Fridge too cold - Already replaced thermostat
To
then (3 yrs) it has always run too cold no matter what setting. I finally
decided to go ahead and replace the thermostat. Still no change. Doing some
more tests I find the following:
- the compressor does cycle - have not calculated the on/off times however.
- while the compressor is running the thermostat has to be turned down all the
way to OFF in order for it to stop.
- after the compressor has done its ON cycle and has just turned off, it will
turn on again only if I raise the thermostat all the way to "9". I immediately
turned it back to OFF, wait 3 mins, turn up to "5" to make it turn on again. I
repeat this 3 mins later and it turns on at "1".
Also, if I let the fridge do its cycle, as soon as the compressor turns on, I
go and check that the "turn on" temp is just above "OFF".
I suspected that something was warming up the sensor while the compressor was
off, so I removed the bracket holding the sensor in the fridge compartment and
let it dangle in free air. Still no change.
Also light bulb turns off when the door is closed.
I normally keep the thermostat at its lowest setting , just a bit higher than
"OFF". I "think" this keeps the fridge a little warmer thatn say a "5"
setting, but its still way too cold (water freezes slightly).
The freezer setting is set to keep the freezer coldest possible (air damper
closed).
Help please!!
Rick
adjustment? Refrigerator thermostats are not precision devices and have a
wide delta, also you may be running into defrost cycles (turns off the whole
unit for a time) that are throwing your observations off. It is tricky
business. You need a good thermostat to begin with.
I printed the following from a now- defunct website and taped it to inside
my cabinet door near the fridge.
Refrigerator Thermostat
The operating thermostat is the refrigerator temperature control which is
always at the top and back of
the refrigerator section. The compressor and fans run until the refrigerator
thermostat is satisfied. If
the freezer air diverter is set for a warmer freezer, the most air flows
down to the refrigerator and
satisfies the thermostat. If the freezer control is set for a colder
freezer, only a trickle of cold air will
be diverted to the refrigerator section where the thermostat is and the
compressor will run a long time
before enough cold air reaches the thermostat to satisfy it. In the
meantime, the freezer section will be
going way below zero before the compressor shuts off
• Balancing the Controls
The goal is to balance the freezer and refrigerator controls until the
proper temperature range is
reached in both sections. Most manufacturers recommend midrange settings for
both controls. To
precisely balance the temperatures, put an outdoor thermometer on the front
of the top shelf in the
refrigerator section. Adjust the thermostat (refrigerator control) until the
temperature stabilizes
between 45 and 55 degrees F. Now put the thermometer in the freezer and make
sure the temperature
is less than 10 degrees F. You are wasting energy if you keep the freezer
less than 10 degrees below
zero. Adjust the freezer control for a freezer temperature between 0 and 10
degrees F. Remember that
the colder you set the freezer control, the longer the compressor will run
until the refrigerator
thermostat is satisfied.
Hope this helps,
Rick
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Edwin Pawlowski
Since
> then (3 yrs) it has always run too cold no matter what setting.
Maybe that is why you found an almost brand new fridge for sale. GE is not
the best quality brand and you probably paid more in excess energy use than
the cost of a better brand fridge. Look at Amana, Kitchen Aid or
Whirlpool.
Ed
e...@snet.net
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
HACRat
damper
> closed).
That may have an effect on the refrig temps. Any adjustment made to either
control will affect both sides of the unit. All of the "cool" is made in the
freezer and is blown into the refrig by way of that damper. If the damper is
closed, it will take longer for the thermostat (located in the refrig area)
to sense that it is 'cold' and to shut down. Try opening the damper to
midway and measure with a digital thermometer after 24 hrs. Adjust the
thermostat accordingly.
(PS: Before youse HVAC guys hammer me, yeah, I know, I know...you can't move
'cool'....but it's easier to explain it that way because that's what the
customer feels.)
Dan O.
>> The freezer setting is set to keep the freezer coldest possible (air
>> damper closed).
>
>
>That may have an effect on the refrig temps. Any adjustment made to either
>control will affect both sides of the unit. All of the "cool" is made in
the
>freezer and is blown into the refrig by way of that damper. If the damper
is
>closed, it will take longer for the thermostat (located in the refrig area)
>to sense that it is 'cold' and to shut down. Try opening the damper to
>midway and measure with a digital thermometer after 24 hrs. Adjust the
>thermostat accordingly.
I agree. Also, you should not be going by air temperature in the fridge
compartment but food temperature. Place a container of water on a middle
shelf and test its temperature. This should be done after 12 hours of the
control(s) being turned to a new setting. After each adjustment, you have to
wait again.
>> I suspected that something was warming up the sensor while the
>> compressor was off, so I removed the bracket holding the sensor
>> in the fridge compartment and let it dangle in free air.
The thermostat's sensor bulb must be in the air flow. Be sure to put it back
where it's suppose to go or you'll never get the fridge operating properly.
Also, make sure the damper control is doing something and has not just
fallen off.
Dan O.
-
Appliance411.com
http://ng.Appliance411.com/?ref411=ge+fridge
=Ð~~~~~~
To
know....
To
Well your advice has helped. I now have the freezer set at mid range (3) and
the fridge at low range (1). Freezer is just cold enought to keep bread
frozen, but the fridge is still too cold (although water no longer freezes).
I disagree with the way this thing is designed. I should be able to use
coldest (5) on the freezer if I want to. Why design a fridge where you
can select 5 but don't expect it to work correctly?
Guess I'm stuck with this GE design (or do all fridges work this way?)
Why doesn't the thermostat work like a room thermostat (with a bit of
hysteresis) where it measures ambient temperature of the fridge instead of
relying on freezing air blowing on it from the freezer section to trigger it?
applianceguy
the fresh food section to cool it. Top freezer models usually use gravity,
side-by-side models use fans more often than not. Our experience with GE
refrigerators has been good. We sell almost every brand but GE sells at
almost 2X the other brands. GE has also offered special warranty coverage
when they have discovered a manufacturing defect. An example is the "energy
efficient" models introduced by everyone 10-15 years ago after the
government mandated lower energy use. Almost everyone switched to rotary
compressors which failed a lot sooner than they should have. GE was the
only vendor to cover these an additional 5 years after the original warranty
expired.
We do carry a model that has totally seperate controls for each section. In
fact, it has 2 totally seperate systems. The fresh food side is sealed from
the freezer and each side has it's own compressor and thermostat. The brand
is SubZero. They are not cheap, but they are the last fridge you'll need to
buy. They last almost forever and can be repaired when needed. They are
usually around $4k or so...
Paul
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Dan O.
To wrote in message ...
>
>Well your advice has helped. I now have the freezer set at mid range (3)
and
>the fridge at low range (1). Freezer is just cold enought to keep bread
>frozen, but the fridge is still too cold (although water no longer
freezes).
>I disagree with the way this thing is designed. I should be able to use
>coldest (5) on the freezer if I want to.
Check with a local G.E. authorized service depot and ask if there's been any
service memos about your fridge model. I know some refrigerators (of
different brands) required a 'make shift' modification to reduce the size of
the air ducts between the fridge and freezer.
>Why doesn't the thermostat work like a room thermostat (with a bit of
>hysteresis) where it measures ambient temperature of the fridge instead of
>relying on freezing air blowing on it from the freezer section to trigger
it?
It depends on the design of the model. Some refrigerator's thermostats sense
the actual temperature of the fridge interior wall, others are mounted in
the freezer compartment and sense the freezer air temperature there.
Sensing the ambient air temperature is not a good idea because within the
first 30 seconds of the door being opened, the internal temperature jumps to
room temperature but the food actually takes longer to need cooling.