GE Refrigerator - DIY Basic Cleaning

When Avery Park was built, it seems everyone got a General Electric refrigerator with icemaker in the door.  This morning, one of the neighbors who has lived here about 4 years said her refrigerator was not working well.  It was making a lot of noise and was blowing a lot of heat from under the bottom towards her kitchen.  During the repair, she committed that her electric bills were running $20.00 to $30.00 dollars more this year than last. 
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When we pulled the refrigerator out of the space between the cabinets, we found the vent holes on the cardboard backing on the bottom of the refrigerator were completely covered with lent and dirt. 

Cardboard Backing to GE Fridge. Photo shows after vent area was vacuumed off.

After unplugging the refrigerator from the wall, we vacuumed the cardboard backing off.  There was a lot of dirt in the canister on the vacuum cleaner.  The homeowner said she had just emptied it just before we started.  When I emptied the refrigerator dirt from the vacuum cleaner canister it contained a little over 2 cups of dirt and lint.  I then disassembled the cardboard backing from the refrigerator by removing 4 screws. 

Removing four screws on the cardboard backing of a GE Refrigerator

Dirty Fan on GE Fridge

Dirty Fan on GE Fridge from the back

Next, I removed the fan.​

​To do this I simply unplugged the plastic Molex plug from the wiring pigtail, and removed 2 screws and then pulled out the fan.  

GE Fridge Fan out of bracket

Compression Ring in GE Fridge

​I carefully removed the compression ring that holds the fan blade to the fan shaft.

Then using a paintbrush and the vacuum cleaner, I proceeded to vacuum and brush clean the fan shroud and motor to remove the dirt.  With the dirty plastic fan blade removed from the fan motor, I simply washed it in the sink with dishwashing soap and a kitchen scrubber.  Afterwards I reassembled the fan assembly making sure the compression ring was reinstalled. 

Clean Fan Blade on GE Refrigerator

Clean Fan Blade on GE Refrigerator

​ Next, using the vacuum cleaner and paintbrush, I gently started to clean the condenser coil.

Dirt Condensing Coil on GE Refrigerator

I was able to remove most of the dust and dirt this way.  Finally to get rest of the dirt off the coil, I simply sprayed the coil off with some slightly soapy water then rinsed with clean water. 

Using a vacuum and paint brush, I gently cleaned dirt and debris off Condensing Coil on a GE Fridge

To finish cleaning, I first used soapy water, then clean water to spray down the coils on this GE Fridge

The pan under the coil and compressor is designed to take the overflow water from the icemaker and the defrost water and allow it to evaporate as it is exposed to the heat from the compressor and condenser coil.

​I mopped up the water I could get to from the water pan.  I reassembled the fan to the condenser coil, plugged the Molex connector back in, replaced the cardboard backing, and after mopping the floor behind the refrigerator, slid the refrigerator back into the space between the cabinets.  The final picture is of the dirt I was able to remove just from the coil, the fan assembly, and the water pan.  

Dirt from the Condensing Coil, Fan Assembly and Water Pan of the GE Refrigerator

The quarter is for size comparison.

Performing this deep clean restored the fridge to its original cooling ability, reduced the noise it was creating and prevented the fridge from expelling hot air from the front.

We also anticipate the customer seeing a reduced energy bill and a longer refrigerator lifespan.

We encourage each of our customers to perform a cleaning like this every few years.  If you don't have the time or prefer to hire a professional, give Clear Springs Air Conditioning & Electric a call.  We're happy to help you out!