How to Troubleshoot a GE Model GSL22JFTA BS Refrigerator Defrost Timer

General Electric and other manufacturers commonly program their refrigerators to automatically initiate defrost mode, including the side-by-side model GSL22JFTA-BS. Early refrigerator models required owners to manually defrost the unit. This seemingly random automatic maintenance in your refrigerator can cause you to wonder if the defrost timer is broken, especially if you are unsure exactly when the process began. Model GSL22JFTA refrigerators don't display a defrost timer that you can directly troubleshoot. Instead, you can use your senses and an alternate timing device to make sure the defroster is working to specifications.

Timer or clock (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Open the freezer side of the refrigerator. Look for an orange glow that indicates the defrosting heater is on. Also, put your ear close to the body of the refrigerator. Listen for the sound of melted water dropping on the heating coils that facilitate the defrosting process. This is your cue the refrigerator has entered the automatic defrosting mode that GE programmed into the appliance.
- 2
  Record the current time on your watch or clock. Monitor the time for 30 minutes, starting at this moment. Alternatively, use a handheld timer device and start the countdown from 30 minutes. Defrosting may have already begun a few minutes before you began timing; however, wait and monitor the refrigerator for the full 30 minutes.
- 3
  Position your ear near the refrigerator again. This time, listen for cracking and popping sounds from the cooling coils after — and even during — the defrosting process. This is the cooling coils expanding and contracting due to temperature changes. Also, listen for the compressor and fans to power on, emitting a high-pitched hum or pulsating sound.
- 4
  Open the door of the refrigerator a few times over the course of the next 24 hours but don't swing it open too wide, negating the cooling process. Periodically feel the foods and liquids to make sure the refrigerator is indeed cooling back down from the defrosting process. Some GSL22JFT models also have temperature readings on an LCD display.

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