Have you noticed that your GE refrigerator’s noisy or has started making strange loud sounds recently?  Use these three troubleshooting steps to help you locate the faulty part or parts so you can fix or replace them to make your refrigerator run smooth and quietly again.

WARNING – If you are attempting to repair any refrigerator yourself, be aware that you are working with potentially dangerous electrical currents that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Always remove the electrical power source from the appliance before you ever begin working on it.  If you are attempting to repair any household gas appliances yourself, always be sure to turn off the gas that is designated to the appliance before you ever begin to repair it.  Be aware that refrigerators have extremely sharp edges and moving parts that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Be aware that there are many other dangers and precautions involved with a refrigerator repair besides those listed above.  We strongly suggest that you please read our DISCLAIMER before any further actions are taken or proceeding any further.  Think safety first!

GE Refrigerator Help

Step – (1.) Evaporator Fan Motor

The evaporator fan motor is located inside the back wall of the freezer compartment on a refrigerator.  If you notice that the noise gets louder when you open either the freezer or the refrigerator door, this is usually due to an issue with the evaporator fan motor.  You will need to inspect the evaporator motor and fan to determine if the issue is with the motor, the fan blades or both.  Perhaps the blades on the fan are just hitting some sort of debris or an obstruction that will need to be removed to solve the issue or the motor could be on its last leg and making squealing or chirping noises, a sure indication the motor is worn out and will need to be replaced to solve the problem.

Step – (2.) Condenser Fan Motor

If the noise is coming from the bottom portion of the refrigerator, the condenser fan could be the reason your refrigerator is noisy.  The condenser fan motor is located in the very bottom part of the refrigerator behind the access panel on the back side of the fridge.  It is used to draw cool air through the bottom front grill, it circulates the air around the compressor and through the condenser coils, then moves the hot air out into the room.  It also aids in evaporating water from the drain pan, located beneath the fridge.  Remove the kickplate from the bottom of the refrigerator and clean it if needed, then inspect the condenser coils for dust buildup, if there is buildup present, it will need to be removed.  You can remove the dust using a vacuum hose and small attachment or a long narrow refrigerator coil brush.  The brush can usually be purchased fairly cheap online or at one of the bigger name hardware stores.  You will need to be careful while removing the dust, not to loosen any of the electrical wire connections or electrical components on the compressor or damage the condenser motors fan blades while cleaning the dust off of them.  This cleaning should really be a refrigerator maintenance that is performed at least once a year if you have pets that shed in the house or live in a dusty environment.

Step – (3.) Evaporator Drip Pan

The noisy problem could be the refrigerator drip pan.  The drip or drain pan is located at the very bottom of the refrigerator, behind the bottom front grill.  If the refrigerator has been moved from one location to another, it may have jarred the drip pain into an awkward position.  If you have removed the drip pan recently for one reason or another, it may not have been reinstalled correctly, this can cause the plastic drip pan to vibrate against other refrigerator parts.  You will need to remove the refrigerator’s bottom grill or kickplate to verify if the drip pan is in the correct position or not.

Troubleshooting a GE refrigerator that’s noisy – (video)

If your GE refrigerator’s getting too cold and freezing the fresh foods, use the following troubleshooting steps to help you locate and repair the problem.  The fix might be as easy as turning two knobs to adjust the temperature setting to get your fridge at the appropriate temperature again.

WARNING – If you are attempting to repair any refrigerator yourself, be aware that you are working with potentially dangerous electrical currents that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Always remove the electrical power source from the appliance before you ever begin working on it.  If you are attempting to repair any household gas appliances yourself, always be sure to turn off the gas that is designated to the appliance before you ever begin to repair it.  Be aware that refrigerators have extremely sharp edges and moving parts that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Be aware that there are many other dangers and precautions involved in refrigerator repair besides those listed above.  We strongly suggest that you please read our DISCLAIMER before any further actions are taken or proceeding any further.  Think safety first!

GE Refrigerator

Freezing Food

Step – (1.) Air Damper Control

If your GE refrigerator’s getting way too cold, you might have noticed some items in the refrigerator compartment are frozen.  The air damper control, also known as the air inlet damper, air baffle or diffuser is used to balance the cold air flow from the evaporator housing to the refrigerator’s fresh food holding section, on most models.  The inlet damper is made of plastic, with louvers like window blinds and is usually located on the interior wall of the fresh food compartment toward the bottom of the fridge.  The control knob for the damper is located next to the fridge’s cold control knob.  It might have freezer printed above or below it, it will be the knob (without) the off-position option.  Is the knob set on too cold of a position?  If so, move the knob a little bit to the warmer position.  You should be able to open and close the damper by adjusting the damper control knob.  If the damper diffuser is broken it will let too much cold air into the refrigerator, freezing the fresh food.  The optimum temperature inside of a refrigerator for safe food storage is between 34 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.   If the temperature is any colder than 34 degrees F food will start to freeze, if the temperature is any warmer than 40 degrees F the food will start to spoil.  You will need a refrigerator thermometer to adjust and set the fridges temperature correctly.  You can purchase a refrigerator thermometer fairly cheap from almost any hardware store.  The factory suggests that the air inlet damper knobs indicator dial be set at the mid-range, straight up 12 o’clock position.

Step – (2.) Cold Control or Temperature Control

You will need to check the cold control knob or dial located in the refrigerator cabinet, is it set at too cold of a position?  If so, try turning the dial to a warmer position.  Service Note – The refrigerator cold control dial should only be turned about 1/8 of a turn in a 24-hour period.  You will need a refrigerator thermometer to adjust and set the refrigerator’s temperature correctly.  You can purchase a refrigerator thermometer reasonably cheap from almost any hardware store.  The factory suggested setting for the temperature control is mid-range, this means that the indicator on the knob should point in the 12 o’clock position.  The optimum temperature inside of a refrigerator should be between 34 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit for safe food storage.   If the temperature is any colder than 34 degrees F food will freeze, any warmer than 40 degrees F food will start to spoil quickly.  Adjust the cold control knob 1/8 of a turn every 24 hours and take notes of how much colder the fridge has become and repeat the process until you hit the optimum temperature range, between 34- and 40-degrees Fahrenheit.

Step – (3.) Thermistor Or Temperature Sensor

If your GE refrigerator is equipped with an electronic control board the temperature is going to be controlled by a thermistor.  This part is usually located near the fridge’s air inlet, the thermistor senses the temperature and relays it back to the refrigerator’s electronic control board.  The control board will then monitor the temperature and will make the necessary adjustments to the cold air inlet damper as they are needed.  The temperature sensor could be faulty if it’s too cold in the fridge compartment.

Step – (4.) Refrigerator Main Control Board

A faulty main control board could be the reason why the refrigerator is too cold.  The control board is used to control a number of a refrigerator’s parts and functions.  The control board is a very difficult part to test.  You can visually inspect the fridge’s control board for burnt spots, melted relays, solder joints or any other obvious signs of electrical damage and replace the board if you see any of the mentioned damage.  Electronic control boards aren’t cheap, some control boards can be pretty pricy.  Only after troubleshooting all of the other refrigerator’s components that could be at fault for the reason your refrigerator is getting too cold, should you suspect the electronic control board to be the main culprit.

Troubleshooting a GE refrigerator that’s too cold – (video)

If your GE refrigerator is not getting cold or cold enough, follow these nine troubleshooting steps to help you isolate and fix the problem, to get your refrigerator cold and functioning properly again.

WARNING – If you are attempting to repair any refrigerator yourself, be aware that you are working with potentially dangerous electrical currents that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Always remove the electrical power source from the appliance before you ever begin working on it.  If you are attempting to repair any household gas appliances yourself, always be sure to turn off the gas that is designated to the appliance before you ever begin to repair it.  Be aware that refrigerators have extremely sharp edges and moving parts that can cause serious bodily injury or death.  Be aware that there are many other dangers and precautions involved in refrigerator repair besides those listed above.  We strongly suggest that you please read our DISCLAIMER before any further actions are taken or proceeding any further.  Think safety first!

GE Refrigerator Help

Step-1. Dirty Or Clogged Condenser Coils

The condenser coils are located under the refrigerator, behind the kickplate/grill at the very bottom of the fridge.  If the condenser coils become clogged with dust and pet hair etcetera, there won’t be sufficient air flow being moved by the condenser fan across the coils.  If the coils can’t release the heat, the refrigerator will strain to stay cool.  You can remove the kickplate from the bottom of the refrigerator and clean it if it is needed, then inspect the condenser coils for dust buildup, if there is buildup present, it will need to be removed.  You can remove the dust using a vacuum hose and small attachment or a long narrow refrigerator coil brush, which can be purchased fairly cheap from your larger hardware stores.  You will need to be careful not to damage any of the electrical wires or components on the compressor or damage the condenser motors fan blades.  This should really be done at least once a year if you have pets that shed in the house or live in a dusty environment.

Step-2. Evaporator Fan Motor

The evaporator fan motor is used in side-by-side refrigerators and refrigerators with a top or bottom freezer to circulate air over the evaporator coils which converts heat from the coils into cold air that is then circulated throughout the refrigerator from the spinning fan blade.  The evaporator fan motor is located in the back of the freezer compartment on a refrigerator.  The most common symptoms of a faulty evaporator fan motor are, the refrigerator is warm, the refrigerator is noisy, the freezer compartment is too warm, or both the fridge and freezer are too warm.

Step-3. Condenser Fan Motor

The condenser fan motor is located in the very bottom part of the refrigerator behind the access panel on the back side of the fridge.  It is used to draw cool air through the front grill and circulate the air around the compressor and through the condenser coils, then moving the hot air out into the room.  It also aids in evaporating water from the drain pan beneath the fridge.  Some typical symptoms of a bad condenser fan motor are, the refrigerator is warm, the fan turns slower than normal, the compressor is noisy or the freezer is warm.

Step-4. Temperature Control or Cold Control

Check the cold control knob/dial located in the refrigerator section, is it set at too warm of a position?  If so, this will not allow the fridge to operate often enough to stay cold, try turning the dial to a colder position.  Note – The refrigerator cold control dial should only be turned about 1/8 of a turn in a 24-hour period, you will need a refrigerator thermometer to adjust and set the refrigerators temperature correctly. You can purchase a refrigerator thermometer fairly cheap from almost any hardware store.  The factory suggests the cold control knobs indicator dial be set at the mid-range, 12 o’clock position.  The optimum temperature inside of a refrigerator for safe food storage is between 34 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit.   If the temperature is any colder than 34 degrees F food will freeze, any warmer than 40 degrees F food will start to spoil quickly.  Adjust the cold control knob 1/8 of a turn every 24 hours, and take notes of how much colder the fridge has become and repeat the process until you hit the optimum temperature range, between 34 degrees F and 40 degrees F.

Step-5. Overloading The Fridge

If the refrigerator shelves have been overloaded with food, sometimes this can block the normal cold air flow into the fridge’s cabinet from the air inlet damper, thus not allowing the cold air to circulate into the refrigerator section.  Overstocking the shelves can also disrupt the refrigerators air flow system, not allowing the cool air to circulate properly the way the refrigerator was designed to do.

Step-6. Refrigerator Door Gasket

The refrigerator may be warm caused by a faulty door gasket.  If the refrigerators door gasket is not making a proper seal between the fridge’s door and the console, this will let the cold air escape and the room temperature air to enter.  Visually inspect around the door and make sure that the gasket is sealed correctly into position and does not have any folds, creases or gaps anywhere.  This usually happens around the corners of the door gasket.  If the gasket is damaged, it will need to be replaced to solve the problem.

Step-7. Door Light Switch

The door switches operate the lights in both the refrigerator and freezers food compartments, the light switch also operates the evaporator fan motor in the freezer section.  When the refrigerator door is open, this releases the switch to the off position and the evaporator fan shuts off.  If the light switch has failed, the evaporator fan won’t be able to circulate the cold air into the refrigerator cabinet.  Test the light switch for continuity using an analog multimeter or a digital meter.  if the switch has continuity, it is good, if the test shows that it does not have continuity, it is faulty, and the switch will need to be replaced.

Step-8. Light Stays On

If the refrigerators interior light stays on, this can cause the refrigerator to be warm.  You can test the light switch for continuity using a digital or analog multimeter, if the test shows the switch has continuity, it is good.  If the test shows no continuity, the switch is faulty and will need to be replaced.

Step-9. Excessive Use

If the refrigerator is being used more often than normal, repeated door openings in a short amount of time will cause the temperature in the fridge to rise temporarily, then cool back down to normal operating temperature the longer the refrigerator door stays shut.

Troubleshooting a GE refrigerator that won’t get cold – (video)