TFM30PBBGWW General Electric Refrigerator - Instructions

The problem is the common issue that the proximity of the plastic water lines that leave the electrically controlled valve near the compressor in the bottom back corner of the fridge, means they become brittle and crack/break. Both the line leaving to the ice-maker that runs diagonally across the outside back of the fridge, and the line that runs under the fridge to feed the water dispenser failed at the valve, breaking off just where they start at the valve.

The result was I noticed a big puddle coming out from under the fridge (too late for the poor wood floor).

The solution, replace the parts. For the ice maker line, it is one thin line - its easy to replace other than taking care to uncrimp and recrimp the connection up at the entry to the freezer.

For the thicker tube, the one that goes to the water dispenser, you replace the reservoir tank that sits inside the fridge. It has the two lines leaving it permanently attached to the tank, hence you replace the whole thing. There are separate lines and a splice/union that can be used to replace just the last 6 inches near the compressor, but I chose to replace the whole unit. This describes replacing that water chill tank unit.

The tank sits behind the bottom 2 drawers in the fridge.. you see it when you pull out the drawers. It has two lines permanently attached, one runs out of one hole in the bottom of the fridge and to the back of the fridge where it attaches to the exit on the electrical valve. The other runs out of the other hole in the bottom of the fridge and runs along the side, then along the front from the fridge to the freezer side. There is a union that connects that line to another line that then runs up the freezer door. Remove the front cover under the fridge to see this line and the union.

To replace the tank, you have to disconnect it from both ends, where its held in by plastic nuts/unions. Water remaining in the lines will drain out when you disconnect them. I unscrewed the valve assembly from the fridge body and then unplugged the plugs to the valves to do the work (but left the fridge plugged in).

To do this work, I needed to raise the fridge side edge of the appliance, since the hoses route along the underside of the fridge. After you disconnect the two ends (at the union on the freezer side bottom front egdge, and back side at the valve) you can pull the hoses up into the fridge. Routing the new hoses will require you have at least that one side off the floor to get your hands under it. I got two 6" tall 4x4 wood blocks and tipped the fridge slightly, raising the right (fridge) side off the ground and slid the blocks under the fridge rollers.

To remove the tank, before you raise the edge of the fridge, there are two screws that you need to remove (top side and left side) from the storage tank.

I recommend that in addition to removing the bottom two drawers, you remove all the bins hanging in the fridge door, since you need to work in there with gravity wanting to shut the door on you. Once you have the tank unscrewed (and the hose ends disconnected) note which hose(based on where it connects to the tank) goes to which hole in the bottom of the fridge. Pull up the hoses from the inside the fridge. The tank is free..go put it in the sink and drain the water out.

Installing the new tank, remove any hose end caps and route the hoses back through the lower drawer support frame you pulled them out of, and feed the correct hoses back through the holes in the bottom of the fridge. I found it better to feed the longer one first, which leads to the water dispenser/front. I could then pull that one up front from under the raised fridge and clip it in place and then route the other hose fully though its hole and route it to the back of the fridge to the valve. This way I ensured I was sending the right hose to the right destination.

You will likely have to trim the hoses once the tank is reattached as they are slightly long. Be sure

I had noticed water on the front left of the fridge on the floor.I thought it was the drain in the freezer so i poured hot water with baking soda into the drain but it didn't help..I pulled the fridge out and saw water dripping from the water valve solenoid.I searched the web for parts and found Parts select.com.I found the part quickly and they had pictures from all angles to assure me that it was the exact part which was great.The transaction on line was simple and the part came the next day.I will definitly use this sight again

Removed the ice bin and maker, then removed cover from the rear that covered the solenoid that controls the dispensing mechanism. Replace solenoid. The tricky part here is that there is a styrofoam cover around the solenoid pin that needs to be superglued into place and oriented properly during replacement. All electrical feeds snap out neatly and are easily replaced. Reassemble ice dispenser and bin, and viola, your back in business.

Because of the age of the refrigerator, I was unable to find original water filter replacements. I found an adaptor through PartSelect, ordered and received it within 3 days. I was then able to find a replacement filter to work for my appliance. It was easy to install. The Adaptor snapped into the port where the old filter went and the new filter screwed into the adaptor...Water / Ice system is working like new again.

Thanx
Joel

Removed shelves from freezer section and removed protective cover using a screwdriver and nutdriver. 5 screws.
Upon removal of the cover, I noticed the coils totally cover with ice. At this point I noticed that the defrost heater was burnt out. I removed the heater using screwdriver and pliers and tested the heater according to instructions from Parts Select website.
Since the coil was exposed, I also tested the defrost thermostat according to Parts select instructions and found it to be working properly. i also tested the defrost timer and found it OK.
I replaced the heater, closed the protective cover, replaced the shelves and plugged the unit on.
It has been working just fine since then..
In addition to saving money, i saved myself the agravation of looking for a repairman and having to wait for THEIR convenience to to the work.

There were not two screws as the instructions said. There was only one screw and I had to firmly pull it out after taking out the one screw. Then, to put the new one in, I had to line up two slots on two knob-like things and push it in firmly. Then screw the one screw in.

Other than the two-screw problem, it was easy.

The replacement ice maker that GE supplies for my old refrigerator is a little different than the original. The electrical plug changed from a round plug to a square one. They include an adapter for it, but DON'T USE IT. There's not enough room for the bulky cord and connector. I got a much cleaner installation by taking apart the old and the new ice maker, and then splicing in the old connector into the new ice maker. You need to carefully unscrew a circuit board inside to wire it in, and it'll be more secure if you solider 3 wires instead of using crimp connectors. The instructions also tell you to use your old 'ice breaker', but it won't fit on the new ice maker. I just left the new ice maker's ice breaker on, and it seems to work perfect.

Unplugged frig. Turned off water supply to pump. Removed black cardboard covering on back of frig with nut driver (6 screws).

Took digital photo of assembly to confirm reassembly position.

Removed copper waterline to pump with adjustable wrench. Removed 1 screw holding pump assembly to refrigerator. Pulled assembly out of the frig. Unscrewed two small black screws on a second bracket. Pulled old pump further out of frig. Unplugged two connectors. Removed plastic waterline from pump by turning hose counter-clockwise and gently pulling.

Inserted plastic water line into new pump by turning line in clockwise and it pushing into orange plastic stop. Reconnected two electrical connectors. Reconnected bracket to pump with two small black screws. Gently pushed assembly back into the frig and reconnected pump assembly to the frig with 1 screw. Reconnected copper water line to pump first wrapping threads on pump with Teflon plumbers tape.

Turned on water to check for leaks. Installed cardboard back on frig with 6 screws. Plugged in frig.

NOTE. My new pump assembly had the electrical connectors reversed. Take care to pair up the correct colored connectors.

Frig and freezer were defrosting and refreezing other than normal. Home warranty contractor told me ice maker was faulty. Purchased new ice maker. Unplugged frig, loosened 2 screws with nut driver. unplugged old ice maker, lifted old ice maker out. Took old fill cup off old unit and put on new unit since new fill cup was a different size. Swapped ice maker insert from old to new unit. Plugged in new ice maker, slid over the 2 screws, tightened, and plugged in frig power. New ice maker works fine but still have defrosting and refreezing problem. Figure old ice maker probably works just fine. New contractor still trying to solve problem. Have had problems with this GE Monagram keeping proper temps since it was new in 2005, don't recommend it.

Unplugged refrigerator, removed three screws to take out part, disconnected the wires and removed bad unit. Removed fan blade from old unit and attached to the new unit. Attached wires, placed the new motor back in. Plugged it back in, within 20 minutes panel between freezer and refrigerator was cool to touch.

i turned off the fridge and unpluged it , took out all the shelfs in the freezer and took off the back panel to get to the heater , the heater is only held in with 2 screws and unhook the 2 wires and replace the heater , and then thermostate is on top of the coils , i just cut the 2 color coded wires and replace the theromstate , was easyer then i thought ,

The leak was obvious and I took out the cardboard backing. I closed the valve (water supply) to the water dispenser and ice maker.

With the screw drivers and socket set, I was able to take out the old valve and disconnect the hoses.

Since the part was identical to the leaky valve it was just a matter of reversing the steps. I had previously researched on the web to find the identical part and found a match at Partselect.com. I wish all my repair attempts turn out to be this easy. I wish GE had used better parts since this incident has set me back by several thousand dollars due to the water damage to the wooden floors, basement ceiling and walls.

Isolated water line. Remove water valve from harness. Disconnect water connections. Disconnect electrical connections. Removed valve. Installed new part. Reconnected water connections and electrical connections. Opened water line.

Not only were the parts delivered in 2 days....but a phillips head screw driver and matching up the new rails with the old ones turned out to be a super easy and fast repair!! A monkey could do this repair!! But now I noticed the left hand top drawer rail is cracked! It stinks that the quality of the original parts are so poor...but at least I'm saving some money doing it myself!!!

Replacing the heater is very easy. Remove the wire racks and the two lower rack bracket screws. Remove the two screws to the back panel, unclip the ground wire and remove the panel. Two screws hold he heater on and two wires for the connection.
However, this did not solve my problem. The story is this. The fridge was getting warm because the coils were freezing over. I called the local repair guys "poncho and lefty" and they came out and replace the themostat and charged me $150. It still froze over a week later. They came back and said it must be the circuit board and charged me just for the $125 part. Nope, it still froze over in a week. So I thought I would take things into my own hands and tell poncho and left to hit the trail. I then ordered a new heater because the old one looked bad even though it checked out okay with an ohm meter. Unfortunately, that didn't solve the problem either. The last thing is to replace are the temp sensors. But before I ordered anything I submitted my problem to a "fix it" forum and someone suggested to check the part number of the themostat that was put in. This turned out to be a brilliant observation. It seems poncho and lefty replace the thermostate with one that is used with a timer. This fridge has the timer built into the circuit board and has a very different temp range than the one they replace it with. Their first clue should have been that the wires were a different color than the one they were replacing and that the part number was totally different than the one they took out. So I ordered a new thermostat and the three temp sensors and replace all of this and the unit works as good as new. The forum also told me that the bullet shaped temp sensor were faulty and should all be replaced, which I did.
Now I have all new parts, so it should be good to go until the compressor takes a nose dive. Hopefully, that will not be for 5 or 6 more years.