[jlm1]

The freezer is on the fritz. The freezer thawed to approx 30-35 degrees. I emptied it and the next day it was below 20 degrees. I put some items back in it and it lasted for a few days and began to thaw again. It is usually when it is gets a lot of use. There is no water on the floor. All the dust has been cleaned from the back. A new insulation kit was installed 1 1/2 years ago along with a new ice door.

Any ideas of the problem?

James

[applianceman]

Here are a few things you need to check for.

Is the compressor running? It should be running almost continually because it is not cooling properly.

Are both of the fans running?

Is there heavy frost on the back of the freezer?

Post what you find.
Refrigerator repair guide

[theolivers]

there is frost on the back of the freezer. Seemed to happen once I added another 12 lbs of food (a 2nd turkey) to the freezer (not sure if that has anything to do with it)...

Please help!

[applianceman]

theolivers

Is the model number of your refrigerator the same? If not post the model number.

[theolivers]

Originally Posted by applianceman

theolivers

Is the model number of your refrigerator the same? If not post the model number.

It's a GE side by side Model#GSH25VGRE WW.

I took everything out, turned it all the way off and unplugged it. I defrosted it for a few hours and turned it back on. It started right back up....condenser seemed to be running...fan was running....let it run for a while...came back, the inside was...cold....the back bottom to middle of the freezer iced up again.(the same place it was frosted over before) I left it off for an hour and plugged it back in, without letting the inside thaw out & nothing ran, not the condenser, not the motor...not the fan...it was silent. Is there a heater of some sorts that keeps that specific spot from freezing up. This is my 1st time dealing with a refrigerator repair. Even a diagram of what I'm working with would help.

Thanks so much in advance!!

[theolivers]

ok. so I got froggy and pulled the back panel off of the inside of the freezer....the coils and everything behind that panel are FROZEN SOLID. Maybe this could be part of the issue.

[applianceman]

Here is your parts breakdown Replacement parts for General Electric GSH25VGREWW Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com

More than likely it is the heater. When you remove the back of the freezer you will see the heater at the bottom of the coils. You have to defrost it completely as in take the back of the freezer off and make sure all the ice is gone. Once you do that it should work long enough to get the part. You will have to check the heater with an ohmmeter and if you don’t have one I would say your best bet is to go ahead and replace the heater. If the heater is not the problem the termistor is the next thing to check. The thrmistor is the white sensor attached to the coils at the top. I hope this helps!

Here is a link that will help GE Refrigerator Repair Guide

[theolivers]

Originally Posted by applianceman

Here is your parts breakdown Replacement parts for General Electric GSH25VGREWW Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com

More than likely it is the heater. When you remove the back of the freezer you will see the heater at the bottom of the coils. You have to defrost it completely as in take the back of the freezer off and make sure all the ice is gone. Once you do that it should work long enough to get the part. You will have to check the heater with an ohmmeter and if you don’t have one I would say your best bet is to go ahead and replace the heater. If the heater is not the problem the termistor is the next thing to check. The thrmistor is the white sensor attached to the coils at the top. I hope this helps!

Here is a link that will help GE Refrigerator Repair Guide

Thanks sooooo much! I will checking the heater with an ohmmeter...and let ya know what I find.

[theolivers]

Once I thawed the coils completely out, I plugged it back in and things are working WONDERFULLY now. I did not test the heater, but that will be the 1st step if it freezes up again. It has now been running for about 14 hours with no issues.

Thanks again for your help!!
~Julie~

[theolivers]

Turned it on and let it run for a couple of days...seems to be working fine. Thought I would take the back panel off again to check for freezing on the coils before I loaded the food in. seemed to be light frost toward the bottom of the coils. took the evap. heater off & it tests fine. Is it possible that the little bit of frost on the coils is because it was between defrost cycles? It seems to be working just fine.

Thanks again!