Tech Tips for Repairing Appliances

Troubleshooting and Repair Tips - Symptom - Not Cooling

A refrigerator not cooling well can be caused by a number of different things. A refrigerator's operation is dependent on a several sub-systems working in proper order. The sealed system, which contains the freon and involves the compressor, is what moves the heat from the refrigerator - in other words, performs the actual cooling. The evaporator coils get well below zero degrees Fahrenheit. A fan passes air over these coils and distributes it throughout the freezer and the refrigerator. When this sealed system is not functioning properly from either a freon leak, bad compressor, non-starting compressor, or system restrictions, the refrigerator will not cool well or at all. The defrost system of a refrigerator melts the ice build-up from the evaporator coils periodically, so that the air can continue to efficiently pass over the coils to become cold again and redistribute throughout the unit. Defrost systems fail often - usually because the heater, defrost thermostat, or defrost control fails. Another of the many reasons a refrigerator won't cool well is if moisture gets in and crystalizes in the air vents - clogging them up, and disallowing the air to flow properly. Also, the refrigerator must get rid of the heat properly - as a refrigerator is just a heat pump in reverse. Either in the back of the refrigerator or underneath, are consdenser coils that get very hot and radiate heat - either passively or by use of a condensor fan. Although there are other reasons a refrigerator does not cool well, these are the most common. Below are described several "refrigerator not cooling" scenarios and their resolutions.

GE Refrigerator Not Cooling Well - Model number GSH25JSXBSS, back wall of freezer (inside) covered with frost.

- Remove food, shelves, and ice bin.
- Place a one inch ball of plumber's putting over the defrost drain hole as shown.
- Place at least 3 towels at the bottom of the freezer as shown. There will be a lot of water.
- Place a towel on the floor and monitor to make sure no water is left on the floor or under the refrigerator.
- You can use a 2-gallon pressurized sprayer (found at a home improvement store) filled with hot tap water, to clear the frost from the back wall.
- Use of a sprayer can reduce the total repair time to as low as 30 minutes, but does produce lots of water - so be prepared.
. - Remove the back wall as shown.
- Note the coils covered with frost in the attached picture.
- Use the sprayer to clear the frost from the top-down.
- Remove the defrost heater as shown.
- Test the defrost heater with a multimeter as shown. It should read less than 100 ohms.
- The heater in this case measured in the megaohm range - obviously a bad heater.
- If the heater is bad, replace it. The part number is WR51X10055.
- Remove the defrost thermistor as shown in the picture. The ones with the black rubber sealant tend to go bad prematurely.
- If the thermistor is of that type, replace it. The part number for the thermistor is WR55X10025.
- Use crimp connectors and fill with silicon to keep the moisture out.
- Straight connectors are shown in the picture, but bell connectors are recommended.
- The defrost thermostat or bimetal (to right of thermistor) sometimes goes bad as well. If it is split open, replace it. The part number is WR50X10068
- I usually replace the defrost thermosat regardless as they often go bad - and they are cheap.
- Important - When finished installing the components, remove the plumber's putty from the defrost drain hole.
- Make sure all wires are tucked away as shown in the picture and replace the back wall.
- Plug refrigerator back in and make sure the temperature drops at the fan output.