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GE Upright Freezer Repair

Quick Answer

Nine times out of ten, a GE upright freezer stops cooling because of a failed defrost heater, a bad evaporator fan motor, or a burnt out compressor start relay. If you hear a clicking sound every few minutes, it is almost certainly that start relay on the side of the compressor.

Look, a GE upright freezer that's losing temperature is also losing your food, and usually it comes down to one of three cheap parts letting the whole system down. Ignore that clicking sound for a week and you'll come back to a warm box and ruined food. I've seen people lose hundreds in frozen meat over a $12 relay. Don't let that be you.

GeRefrigeratorSeverity: moderate
Time to Fix
20–90 min
Difficulty
beginner
Parts Cost
$0 (no parts needed)
Tools Needed
Phillips #2 screwdriver, 1/4 inch nut driver

GE Upright Freezer Repair

GE upright freezers are honestly pretty solid machines, but they've all got the same weak spots. The defrost heater and the compressor start relay are the two parts I replace constantly on these units. Defrost heaters usually run under $40, start relays are literally $10-15. So before you call anyone or even think about buying a new freezer, run through these steps yourself. You can probably fix this in an afternoon.

Common Causes

  • The start relay on the side of the compressor burns out, usually somewhere around 7-10 years in. When it fails, the compressor clicks and gives up every few minutes and never actually starts running.
  • The defrost heater element goes open circuit, so the evaporator coils ice over completely until there's a solid wall of frost blocking all airflow. The freezer just can't cool anymore.
  • The evaporator fan motor seizes up or the plastic blades crack, and even if the compressor is running perfectly, cold air isn't moving anywhere inside the cabinet.
  • Condenser coils get so packed with pet hair and dust that the refrigerant can't dump its heat and the whole system runs hot and inefficient, especially bad in a warm garage.
  • The defrost thermistor reads open or shorted, so the control board never gets the signal it needs to run a proper defrost cycle and ice just keeps building until it chokes the evaporator.
  • The door gasket cracks or warps and lets warm, humid air sneak in constantly, which is especially brutal in a garage where temps swing 40+ degrees between summer and winter.

Symptoms You May Notice

  • The freezer feels like a refrigerator. Stuff that should be rock hard is soft, ice cream is soupy, and meat is partially thawed.
  • You hear a distinct click from the back bottom of the unit every 2-3 minutes, then a brief hum, then silence, then it happens again.
  • There's a solid sheet of ice covering the entire back wall inside, sometimes an inch or two thick, and it's clearly been growing for a while.
  • The compressor runs nonstop and never cycles off, and the back of the unit feels hot.
  • There's a puddle on the floor in front of the freezer and you can hear dripping inside.

Can you reset a Ge refrigerator to clear the TROUBLESHOOTING code?

There's no reset button on most GE upright freezers. But you can do a soft reset by unplugging the unit from the wall and leaving it unplugged for at least 10 minutes. This lets the control board fully discharge and restart clean. Plug it back in and give it 2-4 hours to pull back down to temperature. If you had a defrost problem, manually thaw the unit first before doing the reset or it won't help much.

Tools Required for Diagnosis

Phillips #2 screwdriver1/4 inch nut driverFlathead screwdriverDigital multimeterCoil cleaning brushHandheld vacuum or shop vacTurkey baster or squeeze bottleWork gloves

Diagnostic Checklist

Follow these steps in order. We start with the easiest external fixes before opening up the machine.

ComponentComponent Under Test
Expected Range20–80 ohms
ConditionIf Open (OL) or infinite, replace component.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is my GE upright freezer clicking but not running?
That clicking is the compressor trying to start and failing, over and over. The start relay, sometimes called a PTC relay, plugs right into the side of the compressor and gives it the electrical kick it needs to get going. When that relay burns out, the compressor just can't get started on its own. Shake the relay after you pull it off. If something rattles inside it, it's dead. These are $10-15 online and it's usually a 5-minute swap. Honestly it's one of my favorite repairs because it's so cheap, so fast, and the freezer just works again.
How do I know if my defrost heater is bad?
Look at the back wall inside your freezer. If there's a thick layer of frost building up on that back panel, especially if it keeps coming back after you thaw it out, the defrost heater probably isn't running. You can confirm with a multimeter. Pull the back interior panel, disconnect the heater wires, and test for continuity. A good heater reads somewhere in the 20-80 ohm range depending on wattage. If you get nothing, open circuit, it's burned out. Heaters are usually $30-50 and it's about an hour of work if you're reasonably handy with a screwdriver.
What should the temperature be in my GE freezer?
Zero degrees Fahrenheit is the target. That's the USDA guideline for keeping food safe long-term and preventing freezer burn. If your freezer is creeping up to 10 degrees, food quality drops fast and ice cream goes soft and grainy. At 20 degrees you're in real trouble. Most newer GE freezers have a digital display you can read directly. If yours doesn't, grab a $10 freezer thermometer and toss it inside. Check it after 24 hours to see where you actually stand.
Why is there water leaking from the bottom of my freezer?
The defrost drain tube is almost certainly clogged. When the freezer runs a defrost cycle, it melts the ice off the evaporator coils and that water's supposed to drain down a tube into a pan underneath where it evaporates. If that tube is frozen solid or blocked with debris, water backs up and runs right out the front door onto your floor. You can usually clear it by pouring a little warm water down the drain hole inside the freezer, or use a turkey baster to flush it. Takes about 5 minutes and it usually works the first try.
Does my GE freezer have a reset button?
Nope. No reset button on most GE upright freezers. But unplugging it for 10 minutes and plugging it back in does basically the same thing, it clears any error state in the control board and lets it restart fresh. If you've got a newer model with a digital display, sometimes holding the temperature button for 5 seconds will reset the readout. But here's the thing: if you've got a real mechanical problem like a bad relay or a dead heater, a reset isn't going to fix it. It'll just clear temporarily and the problem comes right back.
How long should a GE upright freezer last?
A well-maintained GE upright freezer should easily go 15-20 years. The compressor is usually the last thing to die on these and they're pretty robust. What kills them early is neglect. Dirty coils nobody ever cleaned, worn door gaskets that sat cracked for years, defrost issues that got ignored until the motor burned out from overwork. If your freezer is under 10 years old and the compressor is fine, it's almost always worth fixing. Parts are cheap and available. If it's 15+ years and the compressor itself is clicking, that math starts to change.

Models Known to Experience TROUBLESHOOTING Errors

This repair applies to most Ge refrigerators with this error code. Common model numbers include:

FUF14DLRWW, FUF17DLRWW, FUF21DLRWW, FUF17SMRWW, FUF21SMRWW, AFU14RRWH, AFU12QRWH, GFU21SMRWW

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Written by

Mike Sullivan

Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 20 years experience

Last verified for technical accuracy on May 22, 2024