Fridge not cold

[Gimesalot]

Alright, I  need some help.  In the last few days our fridge is no longer cold. We have GE side by side. The freezer appears to be working well. So at first I thought it was the damper between the fridge and the freezer. It was not. I tried several other things and I  thought it was a malfunctioning defrost heater;  however when l plugged the fridge in, I noticed that ice formed on the bottom half of the evaporator coils almost instantly. The top of the coil didn't freeze or even feel cold to the touch. Now I am starting to think there is a leak of coolant. I am going to have the defrost heater tested tomorrow but I have a nagging feeling there's a leak.  Comments are appreciated. Thanks.

[zolotiyeruki]

Yup, ice on the evaporator coils usually means loss of coolant.

[Greg]

Is the freezer drain clear?  The only problem I've had like yours is when the drain got clogged with ice (from the door being slightly ajar overnight) and the ice built up, causing very little airflow through the coils.  This also caused the freezer to be not as cold.  The fix was to take it apart enough to clear the ice plug and no problems since.  As long as it gets closed all the way that is.

[Gimesalot]

Yes, the drain is clear and it is defrosting.

[Cromacster]

Unplug it for a few hours.  I had this same thing happen to me a few weeks ago.  From my internet digging it could be due to a faulty thermistor or something to do with the defrost cycling of the fridge.  Turning it off and letting any extra frost melt, then turning it back on seems to reset it.

Not sure if yours will have the same solution, but it worked for me.

[TomTX]

I'd unplug for 12 hours minimum. I had a similar problem and a 2 hour unplug did not fix it. 12 did.