Cleaning Condenser Coils - GE Side by Side Refrigerator

[@GraceAppliance]

Hi Everybody, Welcome! If you have technical questions please check out www.Patreon.com/GraceAppliance By becoming a channel supporter, you'll get priority response to technical questions, technical data sheet requests, and help support the channel so I can produce more repair videos. Thanks so much! Andy

[@SFBay69]

Thanks for this video!....my freezer and fridge started acting weird, wouldnt get cold until I researched and found this video. I used a shop vac to clean coils and now its cooling and working again!

[@GraceAppliance]

Nice work! Stay in touch. Andy

[@SFBay69]

@@GraceAppliance Thanks again!

[@troymeredith521]

@@SFBay69 Just curious how long before you saw results that it worked? A few hours or 24 hours?

[@SFBay69]

@@troymeredith521 about 6 hrs

[@reded6640]

Thanks man. My refrigerator temp was going up but the fan was still running. My coil was disgusting. I use a toothbrush and a hand held car vac and it did the job. Running like new again. Thanks again

[@gregs9555]

Thanks ge for making the back side of the coil impossible to clean

[@ismith4748]

5 year old GE side by side frig owner. Watched your vid, then wanted to clean. Looked in the manual under maintenance, no mention of cleaning coils. Looked on website, said models made after 2001 didn’t need cleaning. Called 800 number for GE. Said it didn’t need to be cleaned. Couldn’t even tell me where coils are located. No problems so far, but I’m going to give it a try.

[@GraceAppliance]

Hey, yes. Your manual (made by the same people selling you a new fridge) say thay it never needs to be cleaned. LoL Until they're purchasing my new fridge, I'll keep cleaning mine. 😁

[@digitalwindowz]

Fridge was struggling. Watched your very awesome video and now my GE refrigerator is cool and smooth! Thank you so much! Your video helped me fix it myself💪! Appreciated!

[@brentjohnson6654]

Thanks I am searching youtube for info on cleaning the coil on a side by side GE and ran across your videos. Mine has a panel over the coil - I am going to guess which panel to take off first (kind of like “Let’s Make A Deal”). Thanks again and all the best from north Texas.

[@jimrobertson3098]

Came across this video and checked my refrigerator coil out. I normally just vac the back and underneath the front. So took the back panel off and oh my, what a mess. Got right down to cleaning out the mess and ended up vacing a whole canister full of dust. Looking forward to see what the results will be as this maintenance has not been done since the purchase of the refrigerator. Again, thank you for your video as it was extremely helpful.

[@GraceAppliance]

Awesome work Jim! One more thing for the annual list. Haha However, this job is one that will extend your fridges life more than any other maintenance I can think of. Stay in touch!

[@adamidk581]

I followed up with your procedure and waiting for the results- keeping fingers crossed 😂😂

[@lisalee-lee235]

You explain in such an easily understood way...excellent! Thanks much!

[@GraceAppliance]

Thanks for the kind words! Stay in touch.

[@lisalee-lee235]

Will do! Just ordered a can of Nu Blast from Amazon, $17.66~Yay! Now, just gotta get a hold of Shrek & see if he'll be so kind to share his toothbrush with me as well...😁🤢 That was a good one, lol!

[@Jazzhog]

I've cleaned my coil 2 to 3 times per year. It is quite difficult to clean the back side. You kinda have to get a little creative and use what you have at hand. Toothbrush is number one, long flexible brush also. I bring out the old shop vac to help for a better job. Compressed air is also an option for final sweep. Of course you need to make sure the wife is out shopping or at the nail salon, etc. Otherwise you'll end up sleeping in the dog house for a week. This demo is cool though, it shows that you really don't need to get nutty nuts. Just clean it, and get back to what's really important, TV, recliner, remote, snacks and a six pack. In whatever order you want. LOL

[@GraceAppliance]

Jazz Hog my thoughts exactly!

[@HappySunshineDay]

I am the wife - and I am the one who'll be cleaning the coils! LOL I can't imagine why any wife would get mad for you prolonging the life of a major appliance!

[@mikethompson3534]

You are a smart man 😄

[@Jazzhog]

@@mikethompson3534 HUH ?!!

[@Jazzhog]

@@mikethompson3534 LOL I'm not really, I just like to be challenged. Especially mechanical stuff. Thanks for the kudos...

[@Ansel_Here]

Awesome help. Thank you. This and a couple other videos may have given my refrigerator another ten years.

[@jyates1007]

What other videos

[@memaperm9553]

Great video! I used an old paint brush and shop vac. I didn't think it was necessary to remove all the small kitchen appliances that I store on top of the refrigerator before moving it way from the wall. The blender glass jar fell to the floor and shattered which prolonged what was supposed to have been a simple 20 minute chore.

[@GraceAppliance]

Mema Perm oh no! That’s not good. I’ve come close to toppling someone’s lamp or display dishes from on top of a fridge before. It never fails that I have like 30 different spice bottles come off the cabinet anytime I try to move a fridge. :(

[@claudedesaulniers2300]

Bending the brush to reach the back is a good idea. Using a vacuum to suck up that dust would have been another one.

[@GraceAppliance]

Claude Desaulniers thanks for the tip Claude. A vacuum is not possible to get to the back side of the coil. I’ve seen others used compressed air to blow the dust off while using a vacuum on the other side of the refrigerator to catch the dust that comes off. Seems like a mess, but probably works. Funny enough when reading through the tech manual, GE actually says that the customer should never have to clean this coil under normal conditions for the life of the machine. Yikes! They fail to mention that that life could be much longer should the customer choose to do so! Haha Thanks for watching!

[@truhunk1]

Ya, GE wants it to crap out so you go and buy another one. What I meant with a vacuum was that while you are scraping the crud off the coils, all that dust would get sucked up with the vacuum air flow rather than float into your kitchen. A compressor with a vacuum is good too. So, your bent brush to reach the back, and vac for the dust makes it all good. I guess I'm picky about dust because of allergies.

[@GraceAppliance]

Claude Desaulniers great idea!

[@aregularguy44]

I've watched a couple of these videos showing how to clean refrigerator coils. Some have the coils under the bottom of the fridge and others, like the one shown here and like my GE side by side, is at the bottom of the back (in a round configuration). My first instinct would be to use a vacuum to get the heavy obvious dust and dirt. Using the brushes first would seem to shove the dust and dirt further into the coils, making it more difficult to clean as thoroughly. There is also a cooling fan at the left end of this type of coil which also should be cleaned (vacuuming and wiping the blades and surrounding surfaces).

[@joshb6440]

Thanks for this! A how-to video that doesn't show where to access what you are doing doesn't seem terribly helpful.

[@philm.6113]

​@Josh B Behind and lower right bottom. My GE has a cheap piece of cardboard ( 8 screws ) that needs to be removed. My GE Profile looked exactly like this video.

[@frankamdur1441]

Thank you very much maintenance is far cheaper than major repair

[@symbionproject]

Many thanks for this tutorial! I'd not ever done this before so this explanation was great.

[@LunaJones-o6x]

I blew into the tube to clean it out not thinking but then a glob of slushy mush dust shot on the wall and floor xDD Thank you for the video!!

[@WhenWordsFailMe]

Thank you so much!! Awesome, simple video and commentary. Loved it!

[@greatwhitenorth3717]

mine looked a lot like this..freezer was warming. I used a vac with long narrow tube from the front and vacuum with brush attachment for the rear. I then repositioned vaccuum in the front and balsted the heck out of it with compressor air hose from the rear. Good as new...thanks!!!

[@emmettkate1370]

At 4:32, will the spray push the dirt inside the coil?

[@lohmiperez3699]

Best instruction video ever.

[@sirblack1619]

Thanks for the tutorial video. This helps a lot.

[@benkanobe7500]

Would spraying with compressed air after the aerosol help? Considering how important this is to keep clear, I am amazed it is so hard to service. I tried removing the condenser fan, but could not get to the bottom bolt. My hope was to shop vac from the inside but no way to get the bolt out (the top wasn't easy either).

[@Midge1k]

Compressed air works well also after vacuuming the surface

[@jenniferhamm3118]

I shot mine out with the air compressor after sucking/brishing off the heavy stuff. Any issue with that other than a dusty kitchen? Also wondering if there is anything to be cleaned on the front bottom of the fridge, where older fridges has a kickplate? These newer side-by-sides dont appear to have anything accessible there, but it sure seems like there should be more to it than just cleaning the condensor.

[@jamesbottelman3347]

Use a leaf blower,only way to completely remove the dust.

[@jrstf]

Where does the dust go? All over the kitchen, or just to the center of the cylinder where it can't be cleaned out?

[@jamesbottelman3347]

It goes just about everywhere, just sweep it up when you’re done

[@philliphall5198]

Can it make it not cool and compressor not running ???

[@icevariable9600]

Thanks. This helped us.

[@monimoo88]

My Fe doesn’t have a defrost tube that looks like that. If there is one I can’t seem to find it. Do different models have them in different places? My fridge started to lose its temperature overnight.its staying at a stable 51 degrees now but I can’t get it to go any lower and I’m currently trying to clean out the coils.

[@maureennoonan1469]

The tech person who diagnosed my fridge issue never pulled the fridge out to see behind - he stated that the compression pump can't pump the freon over to the evaporator - does that make sense? My freezer is working just fine- refrigerator part is super warm - 79 degrees.

[@GraceAppliance]

Maureen Noonan If he pulled the inside wall of the freezer down to expose the evaporator inside the freezer he might have been able to say this with some confidence, but if the freezer is getting things frozen rock solid this is an indicator that the compressor is doing its job. If your fridge had just a single evaporator, the symptom of a working freezer but warm fridge seems more likely to be a failed evaporator fan motor, a bad damper door motor (or frozen shut) or a failed refrigerator temp sensor.

[@maureennoonan1469]

@@GraceAppliance He did not pull the inside wall down- he took shelves and basket's out but no walls. The freezer I believe is good, things were certainly not melting- he said the fans are all working. I am at the mercy of these pple. I unplugged the fridge to see if it was an icing issue and I've pulled it out from the cubby and will be cleaning the condenser coils from the back if I can get at them. I still don't understand the 'compression pump can't pump the freon over to the evaporator' - have not seen any videos related to that issue. TY so much for your reply!

[@GraceAppliance]

Hey, here is a quick explanation of how your refrigerant travels through the sealed system. I hope it helps. Thanks! Refrigeration Cycle kzbin.info/www/bejne/faG5kqdse5ZsZq8

[@maureennoonan1469]

@@GraceAppliance Interestingly- I had unplugged the fridge for 24hrs and now it seems to be cooling fine. I'm going to leave it off for another 24hrs -maybe the air flow vents were blocked up by ice? If the diagnosis by the tech person was correct, could it possibly be now working fine? Just wondering if I got scammed.

[@tomking1890]

Does any of that cleaner get on the floor, or is a solid floor on the fridge?

[@HappySunshineDay]

Hi - Thanks for the tutorial. I have two questions: 1. Are the coils located at the back under that cardboard panel that says something like "Do not remove under penalty of law?" If so, how do you replace the panel when you are all done cleaning? 2. Does the bottom end of the defrost pipe connect to anything? Thanks in advance!

[@GraceAppliance]

Hi, LOL, I've never noticed a warning like this, but you can definately remove this panel. You might take a picture of how it slots back in before removal just in case. Most will have a few 1/4" screws holding it in place. The defrost drain line doesn't connect to anything but rather simply let's the water drain in to a pan under the fridge. Just make sure the tube is returned to the same general area so the water will properly flow in to the pan. I hope that helps.

[@HappySunshineDay]

@@GraceAppliance Wow - my 6-yr old machine was even dustier than yours! And I do vac behind the fridge about quarterly. You were right: the cardboard panel just screwed on/off. I vacuumed that while it was lying on the floor. I have cleaned the coils as best I can and my defrost line certainly had some gunk right where you said it'd be. I rinsed that out - at first it flowed in a limited manner. Now my son & hubby are twisting a cloth through as best they can. Almost done here. I am confident that my machine temps will stop this afternoon increase. And you just saved me at least $75 bucks! Thanks!!

[@johngrasing1715]

My refrig has water going it. Are those lines flexable so when I pull it out they are not a problem?

[@yousifmabb5369]

Great upload. Thank you.

[@scottyboy2400]

So is there anyway to easily remove the coild then clean it? Mine looks to have a lot of dust on the inside of the cylinder I can't get to at all. Guess I will try air compressor blowing it out then vacuum? idk? Anyone?

[@GraceAppliance]

Hi Ome, No, unfortunately. It's part of the sealed system so in order to remove you must cut the refrigerant lines which of course is a major job to reinstall. I agree that compressed air is your best bet, but also be prepared for a bit of a mess doing it this way. Thanks

[@Eliusalmo1]

Excellent! Thanks!

[@gizmo87315011]

If your refrigerator has a funky smell due to the evaporator coil in the freezer, can you clean the evaporator coil in a GE side by side. My husband said you can't spray it with soapy water because it's not hard metal. If you can clean it, how?

[@Jenniferde2007]

I would have loved a full view of the refrigerator so I could see exactly where this compressor is. I am not best person left to my own devices here--also I have severe dust allergies can I just use a vacuum? I have an attachment that works for my computer keyboard--would it work for the coils too?

[@GraceAppliance]

Hi J, Your condenser coils are behind your refrigerator at the lower right hand side (if you have a GE side by side). You’ll remove the clover on the backside of the refrigerator which will be either cardboard or metal. You can use a vacuum, but will only be able to get a portion of the dust off. You may also want to wear a mask if you are sensitive to dust. I hope this helps. Thanks! Let me know if you have any questions.

[@Jenniferde2007]

Can I unplug my refrigerator with food still in it? Will it harm the refrigerator in any way? I am sure this has NEVER been cleaned and it is 21 years old. I am a bit nervous--there is a copper pipe right from the back of my wall going into the back of the frig--the same size as the ones you show on your video. The panel at the back is cardboard and secured with screws. Getting nervous...

[@GraceAppliance]

Hi J, Yes, you can safely unplug your refrigerator temporarily while you complete this job. It will stay cold for several hours unplugged as long as you do not open your doors. The copper tube you have is your water supply line and you should be able to leave this connected without any issues. Just be sure not to kink this line while you're behind there cleaning the coils. So, you'll unplug your refrigerator and remove the 5 screws which hold the cardboard on and this will reveal behind it your condenser coils in the lower right. Don't be nervous, I'll be here for you if you have any questions! : )

[@bernadette7587]

Is this something that a repair person should catch and recommend ? I did not see in maintenance manual.

[@GraceAppliance]

Bernadette in my opinion, yes. I often knock the majority of the dust off if I’ve got the back cover off of a customers refrigerator anyway. It takes just a minute or two and I will tell folks to put it on their annual list of home chores.

[@bernadette7587]

Thanks. After a year of repair people trouble shooting it was diagnosed by a GE guy but crazy has taken so long.

[@GraceAppliance]

Bernadette wow! That’s bad. I’m sorry it took that long!

[@carlbrooks90]

I had to clean one recently, its not getting cold on both sides. Is the compressor wore out? Or do I need to wait 24 hours?

[@Anon-f7f]

You definitely gotta wait over night. I was worried too but when I woke up the next morning the ice maker was full of ice and the fridge was cold again. Give your fridge time. Also make sure your defrost drain is not clogged! Or else water will leak all over your kitchen floor.

[@carlbrooks90]

@@Anon-f7f thanks

[@billychavis539]

If the compressor isn't kicking on once plugged in, is there any point in going through this process?

[@GraceAppliance]

No, coils would not have an impact. I have a video called refrigerator too warm which may help. Thanks!

[@tammybamba]

Thank you!! You saved me. 😁

[@khgreenwald]

Thank you!

[@timm285]

What am I supposed to do if I have cardboard in the back? Throw it away?

[@GraceAppliance]

You need to leave the cardboard panel in place behind the fridge. It helps with appropriate air flow. Thanks

[@timm285]

GE Side-by-Side ONLY - Refrigerator Repair Videos ohh. But what if I have to clean under it? There are a million screws holding it in place.

[@GraceAppliance]

@@timm285 if your fridge has cardboard on the underside of the fridge, you need to leave this in place. There is a removable rectangle panel on the back that comes off with around 6-8 small 1/4" nuts. Some model of fridges are cleaned by removing the front kick panel and using a long brush to reach in.

[@hediervarelamedina987]

The video is good, but the work becomes more efficient when, in addition to the brush, the brush extension and the cleaning agent, air pressure and a vacuum cleaner are used to deepen the cleaning and finally if the cleaning agent is applied. for the most excellent.

[@ronnapier3768]

Mine looked worse; freezer was no longer freezing, then the fridge temps started rising. Opened it up, and did a quick search for best ways to clean-your video was the first result, and I can see why! Also, didn’t catch the “Shrek’s toothbrush” until I was typing this! 😂

[@riboflavinz]

So did your freezer work better after cleaning the coil?

[@Honeycombe88]

Manual for my fridge doesn't say where the coils are. Neither does this video. GE does say that many fridges made these days have a "never clean" coil and/or inaccessible to consumers.

[@tomking1890]

There no such thing as refrigerator coils that do not get dirty

[@dongilpark7830]

Question... any reason why power plug has to be off? What if the power is still on while the cleaning is happening?

[@GraceAppliance]

DONG IL PARK just for safety. Watch for the fan blades. Other than that, there isn’t a lot of electrical on that side of the fridge by use common sense as always.

[@rneedham667]

Thank you so much!!!

[@andrewjia5604]

It is kind of difficult to clean it up

[@andrewjia5604]

I mean it is difficult to clean inside of the condenser coil.

[@GraceAppliance]

@@andrewjia5604 it would be. Most models you would need to remove the condenser fan motor to access. I'd say it's probably overkill as knocking the majority of the dust off of the exterior of the coils will be adequate for most instances. Also, the interior will naturally be less dirty due to the fact that the air is being drawn from the outside toward the interior so the dusr/hair will collect on the outside of the coils vs the inside. I hope that helps. Andy

[@roostershooter76]

Why not just hit it with a shop vac and suck all that dust up?

[@GraceAppliance]

Hey, you definitely can, and it does not hurt. However, you'll find that you can only get to the front side of the condenser this way. It's better than nothing, but you won't be able to get to all of the nooks and crannies. Thanks for watching. Andy

[@Grrr036]

Found Nu Blast on Amazon.com for $17, will save you some money for future cleanings.

[@GraceAppliance]

That's a good deal! That stuff is outstanding.

[@Grrr036]

I ordered a can to do mine, it's ready for a thorough cleaning. Thanks for the video, it helps a lot!

[@GraceAppliance]

@@Grrr036 you're most welcome. Good luck with it and let me know if you happen to have any questions.

[@deecee6810]

Thank you Gary

[@sirblack1619]

Walmart has the spray for the same price as Amazon.

[@comm2531]

Not digging that style. Use vacuum first instead of tooth brush. Making a big mess that way. Then use brush to get what you can't vacuum . Forget that can of air, use shop air if you have to.

[@GraceAppliance]

Ok, thanks Amphib Aav.

[@wb2194]

I use foaming glass cleaner, $1.99. Works great.

[@elinorreinhardt1050]

Vacuum the coils 6:36

[@anthonymartin2412]

LOL you may get one side your way. Only High psi CO2 will blow it clean like new in 1 min or less . or take out side and use water hose. This dirty burns the compressor oil.

[@deeh9303]

Worst condenser design I've ever seen

[@GraceAppliance]

It's a headache, but funny enough the tech sheet says this design never needs to be cleaned! Yikes. This coming from the folks who sell fridges I guess. LoL Whirlpool may take the cake for worst design ever though, thier is UNDER the refrigerator and you can only get to the very front of the coils unless you wanted to tilt the fridge back! Awful.

[@joserivas6146]

We should rinse with water or not? the Nu blast after 10 minutes of stand by;

[@GraceAppliance]

No, the nublast is a no rinse condenser cleaner. So, no water is needed. Just let it air dry.

[@jameswarren436]

I dont understand the 30$ can... my vax did fine

[@philliplopez8745]

Try three parts water plus one part RV antifreeze in a pump sprayer plus your shop vac .

[@Terry-hl6li]

Thanks. Excellent video!!!!