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Refrigator not cooling properly, freezer works fine
I moved our two door GE, model TBF22DC, refrigerator (freezer top, fresh food bottom) from the kitchen to our garage last night. All worked great in the house. After 10 hours in the garage the freezer works fine, but the refrigerator section on the bottom is only slightly cool. Freezer temp initially set to slightly above middle setting and the fresh food bottom on max. Solid cold air in the freezer compartmnet, cool but not cold air in the fridge part. Tried setting the freezer at max cold, but still only a slight diference in bottom section. Cleaned colis prior to moving the fridge into the garage. Also, mositure buildup about the size of a softball on the middle outside of the cabinet ,on the left side (not near the door) of the freezer compartment. Checked all seals with a dollar bill and have tension when pulled on. ???????????
Toshiba Model GR-334ESO(W). Freezer not cooling UNLESS the 'Quick Freezing' Start button is activated. Once 'Quick Freezing' has finished (and freezer is cold/frozen) normal freezer function does not seem to work. Freezer light indicator moves from 'freezing' to 'high' (there is a 'normal' light in middle between these two). The Freezer Temp control slide indicator to control freezer function has been moved fully to the right to either setting 3 or the next one COLD. Is there a freezer sensor that needs replacing? (there is one behind a plastic cover on the back right of the freezer) OR has the electronics in the freezer door fridge control unit or other control given up?). Bottom of fridge appears to be working normally although has frozen water in a glass bottle in the door section a couple of times over the last month (refrigerator section Temp control was then reduced slightly to alleviate this). Your thoughts?Toshiba Model GR-334ESO(W). Freezer not cooling UNLESS the 'Quick Freezing' Start button is activated. Once 'Quick Freezing' has finished (and freezer is cold/frozen) normal freezer function does not seem to work. Freezer light indicator moves from 'freezing' to 'high' (there is a 'normal' light in middle between these two). The Freezer Temp control slide indicator to control freezer function has been moved fully to the right to either setting 3 or the next one COLD. Is there a freezer sensor that needs replacing? (there is one behind a plastic cover on the back right of the freezer) OR has the electronics in the freezer door fridge control unit or other control given up?). Bottom of fridge appears to be working normally although has frozen water in a glass bottle in the door section a couple of times over the last month (refrigerator section Temp control was then reduced slightly to alleviate this). Your thoughts?
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Re: Refrigator not cooling properly, freezer works fine
I'll assume you don't have much food/items in the freezer section. Because you have the fridge set on the max cooling setting and the freezer set higher than the mid setting, it could be that you have frozen the cold air passage from the freezer to the fridge.
If you can, 1) remove all contents that would spoil; 2) turn off the fridge 3) open both doors and allow the fridge to manually thaw out completely (this will speed up the opening of the cold air exchange passage between the freezer and fridge, which is likely blocked and frozen solid. Have plenty of towels handy to soak up the water from the defrosting process,
After a FULL day of being left off and doors open to thaw out, check for any further thawing and dripping water inside, if present wait another 8 hours (you really want to get it thawed out the first time!) When that's done, reset BOTH temperature controls to the factory mid-point setting (5?) as marked on your control knobs.
The key to having a refridgerator run properly is to allow for it to run at the factory settings for at least 24 hours BEFORE you adjust the controls higher and/or lower for each section. Adjust it up or down in ONLY 1 setting increments so as to not cause ice build-up and freezing of the internal air exchange passages.
Also, as you've relegated this fridge as a garage "beer & backup" unit, make sure to keep the freezer as full as possible to make it run as efficiently as possible. You can freeze jugs of water and pack it with cheap thrift store bread to help it run correctly. An empty freezer has to work harder to keep just air at freezing temps. As such, it will pass much colder air into the fridge, and cause these types of freeze ups. By the way, turning up the temp controls only makes it worse and just results in a total "freeze up" inside the cabinet panels that you can't easily see or get at to rectify, hence the reason to shut it off and let it fully defrost.
When you're done, you should have your fridge back in action working like it should, but remember, don't rush temperature adjustments, even thou we all want those frosty beverages, it'll take a couple of days to achieve the desired "chill" you're likely used to getting when it was your primary fridge.
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GE refrigerators use a board to control cooling and defrost functions. The fresh food compartment also utilizes a motorized damper, and some models even have a fresh food fan. Air enters the fresh food compartment at the top left corner, and the return air is also in the left wall down near the crispers. Both paths must be clear.
Side by Side ModelsIf foods, such as fruits and vegetables, in the refrigerator are freezing, it can be caused by several things. First, check the controls. They should be set at "C" and "5" or "5" and "5". The proper fresh food temperature is between 38 and 42 degrees Fahrenheit. The freezer should be between 0 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
If food in the bottom of the refrigerator is freezing, this could be caused by a refrigerator not having enough food to absorb the cold air.
If food in the door is freezing, move the door bins up or down so they are one notch away from freezer vents (Side by Side models only).
The fresh food control should be at the normal setting of 5.
Freezer on Top Models First, check the controls. They should be set at "C" and "5" or "5" and "5". The proper fresh food temperature is between 38 and 42 degrees Fahrenehit. The freezer should be between 0 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit.
Since the cold air coming into the fresh food section originates in the freezer above, the rear of the top shelf will be the coldest spot in the fresh food area. Avoid placing delicate items that freeze easily on the back half of this shelf.
If food is freezing in the produce (fruits and vegetables) or meat pan, it may be that the temperature controls are not set high enough. Since cold air naturally falls, the pans can get too cold if the refrigerator is not running long enough to maintain good air circulation. Adjust both controls up one notch.
Set the freezer control to Warmest.(more air will go to fresh food) Make sure the freezer fan is blowing. Check the door seals on fresh food door especially on the bottom.(may be loose letting in warm air)
The fresh food compartment is cooled by air being blown from the freezer compartment into the fresh food compartment. Something is restricting that air flow which causes your fresh food compartment to stay warm.
There is a panel, or door if you will, that separates the freezer and fresh food compartments. The freezer temp control determines how much cold air is allowed to escape into the fresh food compartment by opening or closing this panel.
If the panel is restricted from moving (stuck closed, for example), the freezer will get VERY cold while the fresh food compartment will be warm.
Try thoroughly defrosting the refrigerator. Possibly an accumulation of ice is preventing the panel from moving and/or is restricting air flow from the freezer to the fresh food compartment. It's a free fix and may solve your problem altogether.
If that doesn't help, or helps only temporarily, you may have a problem with panel itself or the linkage that connects it to the control mechanism. Unless you're skilled in appliance repair, checking and repairing these components will require the help of a service technician
This has happened in my GE side-by-side (model GSS20IEMDWW). For me,
the problem was caused by a faulty temp sensor in the fresh food side.
That sensor never signalled the computer that the temp in the fresh food side was cool enough, so the compressor ran constantly.
Since
the compressor was running constantly, the evaporator coils (back wall
of the freezer compartment) eventually iced over (took about a week).
Since the fan that draws air over the evaporator coils could no longer
move any air (due to the icing), the temperature in the fresh food side
continued to climb. (The fresh food side is chilled through a hole with
a motorized door at the top of the dividing wall, so if no air is
moving in the freezer compartment, temps in the fresh food compartment
climb.)
I replaced the temp sensor in the fresh food side and
solved the problem for a while. About six months later I had the same
problem again, so I replaced both temp sensors in the freezer
compartment - which solved the problem again. (My fridge is about seven years old.)
If
you are going to replace any of the temp sensors, replace them all
under the principle of "if one failed, the rest will soon fail too".
In my GE side-by-side refrigerator (model number GSS20IEMDWW), there is a motor-controlled flapper door between the freezer and fresh food side. Cold air from the freezer side cools the fresh food side when that flapper door is open.
It is located at the top of the fresh food side on the dividing wall between the fresh food side and the freezer. If this is blocked with something (large left-over container, soft drink bottles, etc), it _may_ be enough to prevent sufficient cooling of the fresh food side.
Of course, there may be a more serious problem with the flapper door mechanism or the control unit that signals the flapper door to open/close.
The vegetable and deli drawers may have a small opening (manually controlled with a wheel or a slider of some sort) that connects those drawers to the freezer side, thus explaining how those areas are still functioning as expected.
When the compressor is running, if the fan by the compressor and the fan inside the freezer are both running, and there is no frost on the back wall of the freezer (if there was frost would indicate a defrost issue) then check the air dampener. It is located at the very top left back side of the fresh food section. If it is not opening up, no air will flow from the freezer compartment (where all the cooling takes place) into the refrigerator section.
i would take the back freezer panel off and see what kind of frost pattern your coils have.they may be frosted over and the begining of a defrost problem.
Toshiba Model GR-334ESO(W). Freezer not cooling UNLESS the 'Quick Freezing' Start button is activated. Once 'Quick Freezing' has finished (and freezer is cold/frozen) normal freezer function does not seem to work. Freezer light indicator moves from 'freezing' to 'high' (there is a 'normal' light in middle between these two). The Freezer Temp control slide indicator to control freezer function has been moved fully to the right to either setting 3 or the next one COLD. Is there a freezer sensor that needs replacing? (there is one behind a plastic cover on the back right of the freezer) OR has the electronics in the freezer door fridge control unit or other control given up?). Bottom of fridge appears to be working normally although has frozen water in a glass bottle in the door section a couple of times over the last month (refrigerator section Temp control was then reduced slightly to alleviate this). Your thoughts?
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