GE Side by Side Refrigerator Variable Fan Speed

[Henry1]

Hello Jeff: You've helped before for which I'm grateful and now I've got another question for you. My GE refrigerator/freezer model #: GSL25JFPH BS (less than two years old) has recently started going into prolonged periods of variable fan speeds. By this I mean that the fan in the freezer compartment goes from high to low rpms constantly on about a 1 second interval as if someone had it on a rheostat and was just turing the knob back and forth. This appliance seems to be working fine otherwise...temperature seems to be regulating ok, but this back and forth fan speed is really starting to get on my nerves! I mean you can hear this when it starts and it just goes on like this for hours. It may not do it for a day or two at a time, but when it does it goes on until it decides to stop. I tried unplugging it for 5 or 10 minutes and then plugging it back in just to see if I could get it to stop...and it does for up to several hours, but later in the day it starts again. Several questions...what the heck is going on? Is this an early indication of pending failure? Does it likely have anything to do with that circuit board mounted under a separate access cover on the back on the unit? (I sure hope not!) I have attempted to clean any accumulated dust from the coils, but I can't seem to find them. In any case, I removed the lower metal cover on the rear of the unit and vacuumed all the accessable dust/lint I could find including that which had accumulated on a circular cage-like component next to the compressor...which doesn't seem to have helped with this issue. I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thank you!

[jeff1]

Hi,

My GE refrigerator/freezer has recently started going into prolonged periods of variable fan speeds. By this I mean that the fan in the freezer compartment goes from high to low rpms constantly on about a 1 second interval

I have heard of some of these doing this but haven't ran into it myself.

Loose fan blade ( spinning on the motor shaft ), loose wire plug for the motor, bad motor, bad mother board are common trouble makers....have heard of a few motors that have gone sour taking out part of that mother board at the same time

Sorry can't help more.

jeff.

[Henry1]

Jeff: I appreciate your thoughts. I wish the cause was more obvious, but I guess it could be any of those things you listed. I'm not sure what to do next, but may try to get in there and look for a loose wire. If it isn't something easy to spot like that and since it's intermittent, I guess I may have to just wait (and put up with it!) intil it fails completely. Thanks again!

[Guest]

I guess I may have to just wait (and put up with it!) until it fails completely.

I wouldn't suggest that as Jeff said, "have heard of a few motors that have gone sour taking out [the] mother board (aka main circuit board)" (ie. $$$ unless it is covered by a warranty).

It might be prudent to try exhaustively to find the problem now so there's no chance of possibly causing more extensive (and expensive) damage when it finally does fail!

JMO

Dan O.
[url=http://www.appliance411.com/parts/?ref411=GE+Fridge]www.Appliance411.com
The Appliance Information Site[/url]
=D~~~~~~

[jeff1]

I'm not sure what to do next, but may try to get in there and look for a loose wire.

Check the easy stuff first!

Heard a bottom freezer GE today change the fan speed....it went high speed when the compressor was running and switch to a slower speed when the freezer temp was ok but the fresh food section still needed some cooling....judging from the diagram on this unit, the board did this change of speeds.
I also did some reading and found that the evaporator thermistor also helps to control the evaporator fan motor.

This is a little older than yours...but may help...
http://appliancehelp.hypermart.net/xmb_ge_arctica_sxs.pdf

jeff.

[Henry1]

Jeff: Thanks for the schematic. My unit is very similar and now I know that what I removed the dust and lint from was the "jelly roll" condensor. I found the evaporator coils in the freezer compartment behind a panel just as it's shown in the schematic. So anyway, I did get in there yesterday and pulled the panels off and the only obvious thing I found was a loose wire just hanging in the open behind the plastic cover over the light bulb in the freezer compartment. This is also very close to the fan. I believe it was either a green and yellow striped or green and white stripped wire. In either case I don't see a color code like that in the schematic you've provided. This wire has a connector on the end like it's supposed to go somewhere, but I don't see any obvious place to put it. I don't know if this would have any bearing on the variable speed problem and may have been there all along.

My gut feeling is that this is a microprocessor issue. From what I read in the info link you've provided, the function of this circuit board is to control the fan speeds for optimum efficiency and I think this is most likely the source of the problem. One of the reasons I think this is that as well as the high/low speed sequence I also get lots of other intermediate speeds and transitions over short periods of time...it's very much like the thing has lost it's electronic mind.

Questions: Do you know what the cost of a new circuit board would be and is it simply a matter of pulling the old one out and plugging the new one in? If I call for a service tech to come out and look at my unit would they in your opinion be able to diagnose a problem with the circuit board? If this is a several hundred $ board I'd like to know for sure that's the problem! Thanks

[jeff1]

I believe it was either a green and yellow striped or green and white stripped wire.

Sounds like a ground wire?

Do you know what the cost of a new circuit board would be and is it simply a matter of pulling the old one out and plugging the new one in?

Yes - BOARD ASM MAIN CONTROL WR55X10335 $113.00 and yes.

If I call for a service tech to come out and look at my unit would they in your opinion be able to diagnose a problem with the circuit board?

Probably not.

A GE authorized depot may be able to contact tech support and ask while at your home.

jeff.

[Henry1]

Jeff: It took me awhile to actually get around to actually doing something about this issue, but the noise finally got to me. I installed a new replacement board yesterday afternoon and had no problems as far as I know. The little plastic board keepers were interesting and it took me a minute or two to figure out how to release the board after removing the wire harnesses. So, anyway, here I am with a new board in place and the wierd fan speed issue seems to have gone away. The refrigerator is running and making ice and everything seems to be fine EXCEPT that now the compressor and fan run constantly. As far as I can tell the unit has yet to cycle off. I can make it go off by turning the thermostat knob down to 1 or 0, but otherwise it just keeps going. What's up with this? Could I have a bad board? Surely it shouldn't take this long to recover...at this point nearly 24 hours! I only had the unit unplugged for about 45 minutes while I was doing the change out and the door was closed the whole time. Thanks again.

[jeff1]

seems to be fine EXCEPT that now the compressor and fan run constantly. As far as I can tell the unit has yet to cycle off. I can make it go off by turning the thermostat knob down to 1 or 0, but otherwise it just keeps going.

On and off together is definetly more normal

After any repair the refrigerator normally needs 4-6 hours to get right back to temp normally and needs 24 hours before getting back into it's on and off routine.

Let it run and monitor for a day or two.

jeff.

[Henry1]

Jeff: Success! Shortly after sending the last email, the refrigerator cycled off for the first time, and as you said it took about 24 hours. It's been running fine since then with no unusual noise from the fan and now I wish I'd taken care of this a couple of months ago! This is the second appliance I'm had with control board failure and I'm beginning to wonder if we weren't better off before they started adding these things. Seems like a refrigerator out to be either on or off and you don't need a circuit board with microprocessors for that. I purposely bought a stove without electronics and I figure that's just one less thing to fail. Anyway, thanks again for your help!

[jeff1]

I purposely bought a stove without electronics and I figure that's just one less thing to fail

So true

Thankx for the update!

jeff.

[jdavi145]

I have been suggesting to my customers that they use a surge/lightning protector on their Refrigerators that have the electronic PC boards. The ones I sell are about $30 and are 2680 joules rated. I just wish someone would come up with one for the stoves, i.e.: 220V. We are in a lightning belt with topsoil having an iron strata that just sucks the lightning to our tall pine trees. A surge suppressor is cheap extra insurance for these expensive PC boards.
Also may I suggest that when replacing the PC boards that static procedures are adhered to. A wrong placement of a finger can destroy the new board and may not show up for several months.
Anyway it’s my 2 cents worth - John D.

[Roger C]

I have a GE side-by-side refrig model GSL25IFRF BS that emits a howling sound that varies pitch in sync with a periodic variation in the speed of a fan. The period is about 3 seconds. This problem just started in this refrigerator, which is 18 months old. An authorized GE service repairman says the problem is the evaporator fan and possibly the control board. According to the repairman, this problem has been occuring frequently with electronic GE refrigerators. Is GE taking financial responsibility for repairing what seems to be an endemic problem?

[jeff1]

You will have to ask GE themselves to see if they have any updates or such that will cover for you....but don't hold your breathe.

http://www.applianceaid.com/news.html News, court settlements and recalls.

jeff.

[staleyjj]

I also have a GE refrigerator/freezer model #: GSL25JFPH BS and was experiencing the howling/evap fan changing speeds problem. My wife finally said to fix it or she was leaving. I ordered a new main circuit board (~$85), replaced it (10 minute job), and problem was solved. The hardest part was that I had to clean behind the refrigerator while it was out. Thanks for the good advice.