Hotpoint Refrigerator Freezing Food: Temperature Control Thermostat Replaced in San Jose
A Hotpoint HTS18GBSARWW refrigerator in San Jose, about 15 years old, was freezing food. The mechanical thermostat had failed. We replaced it with GE part WR09X20002 inside the center control housing.
Repair at a glance
| City | San Jose, CA |
|---|---|
| Appliance | Refrigerator |
| Category | Major Brands |
| Brand & model | Hotpoint HTS18GBSARWW top-freezer refrigerator |
| Repair date | |
| Customer complaint | The customer said all the food in the refrigerator section was freezing. |
| Diagnosis | This refrigerator uses a mechanical temperature control thermostat. The thermostat had failed and no longer stopped the cooling cycle. |
| Repair cost | $305 (parts and labor) |
| Warranty | 6 months on parts and labor |
| Outcome | Repaired |
What the customer told us
The refrigerator is small and fairly old, about 15 years. The customer said all the food inside was freezing.
Diagnosis: a failed mechanical thermostat
This model has a mechanical temperature control thermostat. It was clear that the thermostat had failed and was keeping the refrigerator too cold.
The repair
To replace it we took apart the center control housing in the refrigerator section, where the light bulb is. The temperature control thermostat is mounted in that housing.
We carefully removed the old thermostat, disconnected its wires and installed the new GE thermostat, part WR09X20002. We placed its sensing tube in the same spot as the old one and put everything back together.
Result
The thermostat part cost $70; the rest was labor. The total was $305, with a 6-month warranty on parts and labor.
Photos from this repair
The Hotpoint refrigerator before the repair. 
Temperature control housing and a thermometer on the shelf. 
Control housing taken down from the ceiling. 
The old thermostat inside the control housing. 
Old thermostat (in hand) and the new one. 
Genuine GE replacement thermostat, part WR09X20002.
Need Hotpoint refrigerator repair?
$85 diagnostic applied to the repair. Serving San Jose, San Francisco & the Bay Area.