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TSJim  
#1 Posted : Monday, September 16, 2019 8:00:04 PM(UTC)
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TSJim

Rank: Member

Groups: Registered
Joined: 9/15/2019(UTC)
Posts: 0
United States
Location: California


Hello AppliancePartsPro Team and Community!

We have an older GE Profile refrigerator (GSS25QSWASS). I think it is probably about 10 years old, but it is in great condition. Up until a few days ago, this refrigerator was running solid! Even when we reloaded it with groceries, it would go right back down to desired temperatures of 0 degrees F in the freezer and 37 degrees F in the refrigerated section within an hour or so.

The fridge and freezer sections started getting too warm a few days ago (20 degrees F in the freezer and 45 degrees F in the refrigerated section), so I pulled it from the wall and saw the condenser was really REALLY dirty with thick mats of dust and pet debris. Yay, I thought. That makes sense! The debris covering the condenser probably caused the warming.

I cleaned the condenser very well with the vacuum and compressed air and plugged it back in. I let it cool down, but after all day it didn't cool very much (even warmer than before at about 25 degrees F in the freezer and 50 degrees F in the refrigerated section).

After reading here on the forums, I read about the freezer coil and ice build-up. I popped the cover off the inside back of the freezer section and sure enough, it was iced up solid, but only the bottom 1/3 or so of the coil had ice. I put heat on it and thawed it out.

Then I plugged it back in and expected that it would drop down to proper temperatures and be fine, but it only got down to about 35 in the freezer and 50 in the fridge. I let it cool all day today (with both sections empty) but only got to those temps. The freezer coil was iced back up, but again only on the lower 1/3 or so. Here's a photo:

UserPostedImage

I'm not sure what to try next. Here are the paths I am considering:

1.) The symptom of the 1/3 bottom of the freezer coil freezing up, according to the forums, indicates low R134A charge or a leak. Should I try to use a recharging kit on it? I see that kits are available, but I don't know if there is a port on the closed system on this refrigerator for recharging.

2.) The self-test on the digital display indicates that all 3 thermistors are OK. Should I replace them anyway?

3.) Is the problem likely to be the defroster heater (top or bottom, I'm not sure if this refrigerator has both or just one defrost heater), or the defroster switch (not sure if this model has one of those), or the motherboard?

4.) Could the issue be the compressor motor inverter unit? I've seen posts that say that can cause symptoms like this.

I'm willing to buy and try all of these components from AppliancePartsPros.com, but I feel bad taking advantage of AppliancePartsPros very generous return policy on parts that don't fix the problem even if you install them.

What is my next step?

Thanks!

PS...I have unplugged the refrigerator this evening and will let it rest all night until tomorrow morning and I will plug it back in and see what it does by tomorrow evening.

--
Jim
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