Brand: GE Model Number: PFSS2MIXASS Main Symptom: fluctuating freezer temperatures & freezer malfunction What happens & when:
BACKGROUND: Noticed these problems about a month ago
(1) From time to time during the day I will hear a series of clicks, like something is turning on and then off. (I am almost positive that these clicks are a new development.)
(2) Freezer temperature is supposed to be 0. However, freezer temperature climbs as high as 25 degrees throughout the day.
(3) Food in freezer remains frozen but has a light coating of frost on it.
(4) Refrigerator temperature is set at 37 degrees and remains fairly consistent, fluctuating only 2 degrees higher or lower, remaining in the 35-39 degree range.
RECENT MALFUNCTION: Freezer temperature rose to 38 and freezer defrosted
(5) My family went out of town for four days for Thanksgiving. When we returned home last night, the freezer was at 38 degrees and everything had defrosted. The refrigerator was at 40 degrees.
(6) I turned off the breaker while I cleaned out the freezer. Then I turned the breaker back on. The unit resumed cooling. Four hours later, the freezer was at 5 degrees; the icemaker was producing ice, and the refrigerator was at 35 degrees.
(7) This morning, for the past 3 hours, the refrigerator remains at 37 degrees, and the freezer has fluctuated from 3 degrees to 19 degrees. I continue to hear a series of clicks from time to time, like something is turning on and then off.
Error Code (if any): n/a
Parts or tests already tried: n/a
Photos / video link: n/a
Has there been any kind of frost near where the door seals? Also, when the temperature reaches higher than it should, is it staying like this for an extended period of time (with the exception of when the food thawed), or is it reaching the higher temperature within 30 minutes and then cooling back down?
No visible frost near the door seals. (However, in the weeks before the food thawed, items in the freezer DID have a light coating of frost. I cleaned out the freezer and replaced the items. A day or two after cleanout, the frost coating had returned.)
The high to low temperature fluctuations take place over several hours–much longer than 30 minutes. I have attached a log of today’s temperatures with the time for each reading noted.
During this time frame, was the freezer opened multiple times? If the freezer door wasn’t opened a lot through today, the main control is the most likely reason the temperatures are peaking out every 5 hours or so beyond what they should. WR55X10832 Control Board Assembly | Genuine Ge OEM In Stock
No. I am trying not to open the freezer so the temperature readings will be accurate. Except for the icemaker making ice, the freezer is empty right now.
A relay in the main control would make the clicking sound. Clicking noises could indicate a start relay issue, but that would not apply here since the compressor is able to operate and get the unit down to temperature.