GE Appliances GBE17HYRFS Bottom Freezer Refrigerators Owner’s Manual

GE Appliances GBE17HYRFS Bottom Freezer Refrigerators

INTRODUCTION

THANK YOU FOR MAKING GE APPLIANCES A PART OF YOUR HOME.
Whether you grew up with GE Appliances, or this is your first, we’re happy to have you in the family. We take pride in the craftsmanship, innovation and design that goes into every GE Appliances product, and we think you will too. Among other things, registration of your appliance ensures that we can deliver important product information and warranty details when you need them. Register your GE appliance now online. Helpful websites and phone numbers are available in the Consumer Support section of this Owner’s Manual. You may also mail in the pre-printed registration card included in the packing material.

IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION

READ ALL INSTRUCTIONS BEFORE USING THE APPLIANCE

WARNING

To reduce the risk of fire, explosion, electric shock, or injury when using your refrigerator, follow these basic safety precautions:

• This refrigerator must be properly installed and located in accordance with the Installation Instructions before it is used.

• Unplug the refrigerator before making repairs, replacing a light bulb, or cleaning.
  NOTE: Power to the refrigerator cannot be disconnected by any setting on the control panel.
  NOTE: Repairs must be performed by a qualified Service Professional.

• Replace all parts and panels before operating.

• Do not store or use gasoline or other flammable vapors and liquids in the vicinity of this or any other appliance.

• Do not store explosive substances such as aerosol cans with a flammable propellant in this appliance.

• Do not use an extension cord.

• To prevent suffocation and entrapment hazards to children, remove the refrigerator and freezer doors from any refrigerator before disposing of it or discontinuing its use.

• To avoid serious injury or death, children should not stand on, or play in or with the appliance.

• Children and persons with reduced physical, sensory or mental capabilities or lack of experience and knowledge can use this appliance only if they are supervised or have been given instructions on safe use and understand the hazards involved.

• This appliance is intended to be used in household and similar applications such as: staff kitchen areas in shops, offices and other working environments; farm houses; by clients in hotels, motels, bed
  & breakfast and other residential environments; catering and similar non- retail applications.

• Do not apply harsh cleaners to the refrigerator. Certain cleaners will damage plastic which may cause parts such as the door or door handles to detach unexpectedly. See the Care and Cleaning section for detailed instructions.

CAUTION

To reduce the risk of injury when using your refrigerator, follow these basic safety precautions.

• Do not clean glass shelves or covers with warm water when they are cold. Glass shelves and covers may break if exposed to sudden temperature changes or impact, such as bumping or dropping. Tempered glass is designed to shatter into many small pieces if it breaks.
• Keep fingers out of the “pinch point” areas; clearances between the doors and between the doors and cabinet are necessarily small. Be careful closing doors when children are in the area.
• Do not touch the cold surfaces in the freezer compartment when hands are damp or wet, skin may stick to these extremely cold surfaces.
• Do not refreeze frozen foods which have thawed completely.

WARNING

FIRE OR EXPLOSION HAZARD Flammable Refrigerant

This appliance contains isobutane refrigerant, also known as R600a, a natural gas with high environmental compatibility. However, it is also combustible. Adhere to the warnings below to reduce the risk of injury or property damage.

1. When handling, installing and operating the appliance, care should be taken to avoid damage to the refrigerant tubing.
2. Service shall only be performed by authorized service personnel. Use only manufacturer-authorized service parts.
3. Dispose of refrigerator in accordance with the Federal and Local Regulations. The flammable refrigerant and insulation material used in this product require special disposal procedures. Contact your local authorities for the environmentally safe disposal of your refrigerator.
4. Keep ventilation openings in the appliance enclosures or in the built-in structure clear of obstruction.
5. To remove frost, scrape with a plastic or wood spatula or scraper. Do not use an ice pick or a metal or sharp-edged instrument as it may puncture the freezer liner and then the flammable refrigerant tubing behind it.
6. Do not use electrical appliances inside the food storage compartment of the appliance.
7. Do not use any electrical device to defrost your freezer.

INSTALLATION

WARNING

FIRE OR EXPLOSION HAZARD
Keep flammable materials and vapors, such as gasoline, away from refrigerator. Failure to do so can result in fire, explosion, or death.

CONNECTING ELECTRICITY

WARNING

ELECTRICAL SHOCK HAZARD

• Plug into a grounded 3-prong outlet
• Do not remove the ground prong
• Do not use an adapter
• Do not use an extension cord.
• Failure to follow these instructions can result in death, fire, or electrical shock.

Do not, under any circumstances, cut or remove the third (ground) prong from the power cord. For personal safety, this appliance must be properly grounded.

The power cord of this appliance is equipped with a 3-prong (grounding) plug which mates with a standard 3-prong (grounding) wall outlet to minimize the possibility of electric shock hazard from this appliance. Have the wall outlet and circuit checked by a qualified electrician to make sure the outlet is properly grounded. Where a standard 2-prong wall outlet is encountered, it is your personal responsibility and obligation to have it replaced with a properly grounded 3-prong wall outlet. Do not use an adapter. The refrigerator should always be plugged into its own individual electrical outlet which has a voltage rating that matches the rating plate. A 115 Volt AC, 60 Hz, 15- or 20-amp fused, grounded electrical supply is required. This provides the best performance and also prevents overloading house wiring circuits which could cause a fire hazard from overheated wires. Never unplug your refrigerator by pulling on the power cord. Always grip plug firmly and pull straight out from the outlet. Immediately discontinue use of a damaged supply cord. If the supply cord is damaged, it must be replaced by a qualified service professional with an authorized service part from the manufacturer. When moving the refrigerator away from the wall, be careful not to roll over or damage the power cord.

PROPER DISPOSAL OF YOUR OLD REFRIGERATOR

WARNING

SUFFOCATION AND ENTRAPMENT HAZARD
Failure to follow these disposal instructions can result in death or serious injury

IMPORTANT: Child entrapment and suffocation are not problems of the past. Junked or abandoned refrigerators or freezers are still dangerous even if they will sit for “just a few days.” If you are getting rid of your old refrigerator or freezer, please follow the instructions below to help prevent accidents.

Before You Throw Away Your Old Appliance

• Take off the refrigerator and freezer doors.
• Leave the shelves in place so that children may not easily climb inside.

Refrigerant and Foam Disposal:

Dispose of refrigerator in accordance with Federal and Local Regulations. Flammable refrigerant and insulation material used require special disposal procedures. Contact your local authorities for the environmentally safe disposal of your refrigerator.

BEFORE FIRST USE

1. Remove all packaging materials. Keep them out of children’s reach and dispose of them in an environmentally friendly manner.
2. Clean the inside and outside of the appliance with water and a mild detergent before putting any food in it.
3. After the appliance has been leveled and cleaned, wait for at least 2 hours before connecting it to the power supply.
4. Cool the compartments at high settings before loading with food. The functions Turbo Cool and Turbo Freeze help to cool down the compartments quickly.
5. The refrigerator temperature and freezer temperature are automatically set to 37° F (3°C) and 0° F (-l8° C) respectively. These are the recommended settings. If desired, you can change these temperatures manually. Please see Controls section.

Controls

Refrigerator Temperature Control
This refrigerator has 3 temperature zones: Fridge, Freezer, and TempZone. Their temperature ranges are: Fridge 33° F (0.6° C) to 41 ° F (5°C), Freezer -6° F (-21°) to 6° F (-14.4°), TempZone 32° F (0° C), 34° F (1.1 °C), 36° F (2.2°C). Your refrigerator will come with the recommended factory setting at 37° F (2.8° C) for the Refrigerator, 0° F (-17.8° C) for Freezer and 32° F (0°C) for the TempZone pan. The temperature display will show the actual set temperature and the zone light (Fridge, Freezer or temp zone) will be on. To adjust the Temperature for each zone, press Zone Select. The selected zone light will be on. Keep pressing to toggle between 3 temperature zones. Zone will be set after 3 seconds. Adjust the temperature by pressing Temp Control. The temperature display will show the temperature moving up as you press it. Once you find the temperature you want, the control will automatically set the refrigerator to this setting. You don’t need to press any button.

TurboCool and TurboFreeze
During TurboCool, refrigerator temperature can reach 33°F (0.6°C). During TurboFreeze, freezer temperature can reach 13°F (-10.6°) if room temperature is above 73°F (22.8°C), -?°F (-21.?°C) if room temperature is below 73°F (22.8°C). To enter TurboCool or TurboFreeze or both, press mode. TurboCool will light up. If you leave without pressing any button, TurboCool will be set. Pressing mode a second time will light up TurboFreeze; leave without pressing any button, TurboFreeze will be set. Pressing mode a third time will light up both TurboCool and TurboFreeze; leave without pressing any button, both functions will be set. To exit Turbo functions, press mode again.
NOTE: During Turbo modes, the refrigerator or freezer temperature can be adjusted.

Lock
Press the lock symbol, hold for 3 seconds. The circle around the lock symbol with light up and the control display will be locked. Buttons will not be active.
To exit the lock, press the lock symbol again and hold for 3 seconds. The light around the lock will go off.
NOTE: The display will turn off after 30 seconds if the control display has not been touched. Touch any button on the control panel and it will display again.
Sabbath Mode
Open the door when display is locked, press the Zone Select and Temp Control simultaneously for 5 second to enter and exit Sabbath mode. Activate Sabbath Mode to turn off interior lights, temperature control and advanced features. The compressor will run on a timed defrost when in Sabbath Mode. Sabbath Mode will last for 76 hours if you do not manually exit the mode.

Shelves and Pans

CAUTION Do not clean glass shelves or covers with warm water when they are cold. Glass shelves and covers may break if exposed to sudden temperature changes or impact such as bumping or dropping. Tempered glass is designed to shatter into many small pieces if it breaks.
NOTE: Do not block air outlets by placing food items directly against it. Erratic temperatures may result.
Adjustable Shelves
The height of the shelves can be adjusted to fit your storage needs.

1. To relocate a shelf, lift the back edge first and pull the shelf forward.
2. To reinstall, put the shel on the lugs on both sides and push it back until the shelf slides into the slots.

Fresh Zone Pan
This pan can use for storing vegetable, fruit, snack etc.
TempZone Pan
Adjust the pan temperature through the temperature control panel. This pan can have 3 temperature settings 32°F, 34°F, 36°F (0°C, 1.1 °C, 2.2°C) and can be used as meat, beverage and deli storage. To remove pan, pull out pan (1 ), lift the pan cover slightly (2), tilt the pan up (3), pull the pan out (4).
To remove the pan cover, lift the back edge and pull forward.

Door Bins

Refrigerator Door Bins
The door bins can be removed for cleaning:
Place hands on each side of the bin, lift it upwards (1) and pull it out (2). To reinstall the door bins, reverse the above steps.

Freezer Drawers

To remove:

1. Pull out the drawer to the maximum extent.
2. Lift the drawer and remove.
3. For second drawer, press and hold the stop limit to release and pull out 2nd drawer.

To install:
To reinstall the drawers, reverse the above steps.

Care and Cleaning

Cleaning the Outside

Directions for Cleaning Outside Surfaces, Door Handles, and Trim

NOTE: DO NOT allow stainless steel cleaner to come in contact with any plastic parts such as trim pieces, handle hardware and liners. If unintentional contact of cleaners with plastic parts does occur, clean plastic part with a sponge and mild detergent mixed with warm water.

Cleaning the Inside

To help prevent odors, leave an open box of baking soda in the refrigerator and freezer compartments.
Unplug the refrigerator before cleaning.
If this is not practical, wring excess moisture out of sponge or cloth when cleaning around switches, lights or controls. Use warm water and baking soda solution-about a tablespoon (15 ml) of baking soda to a quart (1 liter) of water. This both cleans and neutralizes odors. Rinse and wipe dry. After cleaning the door gaskets, apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly to the door gaskets at the hinge side. This helps keep the gaskets from sticking and bending out of shape.

CAUTION

Do not clean glass shelves or covers with warm water when they are cold. Glass shelves and covers may break if exposed to sudden temperature changes or impact such as bumping or dropping. Tempered glass is designed to shatter into many small pieces if it breaks. Do not wash any plastic refrigerator parts in the dishwasher.

Moving the Refrigerator
Be careful when moving the refrigerator away from the wall. All types of floor coverings can be damaged, particularly cushioned coverings and those with embossed surfaces. Pull the refrigerator straight out and return it to position by pushing it straight in. Moving the refrigerator in a side direction, or leaning the unit to the corner to pull or push, may result in damage to the floor covering or refrigerator. When pushing the refrigerator back, make sure you don’t roll over the power cord or ice maker supply line (on some models). Adjust leveling legs and make sure the unit is leveled.

Light

This refrigerator has LED lighting. Call service if the light is broken or goes out.

Preparing for Vacation
For long vacations or absences, remove food and unplug the refrigerator. This refrigerator will remember the current setting when you plug it in again. Clean the interior with a baking soda solution of one tablespoon (15 ml) of baking soda to one quart (1 liter) of water. Leave the doors open.
Preparing to Move
Secure all loose items, such as shelves and drawers, by taping them securely in place to prevent damage. To prevent the doors from opening while moving, secure them to the case with tape. Be sure the refrigerator stays in an upright position during moving.

Write the model and serial numbers here:

• Model#
• Serial#

Find these numbers on a label inside the refrigerator compartment. GE is a trademark of the General Electric Company. Manufactured under trademark license.

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