GE Fridge issue, while freezer is fine

[Tim M]

Jigsaw,

Did you ever let all the ice melt off the coils?  Or take it off with a hairdryer or steamer so they weren't covered at the bottom like in your first photo here: https://postimg.cc/9r3TvnxV

Compare that photo to the one in this post:

GE refrigerator freezer section back wall keeps frosting over every few days to a couple of weeks and everything in the fridge starts warming up...

 

 

 

 

GE refrigerator freezer section back wall keeps frosting over every few days to a couple of weeks and everything in the fridge starts warming up…

[Tim M]

Wouldn't let me finish the post.  Here it is:

 

Jigsaw,

Did you ever let all the ice melt off the coils?  Or take it off with a hairdryer or steamer so they weren't covered at the bottom like in your first photo here: https://postimg.cc/9r3TvnxV

Compare that photo to the one in this post:

GE refrigerator freezer section back wall keeps frosting over every few days to a couple of weeks and everything in the fridge starts warming up...

Don't they look exactly alike?  That looks like defrost troubles to me.  Now before you go off and buy anything, test it.  The first test you may have already done.  If you melted the ice off the coils and now it works fine, that would lean you toward thinking the coils aren't being defrosted correctly.  Second test is visual which means see if those pictures look exactly alike.  Third test is to start up the defroster and see if it gets hot.  If you have the tech sheet for this, it should tell you how to enter the diagnostic mode and manually enter the defrost cycle.  Fourth test is just to look at the defroster itself and see if it looks damaged.

 

Now if you still think you have a freon leak or obstruction, which I don't but I have been wrong enough times to qualify as ignorant, have a look at these:

How to troubleshoot warm refrigerator problems by reading the evaporator frost pattern

Does Your Refrigerator have a Freon Leak?

 

Now if we are still thinking it is a defrost issue, the most likely culprit is the heater itself.  If the visual check doesn't show that, then we actually want to manually kick in the defrost cycle.  It's a pain on these computer-controlled adaptive defrost systems because there are so many different ways to do it.  Look on your tech sheet.  If it doesn't tell you, try these:

 

How to Manually Initiate the Defrost Cycle in a GE Arctica Side-by-Side Refrigerator

The Samurai Test for the Defrost Circuit in a GE Refrigerator with a Muthaboard... and the Quick Fix

How to Test the Defrost System in a GE Arctica or Profile Refrigerator

 

[J5*]

On 11/1/2018 at 11:48 AM, jigsaw said:

Currently, that's how evaporator coils are looking: https://postimg.cc/9r3TvnxV

The pics say it all 

[jigsaw]

10 hours ago, Tim M said:

Jigsaw,

Did you ever let all the ice melt off the coils?  Or take it off with a hairdryer or steamer so they weren't covered at the bottom like in your first photo here: https://postimg.cc/9r3TvnxV

Compare that photo to the one in this post:

GE refrigerator freezer section back wall keeps frosting over every few days to a couple of weeks and everything in the fridge starts warming up...

 

 

 

 

GE refrigerator freezer section back wall keeps frosting over every few days to a couple of weeks and everything in the fridge starts warming up…

Yes, I unplugged it for a few hours after emptying the freezer section and then waited and used heat gun to melt all ice from the bottom coils as well as other places.

[jigsaw]

If it happens again, I am going to test out the defrost heater because my coils were looking similar to the ones posted in the article: https://fixitnow.com/wp/2010/09/21/ge-refrigerator-freezer-section-back-wall-keeps-frosting-over-every-few-days-to-a-couple-of-weeks-and-everything-in-the-fridge-starts-warming-up/

[jigsaw]

@Tim M I truly appreciate your wisdom and help. I agree with your statement of maybe an issue with defrost heater. Because drain hole was all frozen up too — other day when I left it unplugged and used heat gun there, to open it too.

My question is, I can test it out by checking continuity on it or can it fail randomly and work other times? I thought it's like a bulb, either it works or it doesn't?

[jigsaw]

Using this video:

I tested the resistance and getting a value between 40-41 ohms, which indicates that defrost element is good so far, right?

[jigsaw]

P.S: For above test, I didn't turn the fridge off and tested using the prongs(i-e didn't remove the connectors)

[darren412]

On 11/4/2018 at 1:27 AM, J5* said:

The pics say it all 

Exactly !    not sure why you are even messing with the heater tube.  There's a sealed system problem with your fridge.  Time to uthenize it.

[jigsaw]

Thanks, I am shopping in the background for a replacement fridge, although so far current one has been working fine too.