GE Refrigerator Freezing Food In Fresh Food
Section
For GE’s side-by-side electronic refrigerator made after 2002.
If your GE refrigerator is freezing food in the fresh food section this page can
help. Unlike older GE refrigerators, the newer side-by-side models made after
2002 are designed for the fresh food and freezer temperatures to be controlled
separately. What I mean by that is the older refrigerators would cut the entire
cooling system off once the fresh food section reaches the desired temperature.
The newer model electronic refrigerator uses electric dampers that block airflow
to the fresh food section if the freezer needs to run a little longer to reach
desired temperature. The damper will open if the fresh food section needs more
cold air. This along with the use of thermistors allows for a more steady
temperature in the both the freezer and the fresh food section. But as always,
when things go wrong there will be trouble.
First, before you start to
troubleshoot make sure the controls are set correctly. The controls should be
set midway which on most models that is 5 and 5. On some models you set the
temperature at 0 and 37, which is normal. If it is set too low that may be the
reason the refrigerator is freezing food in the fresh food section.
If
you need a part You can enter your model number or part number here to search
the part you need.
Dampers
The most common cause for GE refrigerators to be freezing food in the fresh food section is the damper that cuts off airflow to the fresh food section will break. This is more common on higher end (more expensive) GE refrigerators such as the Artica or the GE profile refrigerator so we will discuss them first. The way you can tell if you have one of the models I am talking about is that there will be an air duct in the back of the fresh food section that goes all the way from the bottom to the top and connects to a light. On some models the duct doesn’t go all the way down to the bottom.
What commonly happens is that the damper will break off the motor that operates
it. This allows cold air to continuously flow into the fresh food section
freezing food. To check this, you will have to remove all the shelves in the
fresh food section and remove the air duct in the back. At the top of the duct
there will be a housing that has the damper and on some models there will be a
fresh food fan. Remove it and look inside if the damper is broken replace it.
You will have to replace the entire housing assembly.
The other type of damper GE refrigerators use is on lower end (cheaper) models. This damper doesn’t break nearly as often but if it does, it can cause the refrigerator to freeze food in the fresh food section. The damper on these models will be behind a cover in the top left of the fresh food section. Remove the cover and you should easily see if the damper is broken.
Thermistors
A bad fresh food thermistor can cause the damper to stay open all the time or
stay open longer than it should. This could be why your refrigerator is freezing
food in the fresh food section. The first thing you need to do is locate the
thermistiors. On higher end models with the air duct down the center of the back
of the fresh food section the thermistor is located behind a cover such as the
one you see in the picture below.
Testing A
Refrigerator Thermistor On A GE Refrigerator
On the cheaper models, the thermistor is wired in with the damper motor. It
will be attached to the two white wires that connect to the damper.
If your refrigerator was made before 2005, this picture will help you
identify faulty thermistors (thermistors that came from the factory with a high
failure rate). Refrigerators made after 2005 may have thermistors that look like
the one that says faulty but is ok. Because they start back using a thermistor
that looks like the faulty one but it is not faulty. The picture below shows you
how to identify these faulty thermistors. The part number for the correct
thermistor is WR55X1002
If you see a faulty thermistor on your refrigerator replace all the
thermistors on it.
If you don’t have the faulty thermistors but you are
still unsure if the thermistors are good or not this is the best way to check
them. Remove the thermistor and place it in a cup with ic e and a small amount
of water for at least five minutes. This should bring the thermistor to 32
degrees. Using your ohmmeter, check resistance across the thermistor with it
still in the ice water. It should read around 16.6 K ohms or 16,600 ohms. If you
don’t own an ohmmeter or are unsure how to properly use it, replace the
thermistors if you suspect they are bad.
I hope this page helps you
repair your refrigerator that is freezing food in the fresh food section.
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