refer/freezer cold but not cold enough

[dahnn]

Hi,

I posted a previous thread on my effort to find out what is wrong with my GE top freezer/refrigerator. It has been a week since I replaced the defrost timer and thawed the ice from the evaporator coil. Both the refrigerator and freezer are now working marginally. The temperature in the frig is bouncing between 40 and 45, and the freezer between 10 and 20 and even dipped to about 8 degrees F. During the past week the ice maker has made two rows of cubes, but evidently is not staying cold enough for ice making. In addition to replacing the defrost timer I have checked the condenser fan, the evaporator fan, the door seals, food loading (now almost empty), cleaned the condenser coils, vacuumed the condenser coil again, the temperature control, and drain tube.

My evaporator coil is two rows of coiled tube hanging horizontally at the back of the freezer. It is frosting up on the first 3/4th of the bottom coil with no build up on the remainder of the coils – is that a normal or expected frost/ice pattern, or should it be more evenly distributed? The temperature near the bottom inlet is below 0 degrees F and goes up moving away from that end. Should there be such a disparity in the temperature and frost on the coil??

The temperature control has tested OK – continuity/ low resistance when on and not when it is off. But the resistance value (0.6 ohms) along the scale does not seem to change - is this normal? I believe that over time we have had to keep turning the temperature control down, so from that perspective it is a little suspect.

Given the acceptable tests of the components, and lack of great cooling, is there anything else I can check to confirm that the sealed system is functioning correctly and charged properly?

Thanks,

Dave

[DIY Guy]

Normal freezer temp is around 15 degrees and about 40 for the fridge. So it sounds fine. If it isn't holding the temperatures then the defrost system is the usual suspect, but since you replaced the timer and checked everything else that would seem to be ruled out.

The frost on the coils is not normal. There should be little to none. Ice on the coils limits the coils to producing 32 degrees. If the evaporator fan is blowing over ice, it will not cool properly.

Ice on the coils suggests that the refrigerant pressure may be low. However, these are sealed systems that rarely need to have any gas added. If it does, only a pro can do it, and considering the cost $100-125, you might want to consider buying new.