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Repair and additional information for the Whirlpool Refrigerator GB2FHDXW**, a bottom freezer refrigerator model without an ice-through-door feature and with an automatic defrost system. This page covers information for model numbers matching the pattern GB2FHDXW**.

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Fridge Warm, Freezer Cold.

Hi all,

Yesterday I noticed my fridge was warm while my freezer was cold.

Brand - Whirlpool

Model Number - GB2FHDXWS03

Serial Number - K03047754

Images - https://imgur.com/a/af1Nn1f

Here is what I did so far.

  • I removed all food and I turned off the refrigerator for 12 hours. This morning there was a large puddle of water near the fridge. I turned on the fridge and the back (condenser?) fan is running.
  • After having the fridge off for 12 hours, I let the fridge run for two hours and the refrigerator went from 60' F to 45’ F. This makes me think it was a defrosting issue, right? Now, how would I test which part of the defrosting system is malfunctioning?
  • I removed the evaporator fan cover and I can see that the fan is spinning when the fridge is on. I can also put my hand against the top vent within the fridge and I feel cold air coming through.
  • I opened the refrigerator top panel and the damper is open. This is after I had the fridge off for 12 hours. Perhaps open is the default position and I need to watch it work.

What else should I do? Thanks for any help!

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Hi,

Disconnect the power from the refrigerator and check the defrost heater -part #10 Unit parts with an Ohmmeter for continuity.

Was the large puddle of water coming from under the fridge?

If so this indicates that the evaporator pan, below the refrigerator near the compressor has overflowed, most probably due to the large amount of ice that was covering the evaporator and evaporator fan had melted.

What may have happened is that the defrost heater has failed and then the ice build up over the evaporator unit that should have been melted and drained at every defrost cycle (once every 6-12 hours depending on manufacturer) has continued to build up until it has covered the evaporator fan and it has stopped, therefore no cooling air into the refrigerator section but the freezer stays cold because that’s where the evaporator unit is located.

WP12729128 - Whirlpool Refrigerator Defrost Heater Image

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WP12729128 - Whirlpool Refrigerator Defrost Heater

$65.99

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10 Comments:

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me with this!

Yes, the large puddle of water was almost certainly coming from the fridge. It was coming from below the fridge. When I opened the back panel after 12 hours of being off, the evaporator pan was completely full.

The fridge has been on for one hour so far and it has went from 60’ to 40’. So, this makes me think it is evidence that it was a defrosting issue that went away when I turned off the fridge for 12 hours.

So, now I need to test the defrosting system. It seems there are multiple parts to this system including control board, thermistor, defrost heater, and bimetal thermostat. You are suggesting to first start with the defrost heater. That makes sense. I can try to do that.

I also thought about leaving the fridge to work for 24+ hours and monitor how much frost is building up. If the automatic defrosting is not working, I would see significant frost build up. That would also help me confirm it’s a defrosting issue.

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@Brett Emil

You may not see significant ice build up. a lot depends on the amount of humidity in the air that gets caught in the freezer after the door has been opened and shut

You could also check the evaporator pan for any water after a defrost cycle

The compressor is stopped during the defrost cycle (as is the evap fan) for about 15-25 minutes so you may notice when it is occurring. Also the temp in the freezer is allowed to rise to 32 F (0 C) to aid the melting process by the defrost heater. Defrost cycle is long enough to melt the ice but not long enough to even begin to thaw any food in the freezer

The bi-metal strip operates at this temperature (or close to it (~33F) to tell the control board to start the compressor again thereby ending the defrost cycle. The reason is so the evap unit won't be damaged by getting too warm.

The thermistor is for temp control in the freezer.

by

Thank you. I appreciate that. So, waiting for frost to build up is not a good test. It's hard to tell how long it would take for a frost to build up.

Could I do a forced defrost to see if the defrost cycle runs? Right now, there probably is no frost, as it's been off for the last 12 hours.

by

@Brett Emil

Unfortunately I don't know how to get into the diagnostics for the fridge to run a defrost cycle.

I also cannot find a free service manual for the refrigerator. I've found a site where you can purchase it if you feel so inclined.

You can always still test the heater with an Ohmmeter to see if it is OK. Disconnect the power from the fridge and then disconnect the wires from the heater and use the Ohmmeter directly across the heater terminals to measure its' resistance. Not quite sure of the resistance but it should be somewhere between 20-50 Ohms, definitely not open circuit though

by

I appear to have found the forced defrost - https://bit.ly/34qPCbw. I haven't tried it yet and I'm not sure what I should be looking for when I do force a defrost.

Yes, I just didnt' want to pull the entire freezer apart if I didn't have too. But testing the continuity of the defrost heater appears the next step. Thanks for this! I really appreciate you taking the time to talk this through with me. Got nobody else that can help at this level.

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