Canadian made GE Profile Fridge with bottom freezer

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

This is what our fridge looks like. We have a black one but I’m sure the interior is the same. Our fridge does not have a computer in it to the best of my knowledge.

http://products.geappliances.com/ApplProducts/Dispatcher?REQUEST=SpecPage&Sku=PDS18LBMWW

Last Sunday we noticed a smell in the kitchen when we opened the fridge, the contents were not cold to the touch and the freezer contents were chilled but not frozen, probably warming up.

I pulled the fridge away from the wall and there was some dust in there and I vacuumed it out. The compressor runs but not non stop. I set both top and bottom dials to 9, maximum. The compressor runs often but not all the time. But the freezer has frozen a bit more but it could be colder and the top is much the same.

After reading on your site so much today, I removed the two bottom tubs under the bottom shelf and I discovered there was a thin layer of ice over the plastic bottom of the fridge which is over the evaporator coils. I removed the vent at the front and then sprung up the bottom plastic cover. Once this was removed I pulled the sticky tape up around the edge of the foam-polystyrene cover and pulled the cover free.
There was some frost on the coils but underneath, between the coils and under the fan is a trench in the center running to the back probably an inch in diameter and maybe 10 inches long and the water in it was frozen solid.
There was a pizza box in the fridge which may have kept the door open, but I’m not sure. I only noticed this when my wife asked me to check out the fridge. When I swung the door shut it stood off about an eighth of an inch but closed when I pushed it I also discovered that the gasket at the bottom of the door had become worn and the magnetic strip had attached to the bottom of the door so it wasn’t pulling in at the bottom. The fridge cycles on and off. Usually when it is running you can hear a sucking sound, this maybe a fan pressurizing a compartment as it moves it from one place to another, but I’m not sure.

Where do I start?

I have since unplugged it and been using a fan to draw warm air into the fridge to thaw out the ice in the bottom under the evaporator coils. I have siphoned most of this out now and am waiting for the drain to thaw out before restarting it to check if the fan is working or not.

2

I defrosted the fridge and removed all the contaminated food. I turned the defrost timer until it switched off the compressor. The defrost heater element warmed up and defrosted the coils. The defrost timer went through it’s cycle and restarted the compressor. So that proved that all the components except the fan were working. I unplugged the fridge.

I bought a new fan and connected it up. I also bought a new defrost timer which proved to be the wrong one it wouldn’t fit I hope they will let me trade it for the right one, usually electrical items are yours once you buy them, no return.

Plugged the fridge in and watched as the fan went on, refitted all the components I had removed and had the fridge, shelves, and freezer with baskets washed out.

I checked the temperature at different times in both the fridge and freezer and all is well. The bottom part of the fridge is much cooler just over the evaporator coils and I wonder if that will freeze the veggies!!

The condenser coils are wrapped around the condenser fan and are difficult to clean as it’s recessed under the back of the freezer compartment but I intend to that tomorrow and will vacuum any debris left over.

This fridge does not have any computer boards fitted thank goodness. My total repair excluding food was just under $120 and a few days frustration dealing with a fractured spine and being unable to bend and getting others to do what would take me a few hours to do at most. I was quoted $79 per visit and this would cover the first twenty minutes and a dollar a minute after that. So in a sense I saved at minimum $80 by doing it myself!

Thanks again, I read and read and you have a great site here, au revoir as they say in Paris!