Freezer Temps- How Low Is Too Low?

[Chetlaham]

Assuming this 20 year old thermometer is accurate, I'm getting temps at -22*F and below. Is this optimal or to low? What is a good bandwidth?

 

[me]

I believe they recommend the temperature for a freezer should not go above -18°C (about 0°f). Mine goes pretty low at times because the old mechanical thermostat doesn't regulate the temperature very accurately

 

[DADoES]

0°F is considered a normal/standard setpoint, toward -5°F for lower-than-normal.

 

[vacerator]

Don't want premature freezer burn.

 

[Chetlaham]

Looks like one or both thermometers are off.

 

[phillymatt53]

0°F is considered a normal/standard setpoint, toward -5°F for lower-than-normal.

If +32 degrees is basically freezing, surely 32 degrees below that is quite sufficiant.
I've measured my freezer and kept it at 0 degrees and never had a problem.
And my fridge section varies between 34 and 40, just right.

 

[me]

If +32 degrees is basically freezing, surely 32 degrees below that is quite sufficiant.
I've measured my freezer and kept it at 0 degrees and never had a problem.
And my fridge section varies between 34 and 40, just right.

What is the Star Rating System?
Refrigeration appliances use a star rating system to indicate the minimum temperature they can achieve, which determines how long food can be stored safely. Here’s what the stars mean:

1 Star (*): Maintains temperatures as low as -6°C. Suitable for short-term storage of frozen food, typically up to one week.
2 Stars ()**: Maintains temperatures as low as -12°C. Suitable for storing frozen food for 1–2 weeks.
3 Stars (*)**: Maintains temperatures as low as -18°C. Suitable for longer-term storage of frozen food, preserving it for up to three months.
4 Stars (****): Maintains temperatures as low as -18°C or colder, suitable for freezing fresh food and long-term storage of frozen food. This is the best option for items that require deep freezing.

Recommended Storage Temperatures

Here are some common products and their ideal storage temperatures:

Frozen Products
Ice Cream: Should be stored at -18°C or lower. At this temperature, the texture and quality remain optimal, preventing ice crystals from forming.

Meat and Fish: Best stored at -18°C for long-term preservation. Proper freezing prevents bacterial growth and keeps food fresh for months.

Chilled Products

Fresh Vegetables and Fruits: Store between 0°C and 5°C to maintain crispness and extend shelf life.
Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yoghurt should be kept at 2°C to 5°C.
Cooked Meals: Should be refrigerated at 0°C to 4°C to ensure they remain safe to consume.

 

[combo52]

Electronically controlled GE side-by-side running too cold, etc.

Hi Chet these refrigerators have been in wide use since about 2001. They do some interesting things when they have failures. They normally work very well and keep food extremely well. They’re also economical to run but things do go wrong.

Spend some time researching and reading about these refrigerators they’re easy to fix. Has the main board ever been replaced with an updated one?

There’s really just a couple things that could be wrong. You might need to replace the the misters in the freezer possibly the one in the refrigerator. They’re very inexpensive. There’s a chance that the evaporator fan motor is failing.

Why did you start two threads on the same topic this is silly. It makes it hard for people to respond and engage your problem.

And now you’ve started yet another thread, asking what to buy. You haven’t even tried to fix this one.

These GE refrigerators sometimes exhibit behavior, which seems unusual to Appliance tax. I remember when we’ve trained with GE on them they said if it’s doing something odd it’s probably normal. They do certain things like if you have the door open too long the fan will rev up that’s to keep the hot incandescent lightbulbs. They were originally built with from damaging the plastic liner, for example. Another interesting thing they do is when they’re getting ready to go into a defrost cycle a half an hour before they run the freezer temperature down to at least -10 so that the defrost cycle doesn’t affect food quality like other frost free refrigerators where the freezer warms up a little bit so if you’re watching a thermometer you’ll notice sometimes people will open the freezer door oh my gosh, it’s 10 below and I had it set on zero the models with a display of course don’t show you that it’s going below zero they just show the normal temperature so they don’t panic customers

But with all your time, you should be researching this and learning something about it this is a very ordinary, appliance problem

As most of you know, I’m still working 65 hours a week plus I have a life so I’m not gonna walk everybody through every simple Appliance problem they have. It’s easy to figure out what’s going on here.

John L

 

[Chetlaham]

Right now its keep great temps, but the evap fan is running on high almost 24/7.

The main board has never been replaced.

If its the control board I'd change it. My only concern is it could be the sealed system and I don't want to throw more money at it than I have to.

 

[me]

Does it use separate compressors, or a fan and a flap to control the flow of cold air into the fridge section like some UK models, which can have a problem with the flap getting iced up and stuck.

We've got a separate fridge and freezer, unfortunately bought at different times so they don't match up, and they really want replacing as they are pretty old and inefficient compared to modern models.

 

[Chetlaham]

Does it use separate compressors, or a fan and a flap to control the flow of cold air into the fridge section like some UK models, which can have a problem with the flap getting iced up and stuck.

We've got a separate fridge and freezer, unfortunately bought at different times so they don't match up, and they really want replacing as they are pretty old and inefficient compared to modern models.

single compressor, condenser fan, variable evap fan and a damper. I think there are 3 temp sensors, one on the evap, one in the freezer and one in the fresh food compartment.

I can't find the tech sheet.

 

[vacerator]

Only GE Monogram or Cafe' models have dual cooling. One compressor, two evaporators. The rest use a damper door.

 

[Chetlaham]

Ok, good news. The fan, compressor and condenser fan just shut off. Exactly 0*F inside the freezer compartment.

 

[me]

Has the face of that thermometer on the left come loose in the metal tags, it looks like it is twisted to the right! as the logo should presumably be at the bottom. Might explain why it doesn't agree.

 

[Chetlaham]

Has the face of that thermometer on the left come loose in the metal tags, it looks like it is twisted to the right! as the logo should presumably be at the bottom. Might explain why it doesn't agree.

Most likely. Its 20 years old. It has seen a lot including multiple moves. I've got a new Taylor on the way.

 

[me]

Might be able to correct it by turning the glass. I've got an RF freezer thermometer with a couple of sensors. Has an alarm an shows max and min which is handy for adjusting the mechanical thermostats. However only a few of my NiMH rechargeable AA batteries are up to powering the one in the cold of the freezer for a few months, most cop out in a few days and alkaline disposables are not up to it.


https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0FNN464Q8

 

[combo52]

Reply number nine,

Hi Chet , it cannot be a sealed system problem. The freezer would not be going to 10 to 20 below zero.

These GE side-by-side had an excellent sealed system , very few problems that used a good Embraco compressor.

The main board in these refrigerators has been updated about 20 times if it’s never been changed, I’d get it genuine GE board and replace it. You can probably also get rebuilt ones if you want a chance that for a little less.

But keep in mind it could be something like a bad thermometer. They’re under $20 apiece. You can test them from the terminals back at the board.

These are very well built, easy to work on refrigerators. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to get rid of it, but that’s up to you.

Why did you start three threads on one refrigerator? It makes it very hard to get any continuity and responses to your questions.

John L

 

[Chetlaham]

Reply number nine,

Hi Chet , it cannot be a sealed system problem. The freezer would not be going to 10 to 20 below zero.

That is a massive relief! It is actually hitting 0*F when the compressor shuts off, the larger thermometer is off. The smaller thermometer reads 0*F at shutoff. Cooling seems fine for now. My fear was that the fast fan speed was compensating for a low refrigerant charge however if that isn't the case that is worth celebrating.

The main board in these refrigerators has been updated about 20 times if it’s never been changed, I’d get it genuine GE board and replace it. You can probably also get rebuilt ones if you want a chance that for a little less.

But keep in mind it could be something like a bad thermometer. They’re under $20 apiece. You can test them from the terminals back at the board.

Do you have or know of the part number or link to a genuine GE control board? I don't want a substitute, I want the real thing.

What ohm value am I looking at for a given temperature? My understanding is that are three temp sensors.

These are very well built, easy to work on refrigerators. I wouldn’t be in a hurry to get rid of it, but that’s up to you.

Why did you start three threads on one refrigerator? It makes it very hard to get any continuity and responses to your questions.

John L

I did not want to de-rail one thread with three different topics. When I ask to many questions in one thread I am accused of going off topic and de-railing it. When I make separate threads to avoid tangentiality I'm accused for making redundant threads.

 

[Chetlaham]

Model number is:

GSH25JSXNSS​

 

[phillymatt53]

My nextdoor neighbor's got a GE Monogram double-door fridge.
It went on the blink about 12 years ago.
I found out online that it was on a "recall" list for the control board.
Contacting GE confirmed this, and sent a guy out to replace the board for free in the back of the fridge.

 

[DADoES]

Only GE Monogram or Cafe' models have dual cooling. One compressor, two evaporators. The rest use a damper door.

My 2003/2004 GE Arctica had dual evaporators, one compressor (which was inverter-driven with, IIRC, three speeds).

 

[gizmo]

So it looks like the fault is your thermometer, not your fridge.
Unless I'm missing something, you thought the freezer was too cold, but in fact it is shutting off at the correct temperature according to your good thermometer.
You said earlier that the evap fan was running on high 24/7, but later said it shut off at 0F when the compressor shut off. So it looks like the fan is behaving OK?
John L has explained in post #8 that these fridges are known for doing some "odd" behaviour, including running the fan on high and running to a lower-than-set temperature. It seems to me that your fridge may be normal for the model?

 

[Chetlaham]

The fan is running on high 99% of the time. It only stops during defrost and at certain times when the compressor shuts off.

This is not normal in that in the past 15 years the fan ran on high for only brief periods. Such as when the door was left opened for a prolonged period of time or for about 5 minutes when coming out of defrost.

The evap fan normally modulates accordingly. For the past 5 days it is not modulating which has me worried.

 

[gizmo]

Oh, I get it. Thanks.

 

[vintageteddy96]

What is the Star Rating System?
Refrigeration appliances use a star rating system to indicate the minimum temperature they can achieve, which determines how long food can be stored safely. Here’s what the stars mean:

1 Star (*): Maintains temperatures as low as -6°C. Suitable for short-term storage of frozen food, typically up to one week.
2 Stars ()**: Maintains temperatures as low as -12°C. Suitable for storing frozen food for 1–2 weeks.
3 Stars (*)**: Maintains temperatures as low as -18°C. Suitable for longer-term storage of frozen food, preserving it for up to three months.
4 Stars (****): Maintains temperatures as low as -18°C or colder, suitable for freezing fresh food and long-term storage of frozen food. This is the best option for items that require deep freezing.

Recommended Storage Temperatures

Here are some common products and their ideal storage temperatures:

Frozen Products
Ice Cream: Should be stored at -18°C or lower. At this temperature, the texture and quality remain optimal, preventing ice crystals from forming.

Meat and Fish: Best stored at -18°C for long-term preservation. Proper freezing prevents bacterial growth and keeps food fresh for months.

Chilled Products

Fresh Vegetables and Fruits: Store between 0°C and 5°C to maintain crispness and extend shelf life.
Dairy Products: Milk, cheese, and yoghurt should be kept at 2°C to 5°C.
Cooked Meals: Should be refrigerated at 0°C to 4°C to ensure they remain safe to consume.

I think we should start a, "what's the oldest food item in your fridge/freezer thread. I remember when I helped clean out my grandmas freezer there was food in it that was about 14 years old. I also helped someone clean out an estate and there were 30+ year old food items in the fridge.