GE Side By Side Defrosting Issue

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
1

I am having a problem getting the fresh food side to cool down and stay at an acceptible temperature.
I have found that the freezer keeps freezing up and not defrosting.
I have replaced the Defrost Control Timer and manually defrosted the freezer
It is still freezing up and it appears that there are only two other options that could be causing this; either the defrost thermostat in the freezer, or the 2 defrost heaters in the freezer.
I find it hard to believe that both defrost heaters would have went out at the same time, so I ordered the defrost thermostat. I should receive this part today and will install hoping this fixes my problem.

If this does not fix the problem, what else could it be other than the 2 heaters?
Note, the freezer gets cold and keeps items frozen properly

2

Here are your parts
Replacement parts for General Electric TFX22ZRXDAA Refrigerator | AppliancePartsPros.com

The problem is that if one of the heaters is burned out then the unit may not defrost properly and will freeze up over time.

You probably would have been better off getting a low cost meter and measuring them but that is water under the bridge now.

With luck it will be the defrost thermostat and you will be up and running shortly.

Once you replace the thermostat I would force a defrost cycle just to be sure that both heating elements come on.

Be sure that the defrost thermostat is frozen as it opens just above freezing.

3

Thanks for the response and guidance…i do have one other question…typically, how often does the defrost control timer initiate an automatic defrost mode?
And once in a defrost mode, how does it come out of the defrost mode? Is it on a timed sequence controlled by the defrost control timer, or does the thermostat tell the defrost control timer that defrosting is complete, thus, turning on normal operation?

4

The timer show that it defrosts every 16 hours.

It stays in defrost for 35 minutes.
The timer runs all the time and after the 35 minutes it moves to the normal cooling mode.

This does not mean that your heaters will be on for the full time as once the ice is melted off the evaporator coils the defrost thermostat opens and shuts off the heaters.

5

turns out is was the heaters, working great now…thanks for all assistance that you have provided denman.