GE Profile refrigerator side not cold enough

Question

GE Refrigerator

Repair guides, troubleshooting information, and service help for refrigerators manufactured by General Electric (GE).

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Lonnie Barrios @lrbarrios

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crwdns2931729:0crwdne2931729:0: Ndz 30, 2018

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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?

UPDATE: After my original post, I have new information. I noticed a block of cheese that was in the back of the deli drawer was partially frozen. When I looked behind the drawers, I saw ice on the back wall behind the deli drawer. I also learned that when the door is open, the fan that is behind that back panel (the other evaporator fan, I assume) does not run. When I press the door/light switch, the fan motor comes on but I don't really feel the air coming out of the vent slots. Could this be a case of the evaporator coils being frozen over? The temperature in the freezer is 0F and 40F in the fridge. At one point, the fridge side went up 41F but came back down to 40F and has been there since. Although the temperature display shows the same thing that it did previously, it now feels colder in the top part than it previously did at the same temperature reading. Where is the sensor taking the reading.

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UPDATE: I've looked at the exploded view and don't see any other relevant components - specifically some kind of defrost heater that should prevent the evaporator coils from freezing over. Last night, when I came home, I checked the temperatures as I walked past the fridge. They were still at 0F and 40F. Within of couple of hours (and minimal opening and closing of the fridge-side door) the temperature climbed to 51F. Even still, everything seems plenty cold. This morning the the fridge-side temperature is back down the 40F. The is still the same ice formation on around the vent slots on the back wall. I don't think any ice melted during the elevated temperature.

crwdns2934271:0Nhl 4, 2018crwdnd2934271:0 Lonnie Barrios crwdne2934271:0

UPDATE TO PREVIOUS UPDATE: Looking at the exploded view, I noticed a part called 'sensor grille'. While in the fridge, I saw this little sensor grille. When I had to move a two-liter bottle of soda out of the way, it occurred to me... I put that soda in there last night (warm from the store) when I came home. It was sitting right up against the temperature sensor grille. That explains the rise in temp (and then the subsequent fall back to what is now 'normal'). I taped sheets of 2-ply toilet paper in front of the vent slots on the back wall. Then I pushed the door/light switch to activate the evaporator fan motor. The motor definitely comes on, but I do not see the slightest amount of air flow coming from the vents. If the blades were obstructed, I would think that I wouldn't hear the motor at all because it wouldn't able to spin. I could be wrong on that, though. With the absence of any kind of defrost heater for the fridge-side, what would cause the evaporator coils to freeze over? A faulty sensor?

crwdns2934271:0Nhl 4, 2018crwdnd2934271:0 Lonnie Barrios crwdne2934271:0

Hi, any update on the final situation? found a solution or have to make do with this issue? I have exactly the same issue now right after 2 months of warranty expiration. My fresh food area will be constantly above 45 while freezer fluctuates around 0-10. i changed the main board, still same issue. I dont see frost build up behind the fresh food though, no sure if this is same problem.

crwdns2934271:0Huk 15, 2019crwdnd2934271:0 Chage crwdne2934271:0

Chage... Here's what fixed it for me. I had to remove the plastic cover behind the drawers. There was a lot of ice built up. Once the plastic cover is removed, there is a styro-foam cover over the coils. I carefully used a heat gun to melt the ice enough to remove the foam cover. Be patient with the heat gun and don't let it linger too long in any spot or you'll melt the styro-foam or the plastic back wall. Once the styro-foam (which also houses the evaporator fan) is removed, I could see that the coils were completely frozen in a block of ice. Use the heat gun again. To melt all of the ice. As the ice melts, it will go down the drain hole on the right side under the coils. Again... Patience.

crwdns2934271:0Huk 15, 2019crwdnd2934271:0 Lonnie Barrios crwdne2934271:0

(continued)... The whole process took a couple of hours. Once all of the ice has been removed, re-assemble everything and set the fridge to Turbo Cool. I don't know what is causing the problem, but I see that I originally posted my problem just over a year ago. A few weeks ago, I had to do this exact procedure again. I know it's not the evaporator fan motor because it is definitely working. I can hear it. Also, after clearing the ice, it works great... for about a year. Good luck!

crwdns2934271:0Huk 15, 2019crwdnd2934271:0 Lonnie Barrios crwdne2934271:0

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UPDATE: I've looked at the exploded view and don't see any other relevant components - specifically some kind of defrost heater that should prevent the evaporator coils from freezing over. Last night, when I came home, I checked the temperatures as I walked past the fridge. They were still at 0F and 40F. Within of couple of hours (and minimal opening and closing of the fridge-side door) the temperature climbed to 51F. Even still, everything seems plenty cold. This morning the the fridge-side temperature is back down the 40F. The is still the same ice formation on around the vent slots on the back wall. I don't think any ice melted during the elevated temperature. — Lonnie Barrios
UPDATE TO PREVIOUS UPDATE: Looking at the exploded view, I noticed a part called 'sensor grille'. While in the fridge, I saw this little sensor grille. When I had to move a two-liter bottle of soda out of the way, it occurred to me... I put that soda in there last night (warm from the store) when I came home. It was sitting right up against the temperature sensor grille. That explains the rise in temp (and then the subsequent fall back to what is now 'normal'). I taped sheets of 2-ply toilet paper in front of the vent slots on the back wall. Then I pushed the door/light switch to activate the evaporator fan motor. The motor definitely comes on, but I do not see the slightest amount of air flow coming from the vents. If the blades were obstructed, I would think that I wouldn't hear the motor at all because it wouldn't able to spin. I could be wrong on that, though. With the absence of any kind of defrost heater for the fridge-side, what would cause the evaporator coils to freeze over? A faulty sensor? — Lonnie Barrios
Hi, any update on the final situation? found a solution or have to make do with this issue? I have exactly the same issue now right after 2 months of warranty expiration. My fresh food area will be constantly above 45 while freezer fluctuates around 0-10. i changed the main board, still same issue. I dont see frost build up behind the fresh food though, no sure if this is same problem. — Chage
Chage... Here's what fixed it for me. I had to remove the plastic cover behind the drawers. There was a lot of ice built up. Once the plastic cover is removed, there is a styro-foam cover over the coils. I carefully used a heat gun to melt the ice enough to remove the foam cover. Be patient with the heat gun and don't let it linger too long in any spot or you'll melt the styro-foam or the plastic back wall. Once the styro-foam (which also houses the evaporator fan) is removed, I could see that the coils were completely frozen in a block of ice. Use the heat gun again. To melt all of the ice. As the ice melts, it will go down the drain hole on the right side under the coils. Again... Patience. — Lonnie Barrios
(continued)... The whole process took a couple of hours. Once all of the ice has been removed, re-assemble everything and set the fridge to Turbo Cool. I don't know what is causing the problem, but I see that I originally posted my problem just over a year ago. A few weeks ago, I had to do this exact procedure again. I know it's not the evaporator fan motor because it is definitely working. I can hear it. Also, after clearing the ice, it works great... for about a year. Good luck! — Lonnie Barrios

score 3 · Answer 1 · 2018-10-01T02:06:33-07:00

Hi @lrbarrios ,

If the fridge section is not getting cold enough but the freezer now seems to be OK, check that the temperature sensor - part #236 in the fridge compartment is OK.

The two compartments, fridge and freezer, have their own individual evaporator units, evaporator fans and temperature sensors.

Can you hear the fridge evaporator fan turning off and on when you open and close the door? You may have to place your ear on the fridge to hear it.

If you are still having problems with the freezer section also being too warm, it may be that the temperature sensor in the freezer compartment may also be faulty, but I think that may be too much of a coincidence, two being faulty at the same time.

The parts diagrams show no damper doors between the two compartments - fridge and freezer.

The only common link between the two compartments is that they share the same sealed system, i.e. one compressor with a valve to distribute the refrigerant between the two evaporator units and also one control board.

If both compartments show that they are too warm, perhaps it may be a problem with the sealed system e.g. lack of refrigerant, the valve or perhaps the control board.

Perhaps @ladytech ;-) may know what the problem may be.

Hi @lrbarrios ,

The evaporator fan stops when a door is opened because you do not want to blow cold air out of the fridge (or the freezer if that door is opened). They probably use the same door switch to operate the lamp and stop the fan (or turn out the lamp and start the fan when the door is closed)

If the evaporator is frozen over but the fan is still running then you would blow air over the evaporator and the air would get colder and go into the fridge driving down the temperature, unless the fan vent was blocked by ice of course..

It may be that you can hear the fan motor but perhaps the fan blades might not be rotating due to whatever reason. You'd have to check it out to know exactly.

If you click on the temp sensor part link above in my answer, on the left side of the webpage that opens there are 9 sections dealing with all the parts of the fridge.

Scroll up and down to find and then select the section that you are most interested in

Hi @lrbarrios ,

You may have to check that the fridge evap fan blades are actually turning. It may be that the motor is turning but the blades aren’t - blades slipping on fan motor shaft perhaps.

This may be the problem.

The evap shouldn’t need to be defrosted as it should never get down to freezing temp for frost (ice) to form and have to be defrosted.

If the fan is not rotating forcing cold air into the compartment then the temp sensor (via the control board) will keep the refrigerant going thru the evap unit making it get colder and colder, trying to get the temp down to the correct level. Hence the ice formation.

I suppose it could also be a faulty sensor. (forgotten now but have you tried a thermometer in the fridge compartment just to verify that the temp sensor is showing the correct temp?)

Where can I find an exploded view of my fridge so that I can see what components are behind that back panel that might be involved in this issue? — Lonnie Barrios

score 2 · Answer 2 · 2018-10-25T20:09:40-07:00

LadyTech @ladytech

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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.

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I haven't done much poking around since my last update. The temperature in both the freezer and fridge sides still seem to fluctuate -- sometimes daily. I've seen the freezer get to -7F and I've seen the fridge get to 44F. Even at 44F, it seemed plenty cold (unlike when I started this post -- the fridge side didn't seem as cold as it should). Items in the top shelf of the door are less cold than items in the lower shelf of the door. There's still ice on the back wall (inside) of the fridge. Ice crystals form on the shredded cheese in the deli drawer if it's too close to the back. I can hear the evap motor when the door is closed. I've never cleaned the condenser coils. I purchased the fridge from someone else who probably didn't either. He had a tech look at it and told him the prob was the evap motor but didn't want to pay for the repair. Now I wonder if that was ever the problem. Although it's having issues, it seems like it's better after moving it (thawing) than before when he still had it.

crwdns2934271:0Nhl 26, 2018crwdnd2934271:0 Lonnie Barrios crwdne2934271:0

How do I get to the condenser coils? Do I have to remove the back panel to gain access? (I haven't moved it from the wall to look.)

crwdns2934271:0Nhl 26, 2018crwdnd2934271:0 Lonnie Barrios crwdne2934271:0

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score 2 · Answer 3 · 2018-10-26T22:16:04-07:00

LadyTech @ladytech

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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

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Craigs List @craigslist45371 crwdns2934065:0crwdne2934065:0: 1 · Answer 4 · 2019-11-15T18:17:54-07:00

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.

PAUL R HEATON @paulrheaton crwdns2934065:0crwdne2934065:0: 1 · Answer 5 · 2023-09-08T15:42:01-07:00

These electronic control refrigerators by GE are nothing but a piece of ship!! I had one and all sorts of problems that it never really got cold and we said and we worked on and finally the temperature went up to 44° when I called the service people they went in and Lori did the whole thing in it stopped working completely.

It was under warranty so I got another refrigerator and again I would set up a 34° in the best we could get out of this thing was probably 38 to 40°. What a piece of crap these refrigerators with all the electronic battleship again with them.

I have had the craps of these electronic refrigerators and they do not get cold my daughter has one and it does not get cold and when I called the people they said well there's a 7° variance. Well what the hell is going on I'm sitting here at 40° so Mr. know it all on the dam telephone tell me why does my refrigerator go to be 34° are 33°. And the answer is never so here's what I did am working on it right now

I had a Maytag double door refrigerator an older model on the car port and I open it up and it started to experiment with the manual thermostat that was regulating the refrigerator part of this refrigerator. It was a manual adjustable thermostat and the refrigerator was at 32° and it stayed at 32°. So I took the electric tester and I figured out exactly how this thing worked and is fairly simple. So I am ordering one of these manual thermostats and I am going to put it in that piece of crap GE that I have in the kitchen and then I'm going to bypass directly to the condenser fan they close the refrigerator. Since it's on the same electrical as the refrigerator itself I have a direct line from the electric input where the court comes in up and into the refrigerator and plugged into the manual thermostat that I ordered online that was in the owner Maytag on the patio

So now I have direct-current from the plug to the thermostat. And then I'm running a wire from the thermostat over to the cooling fan in the back of the refrigerator.

Because it's all on the same electrical circuit it will not interfere with the the electronic controller of the GE refrigerator, so if that kicks in the fan will turn on also. But either way at least I can get that fan to click on and regulate the temperature in the refrigerator of that piece of crap GE which is one year old. And I can regulated down to 32 or 33° no problem. And looks a little bit like a hillbilly fix it but I am working on getting the wires and the thermostat covered and looking better. So you want to know how to make your refrigerator colder stop asking GE what to do and take it into your own hands with something that is proven true and blue if you want to know the outcome on this project you can email me at Q7H 2191@Gmail.com

GE Refrigerator

GE Profile refrigerator side not cold enough

Update (09/30/2018)

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Update (10/01/2018)

Update (10/04/2018)

GE Temperature Sensor with 18 in. Wire Leads - WR55X10025

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