GE refrigerator freezing food – How to check the damper and thermistors in a GE refrigerator

If your GE refrigerator is freezing food in the fresh food compartment (also called the “beer section”), then the two prime suspects are 1) the damper and 2) the thermistors (in that order).

The damper is the air port that lets cold air in from the freezer section to chill the beer section. You can see a diagram of the damper and troubleshooting flowchart on this page for most side by side units ==> http://fixitnow.com/wp/2010/01/17/ge-profile-pss25-refrigerator-freezing-everything-in-the-fresh-food-compartment-regardless-of-temperature-setting-and-the-water-dispenser-quit-working-too/

A common problem with the GE refrigerator dampers is that the flapper will freeze in the open position or break off from the motor. You can check this visually by disassembling enough inside the beer section to get some eyeballs on the damper. Or you can actuate the damper in diagnostic mode and listen for it to open and close.

If your damper flapper is broken, you can buy the replacement damper and fan assembly with a 365-day return policy here:

Upper-line GE side by side refrigerators ==> http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Damper-and-Fan-Assembly/WR49X10091/1055112?RCAID=24038

Lower-end GE side by side refrigerators ==> http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Damper-Control-Assembly/WR09X10050/879153?RCAID=24038

Depending on whether or not your unit has the Custom Cool feature, your GE refrigerator will have four or five thermistors. This page shows the locations of them ==> http://fixitnow.com/wp/2010/06/30/ge-profile-and-arctica-refrigerators-upgraded-thermistors/

And you can buy the replacement thermistors with a 365-day return policy here ==> http://www.repairclinic.com/PartDetail/Thermistor/WR55X10025/914093?RCAID=24038

This article has detailed instructions and tips for checking the thermistors, download and share with your friends! 8)

http://fixitnow.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/GERefrigeratorAppliantologyDampersandThermistors.pdf

If you do need to replace the thermistors, this page has illustrated instructions for how to do it correctly ==> http://appliantology.org/blog/1/entry-337-how-to-properly-replace-the-thermistors-in-a-refrigerator-an-illustrated-and-annotated-guide/


 

One thought on “GE refrigerator freezing food – How to check the damper and thermistors in a GE refrigerator

  1. rcwanca

    I got my replacement damper & thermistor assembly today and I noticed a difference in the original and replacement parts. On the replacement part the thermistor is connected to the new assembly’s wire harness, but on the original the thermistor it doesn’t (it goes up into the beer section ceiling). So when I replaced the assembly, I now have 2 thermistors. Does the new one bypass the original?

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