Hi Mary, unplugging it was a good call, and the fact that it’s cooling again tells us a lot. Your serial number starts with “ML”, which means your GE GTS16DTHMRBB was made in July 2018, so it’s about 8 years old.
What most likely happened
A top-freezer fridge like yours makes all its cold air in the freezer. A fan then blows some of it down into the fridge section. Several times a day, the fridge melts the frost off its cooling coils (the defrost cycle). If the defrost system stops working, frost slowly builds up on the coils until it blocks the air. The freezer stays cold-ish, but the fridge gets only “cool”. Unplugging it melted that frost, which is why it’s working again.
Should you get a technician?
Not yet. Here’s what I’d do:
- Put a thermometer in a glass of water in the fridge and another in the freezer. You want 37°F and 0°F. Check them every day or two.
- If it stays cold for 4 weeks or more, it may have been a one-time freeze-up. For example, the door was left slightly open during an event at the clubhouse, which lets in a lot of humid air at once.
- If the fridge gets warm again within 1–3 weeks, the defrost system has failed. Look at the back wall inside the freezer. Heavy frost there confirms it. At that point, call a technician to test the defrost heater, defrost thermostat and control board.
What the repair costs
A defrost heater or thermostat is a common, moderately priced repair, usually well under the cost of a new refrigerator. For an 8-year-old fridge, it’s worth fixing.
Tip for a shared fridge
In a clubhouse, the door gets opened a lot and doesn’t always close all the way. A small sign asking people to push the door shut helps. Make sure nothing on the shelves blocks the door from sealing, and keep food that spoils easily out until you know the temperature is holding.