Ge Profile Side-by-side: Issue Staying Cold

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
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1

I just started having an issue with my 7-year old GE Side-by-Side this past weekend. I noticed when I opened it that the temperature was reading 44 on the Fridge and 11 on the Freezer. I unplugged the unit for about an hour, dusted and cleaned the condenser/compressor/etc, and plugged it back in. Immediately I heard the compressor and fan start. Left it alone for about an hour and noticed that temps dropped to 38/4. Waited about three more hours and saw the temp raised to 42/8 and gradually kept climbing. At this point, I felt the compressor and it was warm but didn’t seem to be on. (was no humming or vibration) After I opened/shut the freezer door, I heard the compressor kick back on, but the fan came on and seemed to be running much slower. Tried the unplug/re-plug method several times and the same thing happened (gets cold for a couple hours then starts getting warm again). I looked at the main control board, and didn’t see any burn marks or bad solder joints on the reverse side. I also tried running the diagnostics tests from the main temp controls and received "P"'s for all pass/fail tests, and I did a reset (which I think was 1/6). I haven’t taken the inside panels off to see the coils yet, but may try if someone can tell me what to look for or how to troubleshoot (I assume anything I see on the coils would indicate a sealed system leak?). I assume the compressor and inverter are OK since it does kick on, vibrates and gets warm. Any other ideas before I call for a service repair?

3

One more thing. All fans appear to be working correctly and kick on when the fridge/freezer doors are shut.

4

Does the compressor stop vibrating when the fridg fails?

5

Hi Richappy - I notice it stops vibrating after an hour to two. However, when I open the freezer door and shut it, I hear it and feel it kick back on and start to vibrate. When this happens, the compressor fan seems to run much slower though.

6

I would call a certified GE repair person on this problem, he/she will have access to factory advice as these are hard to diagnose with a inverter board.