Fresh food section not maintaining cold temp

Hello Donna;

My name is peter. I am a retired field service refrigeration technician.

You have not provided your unit model number, which is located in your fresh food section on a label, on the side wall near the top.

You only have one cooling source, and that is your freezer. Your freezer feeds your fresh food section. This is through a direct air vent.

Reach into your fresh food section where the air vent from the freezer goes into the fresh food section. Do you feel cool air? Probably not.

So, either the air vent is frozen up with ice which you can clear with a hair dryer, or you have a automatic air vent motor/ sensor assembly that is bad.

Give me more information and I will help you.

Side by Side ModelsIf foods, such as fruits and vegetables, in the refrigerator are freezing, it can be caused by several things. First, check the controls. They should be set at "C" and "5" or "5" and "5". The proper fresh food temperature is between 38 and 42 degrees Fahrenheit. The freezer should be between 0 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

• If food in the bottom of the refrigerator is freezing, this could be caused by a refrigerator not having enough food to absorb the cold air.
• If food in the door is freezing, move the door bins up or down so they are one notch away from freezer vents (Side by Side models only).
• The fresh food control should be at the normal setting of 5.

Freezer on Top Models
First, check the controls. They should be set at "C" and "5" or "5" and "5". The proper fresh food temperature is between 38 and 42 degrees Fahrenehit. The freezer should be between 0 and 8 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Since the cold air coming into the fresh food section originates in the freezer above, the rear of the top shelf will be the coldest spot in the fresh food area. Avoid placing delicate items that freeze easily on the back half of this shelf.
• If food is freezing in the produce (fruits and vegetables) or meat pan, it may be that the temperature controls are not set high enough. Since cold air naturally falls, the pans can get too cold if the refrigerator is not running long enough to maintain good air circulation. Adjust both controls up one notch.

the ptc overload on the compressor is defective,replace this and it will again cool properly

dont know model, do know temps. The fridges highest temp is 5deg c, preferably between 1 and 4, if freezer goes above minus(-)18deg c your are in danger zone, there should be a regulator control in the fridge, usually on left or right hand side near front(door)

Your problem may be with:

* the "damper control assembly", which is located in the upper left side of the fresh food compartment. This control regulates the amount of cold air originating from the freezer compartment that enters the fresh food compartment.
* there may be an issue with the "fresh food temperature control assembly"

Check the temperature settings in the fresh food compartment (should be located up front). I recommend the "one-half way mark" for both freezer and fresh food compartments.

Contact an appliance service company.

On my GE side by side (model GSS20IEMDWW), a warm fresh food side, as well as iced-over evaporator coils in the freezer, was caused by the temp sensor in the fresh food side sending faulty data to the computer.

The temp in the fresh food side would climb because air could no longer pass over the iced-up coils in the freezer side.

For me, the faulty fresh food side sensor made the computer always thing the fresh food side was too warm, making it constantly run the compressor (thus icing up the coils).

If you do not have a coil icing problem in the freezer, then your fresh food side temp sensor may be telling the computer that the fresh food side is already cold enough.

In my GE side-by-side refrigerator (model number GSS20IEMDWW), there is a motor-controlled flapper door between the freezer and fresh food side. Cold air from the freezer side cools the fresh food side when that flapper door is open.

It is located at the top of the fresh food side on the dividing wall between the fresh food side and the freezer. If this is blocked with something (large left-over container, soft drink bottles, etc), it _may_ be enough to prevent sufficient cooling of the fresh food side.

Of course, there may be a more serious problem with the flapper door mechanism or the control unit that signals the flapper door to open/close.

The vegetable and deli drawers may have a small opening (manually controlled with a wheel or a slider of some sort) that connects those drawers to the freezer side, thus explaining how those areas are still functioning as expected.

Inside the fresh food compartment look for an opening that will allow you to turn the defrost timer clockwise slowly. When you hear it click the refrigerator should go into defrost. If the timer is bad it will need replaced. Let me know. Below is a photo of timer.
Part number 6

Move the refrigerator to a room that is at least 50 degrees F.

Temps on most refrigerators are regulated by the fresh foods temp. If your garage is let's say 35 degrees, the fresh foods temp will most likely never raise enough to turn the refrigerator on. With the refrigerator never running, the freezer compartment will warm to 35 degrees, resulting in everything melting. Even if garage is a bit warmer, say 45, the refrig will not run long enough for the freezer to maintain a low enough temperture. If the garage temp falls to below freezing, say 20 degrees, the food in the fresh foods compartment will freeze. (outdoor beverage dispensers have internal heaters to prevent product from freezing !) Please don't rate this if not a Fix-Ya for you, as anything else lowers my score.

Unless specifically made for use in a garage most units won't work properly. The owners manual should say what the temp range for proper operation is (usually 55F is the low range). This is because the refrigerator section doesn't need to be "cooling" to maintain 37F if the temps on the outside are below 55F. These things are made to work in a 70F room and will not work properly if under 55F. Stupid thing thinks it's cold enough so it will never turn on, the refer section will stay cold/cool due to outside temps but since the compressor never runs the freezer will just be the same temp as the refer section (at best). Sorry, but in order for a freezer or refrigerator to work in an unheated space it must have the temp control device controling the freezer section NOT the fresh food section. In other words, that model will not work in a garage unless the temps are above 55F always.