GE Refrigerator Evaporator Iced Over in Oldsmar: A Failed Defrost Thermostat

A client in Oldsmar called about their older GE top-freezer refrigerator (model GTS22KBPBRCC). The problem turned out to be in the defrost system.

A coil packed in ice

Behind the back panel of the freezer sits the evaporator — the coil that makes the cold air for the whole refrigerator. A few times a day, a defrost heater warms it briefly to melt off the frost that builds up in normal use. With the panel off, it was clear that hadn’t been happening: the entire coil was buried in ice.

Once ice fills the fins, air can’t pass through the coil, and the fan can’t move cold air where it needs to go. That’s why an iced-over evaporator is a problem even though the freezer itself may still feel cold.

Replacing the defrost thermostat

The defrost thermostat is a small sensor clipped to the evaporator tubing. It tells the defrost heater when to turn on and off, and when it fails, the defrost cycle never runs. It was replaced with a genuine GE part — below, the new one in its bag, with the old one on the freezer floor.

Defrosted and working

With the new thermostat in place, the coil was fully defrosted. The fins are clear again and air can flow through them.

Result

The defrost system is working again, and so is the refrigerator. If you find ice built up on the panel at the back of your freezer, or behind it, the defrost system is worth checking — melting the ice alone won’t keep it from coming back. See our refrigerator repair page for what else we typically look at.