Chosen Solution
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 (09/30/2018) 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.
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. Update (10/01/2018) 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 Update (10/04/2018) 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?)
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.
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
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.
