When is it time to toss away a refrigerator? My 9 year old
side-by-side GE 21 cf was doing fine, then all of a sudden it began to
fail. Not completely (yet).

Right now the freezer section works as follows: 22 degrees at the
bottom and 32 degrees at the top. (I don't know why the discrepancy.)
The non-freezer section maintains a 52 degree temp. These are when set
at max cold.

The fins are dust-free. I've turned the controls on and off several
times.

Is it worth calling in a repairman? I figure that the worst problem I
could have is a bad compressor. So what might that cost? Is it
cost-effective to repair or should I just go get a new one? The
original was $900 at the time. I can get an equivalent today for
around $700.

This brings up another issue...finding an honest repairman. I recall
seeing a TV consumer special about how unscrupulous some are.

Thanks.



_________________________________

"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin for thy stomach's sake." -- 1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted)

"Joe-46er" wrote in message

Right now the freezer section works as follows: 22 degrees at the
bottom and 32 degrees at the top. (I don't know why the discrepancy.)
The non-freezer section maintains a 52 degree temp. These are when set
at max cold.

Check to see if the evaporator fan is working It circulates the air and if
it stops, the freezer is OK but the fridge section warms up. If that is the
problems, it can be a PITA to get to, but otherwise reasonable cost and not
overly difficult to replace.


check out www.repairclinic.com for some information also.


Is it worth calling in a repairman? I figure that the worst problem I
could have is a bad compressor. So what might that cost? Is it
cost-effective to repair or should I just go get a new one? The
original was $900 at the time. I can get an equivalent today for
around $700.

If it is the compressor (and I doubt it) buy a new one, but chances are, you
can have it fixed for $100 or so.


This brings up another issue...finding an honest repairman. I recall
seeing a TV consumer special about how unscrupulous some are.

Most often, the local dealer has fairly competent repair people on staff.
Some independents are great, others, shoddy. Ask a neighbor if they had any
repairs for a reference.

Joe-46er wrote in message . ..

Hi,

When is it time to toss away a refrigerator?

When the cost of repair is more than 50% of the cost to replace the
item.

My 9 year old
side-by-side GE 21 cf was doing fine, then all of a sudden it began to
fail. Not completely (yet).

Some common things to check for...
http://www.applianceaid.com/frig_notcold.html

Right now the freezer section works as follows: 22 degrees at the
bottom and 32 degrees at the top. (I don't know why the discrepancy.)
The non-freezer section maintains a 52 degree temp. These are when set
at max cold.

Put the controls back on a mid point setting.

The fins are dust-free. I've turned the controls on and off several
times.

Have you tried an over night defrosting?

Is it worth calling in a repairman?

If the rest of the refrigerator ( gaskets, plastic panals/parts ) is
still in good shape, for sure call!

I figure that the worst problem I
could have is a bad compressor. So what might that cost?

Approx 350-400 to replace a compressor.

Is it
cost-effective to repair or should I just go get a new one? The
original was $900 at the time. I can get an equivalent today for
around $700.

Depends on what is wrong and what is required to correct the problem.

This brings up another issue...finding an honest repairman. I recall
seeing a TV consumer special about how unscrupulous some are.

Ask some nieghbours/friends/relatives who they use.

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/

Well guess what. I pulled off the panel inside the freezer section and
what do I find but a block of ice covering all the coils. Aha I think,
the defroster has gone bad and I'm not about to tackle repairing it.
So I set up a hairdryer to melt the ice before the guy comes over.

An hour later the repairman comes over. My suspicions are answered as
he says that the heater bars and control mechanism are bad and need to
be replaced. (He showed me the bars, they 're make of glass and look
busted.) This he does, but guess what... it doesn't fix the problem.
The defroster section still doesn't work.

So he says I should not have melted the ice, that the believes the
hairdryer damaged the aluminum coils. He says I never should have
touched it, that whenever an appliance goes bad, one should never
tinker with it. Then he says that there may be a freon leak, or that
the compressor is gone bad.

I tell him to forget it that I'll just dump the piece of crap. (G.E.)
Now I'm out $85 and I still have a fridge that don't work.

The reason why I melted all the ice was because the recommended
http://www.applianceaid.com/frig_notcold.html said that's what to do
to get to the heater bars. The repair guy says he never does that,
that he uses a pot of boiled water at the bottom of the freezer, that
it's more "gentle."

OK. Think I just got hosed? Or what?



On 6 Sep 2004 04:31:09 -0700, (jeff) wrote:

Joe-46er wrote in message . ..

Hi,

When is it time to toss away a refrigerator?

When the cost of repair is more than 50% of the cost to replace the
item.

My 9 year old
side-by-side GE 21 cf was doing fine, then all of a sudden it began to
fail. Not completely (yet).

Some common things to check for...
http://www.applianceaid.com/frig_notcold.html

Right now the freezer section works as follows: 22 degrees at the
bottom and 32 degrees at the top. (I don't know why the discrepancy.)
The non-freezer section maintains a 52 degree temp. These are when set
at max cold.

Put the controls back on a mid point setting.

The fins are dust-free. I've turned the controls on and off several
times.

Have you tried an over night defrosting?

Is it worth calling in a repairman?

If the rest of the refrigerator ( gaskets, plastic panals/parts ) is
still in good shape, for sure call!

I figure that the worst problem I
could have is a bad compressor. So what might that cost?

Approx 350-400 to replace a compressor.

Is it
cost-effective to repair or should I just go get a new one? The
original was $900 at the time. I can get an equivalent today for
around $700.

Depends on what is wrong and what is required to correct the problem.

This brings up another issue...finding an honest repairman. I recall
seeing a TV consumer special about how unscrupulous some are.

Ask some nieghbours/friends/relatives who they use.

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/




_________________________________

"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin for thy stomach's sake." -- 1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted)

"Joe-46er" wrote in message

So he says I should not have melted the ice, that the believes the
hairdryer damaged the aluminum coils. He says I never should have
touched it, that whenever an appliance goes bad, one should never
tinker with it. Then he says that there may be a freon leak, or that
the compressor is gone bad.

I tell him to forget it that I'll just dump the piece of crap. (G.E.)
Now I'm out $85 and I still have a fridge that don't work.


Sorry to hear of your $85 loss. IMO, the technician is a nut case. I
cannot see how you could have heated the coil enough to damage the aluminum
coil unless you got it up to melting point, 660 degrees C.

On Tue, 07 Sep 2004 16:45:05 GMT, Joe-46er wrote:

OK. Think I just got hosed? Or what?

Sounds like a very common and very simple repair. I can't imagine an
appliance repairman the couldn't fix it. Does he have a supervisor
you can call?

The defrost heater circuit should function fine even if the condensor
was physically ripped out of the fridge. Its just a simple heater
hooked to a timer.

Steve B.

Joe-46er wrote in message . ..

An hour later the repairman comes over. My suspicions are answered as
he says that the heater bars and control mechanism are bad and need to
be replaced. (He showed me the bars, they 're make of glass and look
busted.) This he does, but guess what... it doesn't fix the problem.
The defroster section still doesn't work.

So he says I should not have melted the ice, that the believes the
hairdryer damaged the aluminum coils. He says I never should have
touched it, that whenever an appliance goes bad, one should never
tinker with it. Then he says that there may be a freon leak, or that
the compressor is gone bad.

I tell him to forget it that I'll just dump the piece of crap. (G.E.)
Now I'm out $85 and I still have a fridge that don't work.

The reason why I melted all the ice was because the recommended
http://www.applianceaid.com/frig_notcold.html said that's what to do
to get to the heater bars. The repair guy says he never does that,
that he uses a pot of boiled water at the bottom of the freezer, that
it's more "gentle."

OK. Think I just got hosed? Or what?

Hi,

You got hosed!!

New tech time!!

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/

An hour later the repairman comes over. My suspicions are answered as
he says that the heater bars and control mechanism are bad and need to
be replaced. (He showed me the bars, they 're make of glass and look
busted.)
SM: Well, did he use a volt meter to check them? Or just look?


This he does, but guess what... it doesn't fix the problem.
The defroster section still doesn't work.
SM: Now, you realize there is a termination thermostat, it won't heat unless
the defrost termination thermostat is cold.




So he says I should not have melted the ice, that the believes the
hairdryer damaged the aluminum coils.
SM: I'm suspicious of htis.


He says I never should have
touched it, that whenever an appliance goes bad, one should never
tinker with it.
SM: Most folks do tinker, and it makes a lot of extra work for me.

Then he says that there may be a freon leak, or that
the compressor is gone bad.
SM: Wow, you'd think he woulda checked that before changing out your defrost
heater element. I'm wondering if this guy knows his head from a hole in the
ground.



I tell him to forget it that I'll just dump the piece of crap. (G.E.)
Now I'm out $85 and I still have a fridge that don't work.
SM: I'm sorry to hear that.



The reason why I melted all the ice was because the recommended
http://www.applianceaid.com/frig_notcold.html said that's what to do
to get to the heater bars. The repair guy says he never does that,
that he uses a pot of boiled water at the bottom of the freezer, that
it's more "gentle."
SM: I use an electric heater called a "heat gun" which works nicely. Hair
drier is good, too. The one I did over the weekend, we used a hair dryer.
Thaw it out for a couple days, and I'll go back later with my box of parts.
Never trust the customer's dianosis, and never diagnose over the internet.


OK. Think I just got hosed? Or what?

Hi,

You got hosed!!

New tech time!!
SM: I'm with you, Jeff. He got hosed.

jeff.
Appliance Repair Aid
http://www.applianceaid.com/

Two issues here...
Side by side freezers are inefficient. The cold air literally "falls out"
when you open the door. And the design means that you don't have enough room
in either the freezer or the fridge.
But there's also energy consumption. Old refrigerators burn a lot more
electricity than today's models and at current power rates, that's a factor.



"Joe-46er" wrote in message
...
When is it time to toss away a refrigerator? My 9 year old
side-by-side GE 21 cf was doing fine, then all of a sudden it began to
fail. Not completely (yet).

Right now the freezer section works as follows: 22 degrees at the
bottom and 32 degrees at the top. (I don't know why the discrepancy.)
The non-freezer section maintains a 52 degree temp. These are when set
at max cold.

The fins are dust-free. I've turned the controls on and off several
times.

Is it worth calling in a repairman? I figure that the worst problem I
could have is a bad compressor. So what might that cost? Is it
cost-effective to repair or should I just go get a new one? The
original was $900 at the time. I can get an equivalent today for
around $700.

This brings up another issue...finding an honest repairman. I recall
seeing a TV consumer special about how unscrupulous some are.

Thanks.



_________________________________

"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin for thy stomach's sake." --
1 Timothy 5:23 (adapted)

"Joe-46er" wrote in message
...
When is it time to toss away a refrigerator? My 9 year old
side-by-side GE 21 cf was doing fine, then all of a sudden it began to
fail. Not completely (yet).

Right now the freezer section works as follows: 22 degrees at the
bottom and 32 degrees at the top. (I don't know why the discrepancy.)
The non-freezer section maintains a 52 degree temp. These are when set
at max cold.

The fins are dust-free. I've turned the controls on and off several
times.

Is it worth calling in a repairman? I figure that the worst problem I
could have is a bad compressor. So what might that cost? Is it
cost-effective to repair or should I just go get a new one? The
original was $900 at the time. I can get an equivalent today for
around $700.

This brings up another issue...finding an honest repairman. I recall
seeing a TV consumer special about how unscrupulous some are.

Thanks.

This is Turtle.

Read Jeff's post and follow his instructions.

Now i think you have one of the three items that are defective. Defrost timer ,
defrost element, or the Defrost terminator. I don't think there is nothing wrong
with your compressor for you have not said anything that would leed me to think
it was the problem at all. One of these three items are not working right or
defective.

OOPPPPPssse , Could be a bad evaperator fan motor or blade.

TURTLE

GE had a run of bad compressors. Might want to websearch, and check to see
if yours was one of them. They did a lot of free compressor replacements.

The fact that it's cooling at all is a good sign. I can think of several
common problems that could be. But I'd ahve to be there and check it out.

I did this "diagnosis over the wire" with some friends over labor day
weekend. I got there and found the problem wasn't what it sounded, and I
needed a small part which I had -- in my tool box, about three hours drive
away. How frustrating!

At one of my parts houses, they call GE "Generally expensive" for parts, so
try to find a local small town repair guy.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"Joe-46er" wrote in message
...
When is it time to toss away a refrigerator? My 9 year old
side-by-side GE 21 cf was doing fine, then all of a sudden it began to
fail. Not completely (yet).

Right now the freezer section works as follows: 22 degrees at the
bottom and 32 degrees at the top. (I don't know why the discrepancy.)
The non-freezer section maintains a 52 degree temp. These are when set
at max cold.

The fins are dust-free. I've turned the controls on and off several
times.

Is it worth calling in a repairman? I figure that the worst problem I
could have is a bad compressor. So what might that cost? Is it
cost-effective to repair or should I just go get a new one? The
original was $900 at the time. I can get an equivalent today for
around $700.

This brings up another issue...finding an honest repairman. I recall
seeing a TV consumer special about how unscrupulous some are.

Thanks.



_________________________________

"Take a little 5FU, leucovorin and oxaliplatin for thy stomach's sake." -- 1
Timothy 5:23 (adapted)