GE LH12-N Refrigerator

[combo52]

Mullion Heater

Yes as Ralph mentioned, the mullion heater on your ref is behind the part between the two doors where the gaskets contact the ref when doors are closed.

 

All two door refs had these, now almost all refs have a thin copper tube there that uses the waste heat from the condenser to save energy.

 

John L.

 

[114jwh]

Thank you gentleman for explaining that. Makes perfect sense and then yes, that must be at why I'm getting the 20W reading. I'll let you know how things turn out once I get the heaters and the back opened up.

Ralph thanks for the encouragement. I have to admit, this one has been trying my patience. I'm not an appliance technician so I study and study and study old posts and service manuals to try and learn how these things work and figure this stuff out and sometimes feel like throwing in the towel. However, guidance from all of you folks have really helped and I guess I've been lucky so far. And you are right, this one is worth trying to save from the scrap heap - its almost a match for the stove that I fixed up last year that was also on its way to the dump that is now working great.

Thanks again

https://www.automaticwasher.org/cgi-bin/TD/TD-VIEWTHREAD.cgi?87380

 

[114jwh]

Part has arrived

The little 6W Supco heater has finally arrived and I have taken off the back panel of the fridge this morning. As suspected, the small line heater is present on both the inlet and outlet sides and not functioning on the inlet side where the frost pattern starts on the evaporator in the refrigerator compartment.

My next task is to find a way to attach the new heater with a different design onto the tube where the old one was. I can't use the existing clips and because the new one isn't rigid like the old one and need it to make good contact. The new heater has a peel off adhesive side but I don't think this will stick to the tube long term. I"m thinking some sort of wrap is the only way to go. I was thinking of one of these options below, either the silicone tape or the poly butyl product since neither use adhesive to stick. I think the temperature range should be adequate for this application but I'm certainly no expert. The poly butyl doesn't have the curing time the silicone one does and since I'm actively using this fridge it could be an issue. If anyone has any thoughts, I'm all ears!

Once I figure out how I'm attaching it I think I will have to fold it in half given the length is almost twice as long as the original and I don't want to mess with the existing permagum on either side

The heater on the outlet side appears to still be functioning so I'm going to leave well enough alone

https://cantech.com/en/retail/carded products/73700

https://www.homedepot.ca/product/laser-magic-wrap-1-inch-x-16-feet/1000158593

You can see there has been some frost developing in the back around where the tube enters the fridge and making the surrounding insulation wet so I'm glad I'm getting this rectified.

Wish me luck!

 

[114jwh]

[No message]

 

[114jwh]

Another Update

So I wanted to share an update on the installation of the new heater on the inlet side of evaporator. Its been about 5 weeks since I installed the new heater and no more frost whatsoever in the refrigerator section - I'm thrilled but still want to be cautious about declaring the win because I don't want to tempt fate.

For the benefit of those that may run into this problem in the future and are looking for a potential solution, as you can see from the pictures below, I ended up removing the permagum on either side of the old heater, used the adhesive backing on the new Supco foil heater to shape it to the tube and then used self-fusing silicone tape at either end to keep it in place in case the adhesive ever fails. I then reformed the permagum on either end of the tube where the new heater was placed and put everything back together. Now, during the off part of the cycle defrost, all the frost successfully melts away before the compressor starts again.

The fridge runs about 6 minutes on, 16 minutes off with a cut out around 35-36. From what I've read this seems to be about right for this type of cycle defrost fridge.

Thanks so much John for the guidance to install this new foil heater - seems to have worked like a charm.

 

[114jwh]

Now that the frost problem has potentially been figured out, I'm going to look into new gaskets. The old ones seem to seal OK but they are permanently stained, ugly and have lost some of their suppleness as the fiberglass insulation inside them has pretty much fully compressed over the years. The freezer gasket also has a few small tears in it.

I'm wondering if anyone has one of those old Gemline refrigeration catalogues that list the original and Gemline OEM replacement gaskets along with the profile type and dimensions - and they could look up for me the cross-reference data for this model? Id like to keep my eye out on eBay in case an original or aftermarket gasket for the fridge, freezer or both ever happens to show up.

Appreciate it in advance and thanks again to everyone for all your help thus far

 

[rp2813]

James, while the Gemline gaskets would be ideal, they'll probably be tough to find.

 

Here's a link to a site that will likely have something that will match up with what's on your fridge:

https://www.coolergaskets.com/sample-gasket-ring/

 

[114jwh]

Thanks so much Ralph - I have considered getting gaskets made but I thought I would watch for awhile too on eBay and see if anything turns up if I can figure out the part numbers. Although its a slim chance, it also amazes me what shows up on there from time to time.

But this resource is a good one for the custom gasket option so thanks again for pointing it out. I'll take a look and see if I can find something comparable

 

[turbokinetic]

Thanks for the follow-up on how the new heater helped!

 

[jody]

Hello! I also have a 1956 GE fridge that was running like a charm up until about 4 months ago when we replaced the power cord. Everything else is still original. The fridge currently runs - the freezer reaches minus 20 and the fridge hovers at 34°. However it cycles off too frequently and then becomes warm. I assume there is a problem getting refrigerant to the fresh food section since the freezer is over cooling.

This feels like a thermostat issue. With a good thump just a few inches left of the thermostat dial the unit does kick on.

I might need to replace the thermostat control... Or maybe there is simply a wire loose. I'm having a hard time finding anybody in my area to service it.
Maybe it's simple enough to do on my own. I am new to this thread and website...any advice or thoughts would be greatly appreciated. I'll attach a few pictures.

Jody

 

[turbokinetic]

Jody, it does sound like you need to look more closely at the thermostat control. The fact that tapping near it causes the unit to start is very telling. Could need cleaning and re-lubrication or there could be enough wear that it needs to be replaced. 

 

[combo52]

If the freezer can reach -20 do you have a good compressor, but if it’s not freezing things in the refrigerator, it’s a little low on refrigerant.

Try adding two or 3 ounces of R 12 and see how it performs

John.

 

[114jwh]

I've remember reading on various threads that having to bang the fridge near the thermostat sometimes means its getting stuck. If you end up needing a new thermostat, I was able to get the GC403 to work while retaining the original placement and control knob - took a little ingenuity to mount but it will work.

There isn't a separate thermostat in the freezer section, the whole system cycles on and off strictly based on the refrigerator temperature so its important that the sensing tube is attached properly I learned.

I also had issues with frost build up in the refrigerator section that impacted the cycling since the frost was so close to the sensing tube. This was caused by one of the defrost heaters not operating. I was surprised at how much of a difference this made once it was fixed.

In addition I had issues with the fridge gasket which impacted the temperatures as well. Even though it looked OK and appeared to be sealing - it actually wasn't and so once I replaced that and got the door realigned things improved substantially as well. The magnets that hold the door closed do have some adjustment in them to help make the door seal better.

Hope some of my observations help you. They may not have anything to do with the problem you are experiencing but sharing just in case. I learned through the process of getting mine working properly that these fridges are a bit tricky and all the stars need to be lined up perfectly.

 

[derdoktor]

manual

would anyone here happen to have the owners/service manual for this GE fridge? I found a seller of one, but I am just getting into the vintage appliance market and want to know as much as possible before I buy. The model the seller has is the LH12N G1 (there is a space after the N). Thank you! Sorry for reviving an old thread

 

[steved]

Collin - I sent you an email

I scanned a copy and sent it to your email
SteveD