Ge WR50X10010 Defrost Thermostat OEM Part

This is a 15 yr old Kenmore (GE) refrigerator with top mounted freezer... I knew, for awhile, that I had a DEFROST problem. That was causing water to collect on the inside bottom of the fridge, under the veg./fruit bins. And then occasionally run out onto the kitchen floor if I didn't sop up the water inside. But I delayed the repair because of the hassle of emptying the food, top and bottom, and finding temporary homes for it all. Until I noticed 3 things happen in short order. 1)The water stopped leaking out. (2)The ice maker suddenly quit working. (3)The refrigerator portion was no longer cold enough. (Also found the back wall of freezer loaded with frost.) Newb to fridge repair, but watched enough videos to kinda-sorta 'know' what I had to do. Symptoms said either defrost timer, defrost thermostat, or defrost heater...or some combination of those parts, were bad. So first I emptied the unit, then found the defrost timer (was in the fridge section between the damper control and fridge temp. control. Advanced the timer manually to start the defrost cycle.(When the fans stop and compressor stops, you know that's the spot!) Then I waited, watching the clock.....45 min. later, the fans and compressor started up, so I knew the timer was not the problem. (Nor the fans or compressor!) Unplugged unit. Unplugged the ice maker. Removed it, the light and it's cover, and the air vent grille from the freezer section. Unscrewed the one screw holding the back panel of the freezer in place. As I assumed, the evap coils and surrounding area were covered in ice/frost. Used a hair blower on HIGH for 10-15 min. to remove it all and dry things off. I could immediately see the thermostat was bulging out of shape, so I knew it was bad. Immediately came here and ordered a new one. (Using the cheapest STANDARD shipping option the part came in LESS THAN 24 HOURS!!! AMAZING!!) Since all was defrosted, while waiting for my new thermostat, I tested the drain line by dumping a small cup of water over the evap. coils.....Water gushed into the fresh food compartment, so I knew I also had a plugged drain line. Luckily, that line sticks out the back of the fridge and was easily removed. Sure enough, I flushed out a charred piece of styrofoam insulation from the freezer, which had worked its way into the line, eventually (with other gunk) blocking the water from its normal path to the evaporation pan. Snipped the two wires to the bad thermostat to remove it. Spliced in the new thermostat using two waterproof silicone sealant filled wire nuts to connect it to the existing wire ends. At this point, all I wasn't sure about was the defrost heater. I could've plugged the unit back in and waited for the fridge to cycle to defrost mode, but I got impatient. So I ran out and bought a basic digital multi-meter and tested the heater coil for resistance/continuity. It checked out fine. Buttoned everything back up except for the back panel in the freezer and started the fridge. It went through a normal run/defrost cycle so I knew I was done. Reconnected all the freezer components. Ice maker started working normally again. I was DONE. A huge THANKS, to AppliancePartsPros, for the tips and the incredibly FAST delivery!

First I took the technical data sheet off the back of the unit, it was in a brown envelop taped and tucked into the lower equipment cover. Then I compared information from Appliance Parts Pros to the data sheet, matched up the probable culprit parts, and ordered defrost thermostat and defrost control. They arrived promptly.. Unplug the unit from the wall. The defrost control is located in the same space as the light, two screws and the small panel drops down, a tip is to use a short #2 Phillips and let the panel drop down on a shelf. From there detach the panel wiring harness, five pins, set the panel on a bench, change out the module, and reverse the process. Another tip, this is probably not a place for a power driver.. Then, open the freezer cabinet, the shiny screws give access to the coils, the thermostat is clipped to the line shown in your technical data. Un-clip it, cut the wires at the thermostat, clip the new one on, use wire nuts or crimp connectors to splice into the harness, color to color, reverse the process. That is the part replacement process. It takes about forty five minutes. Then, see if the parts work, and they will. What comes next is about an hour and one half. Cleaning the condenser coils. My technical data sheet shows a set of coils under the fresh food cabinet formed to curve up six inches to vertical. Which makes a fan pulled shelf for dirt. If you want to try to clean this, try to take the unit outside. It is not possible to clean this set of coils by vacuuming or brushing it from the bottom or back. It need to be blown out. And it will make a terrible mess. If you use one vacuum to blow, use another to catch the stuff.

After removing the rear freezer panel I noticed ice on the coils and also noticed the defrost thermostat was coming apart. I order the part from Appliance Parts Pros and received the part quickly and replaced it within 10 minutes. Great service as always!!! Thanks

I learned how the defrost cycle works and then proceeded to trouble shoot the problem with the help of online videos. I purchased a part from AppliancePartPros at 3 PM and had the part the next day before noon. I tested the part for proper operation and then installed it. It was very easy to do and straight forward. If you have good reason and logic you can do the repair. I probably saved myself a lot of money.

After trouble shooting the problem I determined that the defrost control was not working. I replaced the defrost control which was bad and, just because of age, I replaced the defrost thermostat. System is now working properly. It is refreshing that I can get parts at a reasonable cost.