Refrigerator issues

[red-beard]

Anyone have a problem like this?

15 year old GE Profile side by side. It now seems to "switch off". The temp in the freezer and the refrigerator slowly warm up. The freezer setting is 0 and refrigerator is 37. The Freezer will start climbing to 20 and the refrigerator will go to 60.

I thought some of the issue was door seals. Replaced those. And then it did it again. Noticed with extremely soft ice cream.

I bought a new refrigerator. But in the meantime, the old one starts working again. I had the appliance guys move the old one to my garage when they delivered the new one.

Sometime this afternoon, it quit again, only to start working again.

It had the mainboard replaced at about 4 years old. Otherwise no issues. Yes I did the Microsoft fix on it...

I'd love to salvage the old one and use it for beer. But no one wants warm beer...

[fintstone]

Check the evaporator fan.

[74-911]

James,
Our 42" side-by-side did the above early this year. Evaporator coil had iced up blocking an air return between the refrig. and freezer part. Essentially was blocking the return air from the refrigerator side from being circulated back to the evaporator coil and then back into circulation... compressor ran almost constantly as no circulation of the cold air because of the blockage.

use hair dryer to melt ice from the evap. coils and it has worked fine since then. No idea why it iced up but no problems since then ?

[Cajundaddy]

Never had this problem. If the fridge "shuts off" and quits cooling in both freezer and fridge I suspect a bad relay or possibly a compressor overheating and tripping a thermal switch. Usually once the compressor starts failing they don't get better but a bad thermal switch *might be the problem.

If it was an evap fan problem I would suspect the freezer to be fine and only the fridge getting warm.

Just a suggestion:
She is 15 yrs old, long in the tooth, and probably quite the energy hog at this point. A mini fridge keeps beer 37*F all day and uses very little electricity to get there. You can find one for about $120 new and that is what I keep stocked in the studio/man cave.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Arctic-Fresh-2-7-Cu-Ft-Compact-Refrigerator-Black/1000903390

[DanielDudley]

Originally Posted by Cajundaddy

She is 15 yrs old, long in the tooth, and probably quite the energy hog at this point. A mini fridge keeps beer 37*F all day and uses very little electricity to get there. You can find one for about $120 .

My old freezer cost as much a month to run as a new one costs in a year. I had no idea until I got rid of it and the electric bill went down.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by 74-911

James,
Our 42" side-by-side did the above early this year. Evaporator coil had iced up blocking an air return between the refrig. and freezer part. ?

+1
Either the timer that turns the defrost heaters on is not working, or the heating coils themselves are burned out.

[billybek]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

+1
Either the timer that turns the defrost heaters on is not working, or the heating coils themselves are burned out.

This and it is possible the switch that terminates defrost is defective.
I replaced mine the last time in and the heaters at the same time. Bit of a pain where a guy doesn't need an ache but it is a possibility.
If you can hear, see or smell the defrost heaters cooking it might be this.

[red-beard]

The compressor seems to not be running.

Yep, I may end up terminating this fridge.

[wdfifteen]

Originally Posted by red-beard

The compressor seems to not be running.

Yep, I may end up terminating this fridge.

The defrost timer would prevent the compressor from trying to start. But 15 years is a good run. Maybe moving on is a good idea.
My parents were given a CoOp refrigerator as a gift when I was born in 1950. They bought a new fridge in about 1975 and gave the CoOp to our friend to keep bait in. Last I heard, in about 1990, it was still going.

[red-beard]

We have a secondary fridge. Cheap, white, with old style analog controls. Never skipped a beat.

The replacement looks almost identical. But it is definitely cheaper inside. I may see if some of the shelves will transfer.