Money for bad dishwasher board.

[combo52]

Reply number 27, hi Mike

That cardboard back on the back of your GE refrigerator is very important. It helps channel the air from the condenser fan over the compressor to keep the compressor cooler removing the back may make the compressor run hot under high temperature conditions and cause it to go out on the thermal overload. The back really must remain in place for proper operation.

In normal use these GE condensers never get dirty enough except an extreme cases and require cleaning. I would check it and clean it maybe every 10 years unless you have a severely dirty house or a lot of cats etc., that shed.

Even with a half inch thick layer of dust over the entire condenser it does not affect the performance of the refrigerator at all. It was designed to work with dirt on it as I mentioned before GE demonstrated this design with a 2 inch thick layer of fiberglass insulation wrapped around the condenser and the refrigerator performed just as well as a clean condenser.

 

[vacerator]

Thank you Combo. The right hand side is against a cabinet. The cardboard has been long gone. It was very flimsy. Not like GE used in the 80's.
The fridge doesn't owe us anything. Our neighbors have a newer GE in their basement and it's been fine for several years. Their kitchen fridge is a 81/2 year old Samsung that ices up, and rarely makes any ice. Their ready to pitch it for either another GE from Costco or, an LG because some publication rates them among the best.??

 

[DADoES]

Reply number 27, hi Mike

That cardboard back on the back of your GE refrigerator is very important. It helps channel the air from the condenser fan over the compressor to keep the compressor cooler removing the back may make the compressor run hot under high temperature conditions and cause it to go out on the thermal overload. The back really must remain in place for proper operation.

In normal use these GE condensers never get dirty enough except an extreme cases and require cleaning. I would check it and clean it maybe every 10 years unless you have a severely dirty house or a lot of cats etc., that shed.

Even with a half inch thick layer of dust over the entire condenser it does not affect the performance of the refrigerator at all. It was designed to work with dirt on it as I mentioned before GE demonstrated this design with a 2 inch thick layer of fiberglass insulation wrapped around the condenser and the refrigerator performed just as well as a clean condenser.

My 2004/2005 Arctica had the "jelly-roll"-type condenser. I cleaned it a few times by removing the rear panel and vacuuming the accessible exterior surface, then blowing the remainder off with an air compressor. The rear panel was metal with slots at the right side by the condenser. I understood that both the rear panel and the cardboard cover on the right end of the condenser "roll" are important regards to properly directing the airflow.

 

[pstehle]

My 10 year old "Black Friday" Homeless Despot Amana bottom freezer has the folded welded-wire condenser underneath. The only way to get it clean is to empty the fresh food section, roll it out from it's space and tip it back... seems like an awful design. If they'd rotated the coil 90 degrees, it could be vacuumed out from the kick panel. They only seemed to stock them for Black Friday, and they were $698 back then with stainless steel doors. Pretty darn good value compared to today's prices!

 

[combo52]

Reply number 34 and others

The condenser on a modern fan forced refrigerator does not need to be spotlessly clean for the refrigerator to work at top efficiency.

That Amana refrigerator you have with the condenser on the bottom is an excellent design. It was put in that way so that the worst dirt would accumulate at the front where it was easy to remove. If it had been put sideways it would’ve just filled up with dirt front to back. And the air would’ve just gone right through and not been pulled through the fins and over the tubes as efficiently.

As long as some air can get through the condenser, even though there’s a lot of dust and lint on it, it will still work as well as it did the day it was made on my KitchenAid refrigerator, and all refrigerator in the kitchen. I have never removed them from the wall, I’ve only cleaned the condensers from the front. They’ve been in there for 39 years. They’re both working great.

John L

 

[qsd-dan]

I pull the refrigerators out every new years day, remove the back, blow them out front and back with compressed air, and lubricate the condenser fan bearings with turbine oil. Before I had a compressor (over 20 years ago), I used an electric leaf blower. Messy, but very effective.

Other new years day chores include removing the dryer and cleaning the vent as well as removing and checking the anode rod on the water heater. T minus 5 days.

 

[phillymatt53]

I pull the refrigerators out every new years day, remove the back, blow them out front and back with compressed air, and lubricate the condenser fan bearings with turbine oil. Before I had a compressor (over 20 years ago), I used an electric leaf blower. Messy, but very effective.

Other new years day chores include removing the dryer and cleaning the vent as well as removing and checking the anode rod on the water heater. T minus 5 days.

All that is known as Preventive or Proactive Maintanance, and wise to do.
Just like changing the oil in the car - you want the machine to last.

 

[pstehle]

Reply number 34 and others

The condenser on a modern fan forced refrigerator does not need to be spotlessly clean for the refrigerator to work at top efficiency.

That Amana refrigerator you have with the condenser on the bottom is an excellent design. It was put in that way so that the worst dirt would accumulate at the front where it was easy to remove. If it had been put sideways it would’ve just filled up with dirt front to back. And the air would’ve just gone right through and not been pulled through the fins and over the tubes as efficiently.

As long as some air can get through the condenser, even though there’s a lot of dust and lint on it, it will still work as well as it did the day it was made on my KitchenAid refrigerator, and all refrigerator in the kitchen. I have never removed them from the wall, I’ve only cleaned the condensers from the front. They’ve been in there for 39 years. They’re both working great.

John L

Never thought of that. I had a buddy growing up with a big old side-by-side that was dying one hot summer. They bred poodles -20 to 25 in the house at any given time, don't even ask about the smell! I asked if they'd ever cleaned the condenser, which of course, they hadn't. After pulling a volume of hair and dust out that would've knitted a decent standard poodle's coat, it resumed it's task like it was new... A certain amount of crud is expected and designed for, but there's always a limit!

 

[Chetlaham]

Never thought of that. I had a buddy growing up with a big old side-by-side that was dying one hot summer. They bred poodles -20 to 25 in the house at any given time, don't even ask about the smell! I asked if they'd ever cleaned the condenser, which of course, they hadn't. After pulling a volume of hair and dust out that would've knitted a decent standard poodle's coat, it resumed it's task like it was new... A certain amount of crud is expected and designed for, but there's always a limit!

I could be that limit. I do a lot of fried food and of course the microwave vents into the kitchen (yuck) so everything ends up coated in grease.

 

[pstehle]

I could be that limit. I do a lot of fried food and of course the microwave vents into the kitchen (yuck) so everything ends up coated in grease.

I learned the hard way that putting a mini-split too close to the kitchen isn't a good idea. The whole insides of the evaporator unit get sticky with kitchen grease, which sticks the dust to it, so it's a much bigger chore to clean it.

 

[combo52]

Kitchen grease, etc.

I don’t understand why people would cook in a kitchen without a exhaust system that exhaust outdoors, by double wall of an is vented directly outdoors the two cooktops are vented outdoors with a downdraft system, and the slide in range on the other side of the kitchen has its own very high-quality range hood that’s vented beautifully outdoors.

We cook every day we fry and roast and everything else. It’s now been almost 39 years and I haven’t ever repainted or even so much is wiped the kitchen ceiling off. It looks like the day it was painted, to say nothing of the awful smell that not having properly vented appliances produces.

It’s not healthy either to breathe smoke and other cooking byproducts, I even made a mini range hood which ties into the larger range hood just for the toaster oven because I couldn’t stand the smell of doing even something simple like tater tots in the toaster oven without proper ventilation.

John L

 

[phillymatt53]

Kitchen grease, etc.

I don’t understand why people would cook in a kitchen without a exhaust system that exhaust outdoors,

John L

I wallpapered my kitchen 20 years ago.
It's still fresh and clean like I just put it up.
Any heavy cooking, I use the range hood, along with a twin-squirrelcage exhaust fan in the nearby window.

Some people have no common sense, or are just lazy.

 

[Chetlaham]

Unfortunately, that is what often comes with homes. A hood or over the range micro which vents inside. I hate it. My guess is cost. Builders just want something to be present vs something which actually works.

 

[phillymatt53]

Unfortunately, that is what often comes with homes. A hood or over the range micro which vents inside. I hate it. My guess is cost. Builders just want something to be present vs something which actually works.

I refuse to have an "over the rangetop" microwave oven.
I think it is just another stupid marketed appliance that gullible people would buy.
Marketed to "save counter space"..... yeah, ok!

First off, in order to fit this contraption above the stovetop, you need room.
You gotta be able to put pots on the stove.
That makes the microwave door high up in the air, above the rangehood area.
If you're a small person, you gotta reach way up to get that hot bowl of soup or stew out - and likely wind up spilling it on the stove or your own self.
Stupid!
Or a heavy roast - good luck with handling that!
I wonder how many have been burned by that stupid appliance?

Some products like this are not well thought out.

 

[Chetlaham]

I refuse to have an "over the rangetop" microwave oven.
I think it is just another stupid marketed appliance that gullible people would buy.
Marketed to "save counter space"..... yeah, ok!

First off, in order to fit this contraption above the stovetop, you need room.
You gotta be able to put pots on the stove.
That makes the microwave door high up in the air, above the rangehood area.
If you're a small person, you gotta reach way up to get that hot bowl of soup or stew out - and likely wind up spilling it on the stove or your own self.
Stupid!
Or a heavy roast - good luck with handling that!
I wonder how many have been burned by that stupid appliance?

Some products like this are not well thought out.

The thing is, once they break they are difficult to fix. When I had my repair guy over, he said GE no longer makes parts for my 15 year old over the range microwave oven. 15 years. 15. Thats just ridiculous.

However, I do not care. My Sharp R21LCFS Commercial microwave oven is literally the best microwave I have ever owned and is 1000 times better in terms of even cooking compared to my existing over the range unit when it worked. A good commercial counter top microwave is all people really need. Anything else is just money in the drain.

 

[vacerator]

Building codes require an otr micro vent to be at least 18 inches above the cooktop and stock cabinets for mounting cabinets for mounting them are 20inches above when mounted flush in line with the cabinets on either side. Room for any size stock pot. For shorter people and seniors, may not be optimal.

 

[phillymatt53]

Building codes require an otr micro vent to be at least 18 inches above the cooktop and stock cabinets for mounting cabinets for mounting them are 20inches above when mounted flush in line with the cabinets on either side. Room for any size stock pot. For shorter people and seniors, may not be optimal.

Considering that the appliance naturally has the range hood vent at the bottom
that puts the door of the microwave even higher - still, it's an idiotic design.
I stand by my post #44 rant.

 

[magic_clean]

OTR history from General Electric

 

[vacerator]

Very few put a roast or a turkey in a microwave. We use it for reheating, thawing, melting, boiling a cup or 2 of water, and only cook fresh veggies in it. The turntable can be shut off, and a 13x9" dish fits. I do like the drawer type though.

 

[pstehle]

The thing is, once they break they are difficult to fix. When I had my repair guy over, he said GE no longer makes parts for my 15 year old over the range microwave oven. 15 years. 15. Thats just ridiculous.

However, I do not care. My Sharp R21LCFS Commercial microwave oven is literally the best microwave I have ever owned and is 1000 times better in terms of even cooking compared to my existing over the range unit when it worked. A good commercial counter top microwave is all people really need. Anything else is just money in the drain.

You're lucky you got 15 years out of it before GE discontinued the parts. I had a double wall oven they did that with at 7 years, and you know there's no two wall ovens on the planet that are exactly the same size... Never ever buying anything with a GE logo on it again, even with the $50 coupon they sent me for my "next GE purchase"! And my kitchen "vent" is ducted outdoors. Problem is, I have a KA OTR combo. I like it's location over the range, and the microwave performs well. The light is marginal and the vent is pathetic on a good day... Whatever 3rd party Whirlpool bought these from decided to save a dollar or so by omitting the magnetron fan, instead using a plastic duct and one side of the squirrel cage to cool it. Now you get half the vent performance, plus ALL the blower racket whenever you use the microwave, AND you get to exhaust conditioned air the whole time. My new place has a shelf built into the cabinets to hold a standard countertop oven. No more hermaphrodite microwave-vent-light units for me!

 

[vacerator]

GE changed the fill valve part number, but it fit. Control board had a 5 year warranty I remember. It was an $800 machine in 2010-11.

 

[Chetlaham]

You're lucky you got 15 years out of it before GE discontinued the parts. I had a double wall oven they did that with at 7 years, and you know there's no two wall ovens on the planet that are exactly the same size... Never ever buying anything with a GE logo on it again, even with the $50 coupon they sent me for my "next GE purchase"! And my kitchen "vent" is ducted outdoors. Problem is, I have a KA OTR combo. I like it's location over the range, and the microwave performs well. The light is marginal and the vent is pathetic on a good day... Whatever 3rd party Whirlpool bought these from decided to save a dollar or so by omitting the magnetron fan, instead using a plastic duct and one side of the squirrel cage to cool it. Now you get half the vent performance, plus ALL the blower racket whenever you use the microwave, AND you get to exhaust conditioned air the whole time. My new place has a shelf built into the cabinets to hold a standard countertop oven. No more hermaphrodite microwave-vent-light units for me!

GE knows how to pi$$ people off. They are major league experts at it.

Whirlpool's cost cutting of getting rid of the magnetron cooling fan is an exceptionally stupid idea and I would never buy such an oven. I remember starting a thread about it voicing the exact same limitations as you did only to get shouted down by the techs for questioning the engineering decisions of a major corporation.


https://automaticwasher.org/threads/fanless-whirlpool-microwave.96380/

I've always been fascinated (in a shocked way) by the ideology of autocracy where common people are discredited and completely stripped from self autonomy and the decision making process of life, rights and consumer goods.

For many people half a vent is not enough, me included.

But I personally think its a moot point anyway because there is not a single residential microwave oven on the market in last 30 years that can cook evenly. Only a select few commercial models do it for me, and all of those are counter top units.

And before people starting flooding in to discredit me, here is the cavity of my commercial Sharp after two plus years of most uncovered daily cooking with tomato sauces, soups, hard boiled eggs, macaroni, meats, dressings, ect.




Clean.

Now look at the cavity of my GE oven, same lifestyle.






Put food into the Sharp, 1 minute latter in comes out nice and evenly heated through out ready to eat, looking just as good as it did originally. Put food into the GE for 1 minute and all you get is sput, pop, bow, pop, bow, pop, bow, bow, bow, pop, BOOM, pop, bow, pop, BOOM, BOW, HASSSHHHSSSS, BANG! Food is cold in the middle burning black around the edges. Tastes like and looks like a steamy tire fire. Yes the turntable works.

You can not compare the two ovens. The Sharp literally does a better job melting butter on 100% power than my GE on 2% power. I feel sorry for anyone who does not own a good commercial counter top oven.

 

[Chetlaham]

Correction- 20% power. I felt the need to make this correction because I know people will quip "your GE does not have a 2% power level, power levels come in settings of increments of 10%." Yes, that is true. Also true the power levels on the GE is worthless because the Sharp can do the same at 100% power.

Turntables, power levels and inverter driven magnetrons mean and do absolutely nothing.

 

[phillymatt53]

Correction- 20% power. I felt the need to make this correction because I know people will quip "your GE does not have a 2% power level, power levels come in settings of increments of 10%." Yes, that is true. Also true the power levels on the GE is worthless because the Sharp can do the same at 100% power.

Turntables, power levels and inverter driven magnetrons mean and do absolutely nothing.

My 800 watt Sharp Carousel has a turntable, and appears to look inside like your filthy GE, but clean.
Purchased at Sams Club for $47 back in 2003, it's never gave me problems.
I did have to replace the light bulb, a small task.
I do use a plate sized splash cover, or suitable lid over things that I know would dirty the cavity.