Whirlpool Refrigerator GB22DKXJW01 Freezer not defrosting

"My Whirlpool GB22DKXJW01 refrigerator Freezer not defrosting"... freezer doesn't defrost properly, freezer won't melt away the frost or freezer won't melt ice from the coils - I know, I’ve seen it all before. On this page, I have the instructions and the parts you need to identify and fix the problem. Troubleshooting the "Freezer not defrosting" problem for your Whirlpool GB22DKXJW01 refrigerator shouldn’t be difficult and I’m here to help!

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Here are the most common causes for Whirlpool Refrigerator GB22DKXJW01 "Freezer not defrosting"

64% of the time Defrost Thermostat

The refrigerator stopped getting cold and the freezer was very icy.

Adventures in appliance debugging. My wife called me on the way to the airport last week and said our refrigerator wasn’t cold. Turns out the freezer was completely iced over and ice had blocked the airway that is used to pull cold air into the refrigerator side. https://monosnap.com/file/Ame5QG6UZ9m3sefhkWfLtM9c5Gr1iy Then the question becomes, why is the freezer icing? Most modern refrigerators have a defrost timer that puts the freezer into the defrost cycle every couple of hours. If those go bad or get stuck, then the defrost cycle won’t get triggered and frost builds up. Could that be the issue? Usually you can tell if the timer is still working because you can hear it clicking down near the bottom of the fridge. In this case I could hear the timer clicking. I could also manually advance the timer and then hear the condenser turn off. After waiting about 20 minutes, I heard the condenser turn back on. So at the very least, the timer works to turn defrost cycle from on to off. But what about when it’s going from off to on? To test that, I needed to advance the timer to the spot just before the defrost cycle and then wait to see if it turns off the condenser by itself. (edited) Hmm, working fine. So what gives? Around the perimeter of the cooling element, I could see the heating element, which looks like black metal tubing just like you might see in an electric oven. Again turning the timer to the defrost cycle I can then test to see if that is getting hot by using a temperature gun. Nope, not getting hot! We have a clue. I can see the wires that connect to the heating element, and on one end, it connects to what appears to be a thermostat. At first I wonder, why would there be a thermostat there? Ah, I bet it turns off the heating element after the freezer temp raises to a certain temperature. Some googling confirms this. So, when the defrost cycle is going and if freezer is below a certain temperature the thermostat acts like a switch and turns on the heater. So, I disconnect the thermostat and temporarily bypass it while the defrost cycle is on. Voila! The heater starts heating up. Next step. Confirm the thermostat is bad. I do this by plopping it in some ice and putting an ohm meter across the leads. https://monosnap.com/file/Ap6nfios9v4u6IGsGktaKB4aKZro3H 25 degrees F and still OL (meaning open lead, ie the switch is “off”) So we order a new thermostat, defrost all the ice with a hairdryer, and put everything back together for now. New thermostat arrived today! Installed it. Look at all this ice already! https://monosnap.com/file/LZFdvqx3amogMHCsbFmyb1ENq5hY5j Switched it over to the defrost cycle and then check the heating element again with the heat gun. 500F! And look at all that ice melt. ?? https://monosnap.com/file/875ImWwdiWhgmRgUoghCcetPGcyES8 And now everything is back together and nice and cold!

Frig warms up after freezer ices up

After removing the back panel from the freezer compartment and defrosting the freezer I used an ohmmeter to verify that the defrost heater was ok (about 50 ohms). The defrost thermostat however, read as an open. I allowed the freezer to get cold again and again verified that the thermostat was "open", even when cold. I quickly located the correct thermostat on the APP site and ordered it. It arrived in two days, and I placed the new thermostat in the freezer with the old one and after they had cooled I again verified that the old was was "open" while the new one was "closed", 0 ohms. The new thermostat was simply clipped onto the evaporator tube and the two wires plugged into the wire harness connectors. Problem simply, and inexpensively, solved.

Refrigerator wouldn't shut off and wouldn't cool.

Replaced the defrost thermostat. The frost-free freezer was iced up, indicating it wasn't defrosting. As we were poking around, we discovered the coils were completely covered with dirt/lint. There was no way to get to them to clean them so we tipped it over about 45 degrees and blew compressed air through it, over and over, front to back and back to front. Turns out you're supposed to do that every 3 months. Who knew? Probably won't do that, but it will be on the calendar for New Year's every year. We were able to turn the thermostats down quite a bit and it's staying colder. Changing the thermostat only took about 15-30 minutes. The ice maker and back of the freezer needed to be removed. Cleaning it after 15 years took closer to 4 hours.

Freezer rear wall iced snowy, dropping temp in freezer ice cream getting soft and ice slimy

I simply replaced the thermostat and the defrost control timer. Bingo. Fixed. You guys are awesome. Thank you

The freezer kept icing up

I first believed I had a leaky door gasket. It turned out not to be the case. After a little reading I called appliance parts pros and asked for specs on the various parts in the defrost system. The timer was working, the element was giving the correct ohms, and even the defrost thermostat checked out. I put it all back together and the freezer started to ice. I took it apart and bypassed the thermostat. It immediately began to defrost. Replaced the thermostat and no problems since then

Fast same day shipping

365 days to return any parts

Defrost Thermostat for Whirlpool GB22DKXJW01 Freezer not defrosting

$41.96 In Stock, Ships Tuesday

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Made by:: Whirlpool
Part Number:: AP6005218
Fast shipping:: Yes
Returns:: 365 days to return

The Defrost Thermostat is an OEM Replacement Part used to control the defrost cycle of Whirlpool refrigerators. This thermostat, measures just over an inch long with approximately six inches of wire. It operates by closing the heater circuit to initiate the defrost cycle. It opens the circuit when the temperature rises above 55 degrees Fahrenheit. It then resumes operation when the temperature drops to 20 degrees Fahrenheit.

This mechanism allows the unit to be heated for short periods to melt frost without heating the contents of the appliance. The defrost thermostat shields the evaporator from overheating during the defrost cycle. This helps to maintain the efficiency and longevity of your refrigeration unit. This part is compatible with select Whirlpool brand models including Amana, KitchenAid, and Kenmore.

35% of the time Defrost Timer Kit

Freezer not cold.

Freezer was at 22 degrees. Refrige at 41 degrees. first tried defrost timer. Did not change anything, because I eventually discovered that the coils were encased in solid ice. (There are some coils behind the reefer that were filled with dust, but that is not the problem. The coils inside the freezer cavity, behind a panel accessed from inside the freezer, were iced. Possibly because the door gasket was bad for years, and/or possibly because the defrost timer was not working. After defrosting the coils with a heat gun, I now have zero degrees in the freezer. Defrost timer may or may not have been needed. I will be ordering the freezer door gasket tonight.

The frig stopped defrosting.

Pulled frig away from wall and unplugged it. Emptied the frig (not really necessary) and freezer (necessary). Removed rear plate in freezer covering freezer coils. Defrosted the entire coil area and wiring with hair dryer. Messy and wet. Removed front grill panel. Removed plate holding defrost timer using portable drill and 1/4" socket. Removed and replaced timer. Vacuumed up visible dust bunnies.Replaced front grill and turned frig back on. Works great.

Defrost timer.

Simple. 2 nuts out, remove old timer. install new timer,put in nuts and bolts that came with it. done.

Frig was warm, freezer cold with frost on back wall. Googled and found it was most likely the defrost timer

I ordered the defrost timer from appliance parts pros. With standard delivery, I got timer the very next day. I had unplugged the frig and let the back wall thaw out overnight. It was super easy to remove the old timer and attach the new one. Waa Laa.....frig is COLD again! Thank you Appliance parts pros for the super fast delivery!

Freezer was cold but refrigerator pantry warm i increased freezer to # 5 & refride # to 6 to compensate

I looked up my problem on APP.com and I ordered a new Defrost Timer Kit, cleaned out the back of the unit after taking off the panel and getting the right brush set to clean the coils from the front which was embedded with dust, I mean dust. You can't just take the grill off and vacuum the coils with a crevice tool. My unit is 20+ years old and parts are just starting to fail. It's an Amana BH20S5W I'm also getting ready to order a Damper Control which controls the amount of cold air transferring to the pantry from the freezer.

Fast same day shipping

365 days to return any parts

Defrost Timer Kit for Whirlpool GB22DKXJW01 Freezer not defrosting

$35.19 In Stock, Ships Tuesday

Add to cart

Made by:: Whirlpool
Part Number:: AP4246797
Fast shipping:: Yes
Returns:: 365 days to return

The Refrigerator Defrost Timer is an OEM Replacement Part designed to manage the automatic defrost system in Whirlpool freezers. Housed at the top inside of the appliance, this component shuts off the cooling system and activates the defrost heater. The timer operates at 120V 60Hz and activates for 33 minutes every 8 hours. The dial on the timer can be turned clockwise to advance it into and out of defrost.

Located in the machine compartment's condenser, it's attached through the timer bracket. A screwdriver and a socket set are useful for the replacement process. The kit includes the timer, nuts, and screws. Before installing, unplug the refrigerator, remove the grille at the bottom, and detach the bracket from the frame. This time is compatible with select Whirlpool brand models including Amana, Caloric, Kenmore, Kitchen Aid, Maytag.

Whirlpool Refrigerator GB22DKXJW01 Freezer not defrosting

64% of the time Defrost Thermostat

The refrigerator stopped getting cold and the freezer was very icy.

Frig warms up after freezer ices up

Refrigerator wouldn't shut off and wouldn't cool.

Freezer rear wall iced snowy, dropping temp in freezer ice cream getting soft and ice slimy

The freezer kept icing up

Defrost Thermostat for Whirlpool GB22DKXJW01 Freezer not defrosting

35% of the time Defrost Timer Kit

Freezer not cold.

The frig stopped defrosting.

Defrost timer.

Frig was warm, freezer cold with frost on back wall. Googled and found it was most likely the defrost timer

Freezer was cold but refrigerator pantry warm i increased freezer to # 5 & refride # to 6 to compensate

Defrost Timer Kit for Whirlpool GB22DKXJW01 Freezer not defrosting

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