. To test this, I moved a canned soda to the bottom shelf. I can definitely tell now that the soda on the bottom shelf is now colder than the sodas on the top shelf. Also, the upper food shelves seem ‘warmer’ than the lower section of the fridge. I felt a steak that’s sitting on the middle shelf and it feels dangerously ‘not cold’. Jars of pickles on the top shelf seem cold, but not cold enough. Lastly, when I put my hand on the plastic on the inside back of the fridge side (right next to the vent slots), it doesn’t even feel cold. Is this an issue with the evaporator fan motor? Is there only 1? The reason I ask is because of the temperature variance from the top to the bottom sections of the fridge. Or is this top/bottom difference just a result of ‘heat rises and cold falls’? Why can I get the temperatures adjusted down, but not consistent with the temperature that they’re actually set to? Could this be an issue with the damper door between the two sides?

Asked by: Guest | Views: 213

Total answers/comments: 3

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mcgyver89 [Entry]

Lonnie Barrios, the slight difference in tempature is within tolerance and probably fault lies with the thermometer and not the refrigerator. If you had a failed evap motor, your temp would be a lot warmer. When was the last time you cleaned your condenser coils? Dirty coils will cause a lot of problems. One common problem dirty condenser coils cause are clog in drain line. When drain is clogged it freezes and you’ll see frost/ice one the wall. The coils are near the compressor. Unplug refrigerator and carefully clean with a vacuum. Also clean the door gasket. If you see tears the gasket will need to be replaced. After you clean , spray a dry silicone and wipe into gaskets. This keeps gasket from drying and stiffening. Coils should be cleaned 1x a yr, more if you have pets.

mcgyver89 [Entry]

LonnieBarrios, unplug the refrigerator, pull the unit away from the wall so you can get behind it. Remove the lower access panel. The big round thing is the compressor and next to it you’ll see the condenser fan and the condenser coils. Use a vacuum, i with the crevice adapter works great. If you don’t have a vacuum at the dollar store MrClean sells a coil cleaning brush $5. It’s about 2 ft long and bristles 3/4 of the length. It works well when a vacuum can’t reach. Never use an air compressor or you’ll have a lori Le dust issue in your home. Make sure you don’t pull any wire off. This should be done at least one a year. . Give the refrigerator 48 hrs to reach tempature

mcgyver89 [Entry]

My Samsung refrigerator had a similar problem. It was icing up behind the panel in the back (inside) of the fridge around the evaporator. I screwed with it for several weeks until I got tired of it and did proper repair. In my case that was replacing: defrost heater, circulation fan motor and bi-metal thermostat off eBay. $20, $22 and $19 + tax respectively. I had to use a hair dryer to melt the ice around the evaporator (the part that cools the fridge) to take the defrost heater off. I also put a small area heater inside because ice had built up inside the rear wall. (the wall was ice cold to the touch even though the fridge had been off for several hours). That took another hour or so. Don’t melt the wall! Works great ever since.