GE TBF17, TBFM17, TBF19 Use and Care Manual

UseandCareof
I+doOFrostModels

TBFl~TBFM17&TBF19

Ene~-SavhgTips

-insidefrontcover

HowtheEner~-Saver
Swikhworks

Howlongshouldyou
stolefoods?

Save

Beforeyoucallforsewice,
usetheRoblemSolverep10

TheGEAnswerCentei800,626,2000

timeandmoney.

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Contents

Page

Energy-SavingTips. . . . . . .Inside

FrontCover

important Cautions. , . . . .......1

Howto Connect Electricity ... .1,2

Installation Requirements. . . ...2

How to Adjust Rollers.. . . .. . ...2

Howto Adjust Leveling Legs. . . .2

How to Set Temperature

Controls . . . . . . ..o . . . . . . . . . ..-~

How to Use Energy-Saver

Switch .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . .-..--..3

Food Storage Suggestions . . ...4

Shelf Positions. . . . . . . . . . . . ...5

Storage Drawers. . . . . . . . . ...-.6

lce Service- .. . . . . . . . . . . . ...7. 8

Accessories. , . . . . . . . . . . ...-..8

User MairItenance

instructionsf .. t . . . . . . . . . . . .9

ProblQmSolver . . . . . . ...10-12

Special Services . . .. . . . . ..Inside

BackCover

Warranty. .. . . . . . . ..$ack Cover

fled thisbookCarefuilyc

it isdesigned to help you operate
and maintain your new refrigerator
properly.

Keep it handyfor answersto your

questions.

If you don’t understand something
or need more help,..
Call,toll-free:

The GE Answer Center~

800.626.2000
consumer information service

or write (include your phone
number)

ConsumerAffairs
General Electric Company
Appliance Park
Louisville, KY40225

writedown the I’noddand

serialnumbers.

You’llfind them on a label at the
bottom, just inside the fresh food
compartment door.

These numbers are also on the
Consumer Product Ownership

Registration card that came with

your refrigerator. Before sending

in this card, please write these
numbers here:

Model Number

Serial Number

Usethese numbers in any
correspondence or service calls
concerning your refrigerator.

If you receiveda damaged
refrigerator,immediate y contact

the dealer (or builder) that sold you
the refrigerator.

Savetime and money.
Beforeyoucallforservice, check

the Problem Solver on pages 10

through 12.It lists minor causesof
operating problems that you can
correct yourself. It could save

you an unnecessary service call.

Energy-SavingTips

* Be sure the doors are closed
tightly. 13eforeleaving the house or

retiring for the night, check to be
sure doors haven’t been left ajar
inadvertently.

* Store oniy those foods requiring
refrigeration in your refrigerator.

* AllovJhot foods to cool {until
warm to the touch) befare placing
them in your refrigerator.

= Wipe all moisture from bottles
and cartons before putting them in
the refrigera~cx.

@Keep all foods covered to
reduce moisture build-up Inside
the refrigerator,

@If you turn controls to coldest
position for quick chilling or freez­ing, be sure to turn them back to
regular settings.

@Don$tovercrowd your refrigerator.
C)vercrowding can require extra
electrical energy to keep every­thing cool.

#&3
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lmpotiantCautions

!Fkadallinstructionsbeforeusingthisappliance,

~~~~~~~–-When usingthis
appliance, alwaysexercise basic
safety precautions, including the
following:

~ Use thisapplianceonlyforits
intendedpurposeasdescribed in

this Use and Care Book.

@Thisrefrigeratormustbeproperly

installedinaccordancewiththe
InstallationInstructionsbeforeit

isused.See grounding instructions

below and on page 2.

@Never unplug yourrefrigerator

bypullingon the powercord.

Always grip plug firmly and pull
straight out from the receptacle.

~ Repairor replaceimmediately

allelectricservicemrds that
havebecomefrayedor otherwise

damaged.Do not use a cord that

shows cracks or abrasion damage
along its length or at either the

plug or connector end.

~ When movingyourrefrigerator

awayfromthe wall, be careful
not to rolloveror damagethe

powercord.

oAfter your refrigeratoris in

operation,do not touchthe cold

surfaces,particularlywhenhands
aredamporwet;Skin mayadhere

to these extremely cold surfaces.
@If yourrefrigeratorhasan

automaticicernaker,donotplace
fingersor handson theautomatic
icernakingmechanismwhilethe

refrigeratorispluggedin.This will

prevent contact with the moving

parts of the ejector mechanism,
or with the heating element that
releasesthe cubes.

o Don’trefreezefrozenfoods

whichhavethawedcompletely.

The United States Department of
Agriculture in Home and Garden
Bulletin No. 69 says:

‘~..Youmay safely refreeze frozen
foods that havethawed if they still
contain ice crystals or if they are

still cold—below 40°F.
‘~..Thawed ground meats, poultty,

or fish that have
or off-color should not be refrozen
and should not be eaten. Thawed
ice cream should be discarded. If
the odor or color of any food is

poor or questionable, get rid of it.

The food may be dangerous to eat.
“Even partial thawing and refreez-

ing red’ucethe eating quality of

any off-odor

foods, particularly fruits, vege­tables, and prepared foods. The
eating quality of red meatsis
affected lessthan that of many
other foods. Use refrozen foods as
soon aspossibleto saveas much
of their eating quality asyou can.”

@Hyour oldrefrigeratorisstill

aroundthe housebutnotin use,
be sureto removethedoors. This

will reduce the possibility of danger
to children.

@W@ug yourrefrigerator:

A. Before making any repairs.

Note: Westrongly recommend
that anyservicing be performed
by a qualified individual.

B. Before cleaning.
C. Before replacing a burned-out

light bulb, the refrigerator should
be unplugged in order to avoid
contact with a live wire filament.
(A burned-out light bulb may
break when being replaced.)

Note: Turning control to OFF
position does not remove power

to the light circuit.

~ Do notoperateyourrefrigeratorin

thepresenceofexplosivefumes.

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Installation Requirements- IMPORTANT.,,PIeaSeReadCarefully

Howtoconnect

electricity

RN-persona!safety,

thisappliance

properly grounded.

The power cord of this appliance
ISequi~ped with a three-prong

(grouncllng) plug which mates with

----:astandard three--prong (grounding)
receptacle (Fig. 1)t~ rninimiz;

~~;i

-: the possibility of electric shock
hazard from this appliance.

mustlx?

PREFERRED
METHOD

WJSUREPROPER
GftOUfIJOEXISTS

Fig.

1

Have the wall receptacle and
circuit checked by a qualified
electrician to make sure the

receptacle is properly grounded.

BEFOREUSE

1

Where a standard two-prong wall
receptacle isencountered, it isthe
personal responsibility and oMi­gation of the customer to have it
replaced with a properly grounded
three-prong wall receptacle.

cmNOT, UNDER ANY cRRcL}M-

STANCES, CWTOR REMOVE

13’-’ETHIRD (GROUND] PRONG

FROM -THEPOWER Ccm!a

(continued next page)

Part No. 4&3316fW4

installationRequirements(cxmthwed)

-IMPORTANT... !!F%3seRead Carefully

Useofadapter plug

Becauseof potential safetyhazards

undercertain conditions, westrongly

recommendagainstuseofanadapter

plug. However,if you still elect to use

anadapter,where local codespermit,
aTEMPORARYCONNECTIONmay
bemadeto aproperly grounded

two-prong wall receptacle by use of
aIJLlisted adapter (Fig, 2)available
at most local hardwarestores!

TEMPOWU’IYMETHOD

fADAPTERPLUGSNOT

I

PERMITTEDINCANADA)

The larger slot in the adaptermust be
aligned with the larger slot in the wall
receptacle to provide proper polarity
in the connection of the power cord.

c-----%

II ~ \“

BEFOREUSE

Use ofextensioncods

Becauseof potential safety hazards
undercertain conditions, westrongly

recommend againstthe use of an
extension cord. However,if you still
elect to use an extension cord, it is
absolutely necessarythat it bea UL
listed 3-wire grounding type appli­ance extension cord and that the

current carrying ratingofthe cord be
15amperes minimum. Such exten­sion cords are obtainable through
your local service organization.

The refrigeratorshouldiahvay’s

be piuggd intoitsown

individualektricd cwtk3t=—

(115volt, 60 Hertz, or 100volt,
50 Hertz, single phaseAC).

This is recommended for best
performance and to prevent over­loading house wiring circuits,

which could cause a possible fire

hazardfrom overheating wires.

Refrigeratorinstallation

Flolfers/LevelingLegs

Adjustablerollers(on modelsso

equipped) which enable you to
moverefrigerator away from wallfor
cleaning, or levelinglegs,are
located behind basegrille. They
shouldbeset sorefrigerator is
firmlv positionedonfloor andfront is
raised”justenough that doors close
easily when opened about halfway.

I

Toadjustrollersor levelinglegs,

remove base grille by grasping it

atbottom and-pulling it straight out

ROLLER

~AOJUSTING SCREW

i I

CAUTKWJ:Attaching adapter

ground terminal to wall receptacle
cover screw does not ground the
appliance unless cover screw is
metal, and not insulated, and wall

receptacle is grounded through

house wiring. Customer should
have the circuit checked by aqual­ified electrician to make sure the
receptacle is properly grounded.

When dkconnecting the power
cordfromthe adapter,always hold
the adapter with one hand If this
is not done, the adapter ground

terminal is very Iikeiy to break

with repeated use.

Should the adapter ground
terminal break, !30 NOT USE the

applianceuntil a properground
hasagainitwmestablished.

iDcDnotinstallrefrigeratorwhere

temperaturewill go below M)°F.

because it will not run often enough
to maintain proper temperatures.

Do installitonaflmrstrong enough

tosupportafullyloadedrefrigerator.

Also see Energy-Saving Tips
regarding location.

AmAf 5/8”@ EwM’.2hsick md!1“ over

topforease d installationand

the

properair circulation.

consider providing water supply to

refrigerator location. Rwill simplify
connection of optional automatic
icemaker should you wish to install
one at a later date.

Turn roller adjusting screws or

leveling legs clockwiseto raise
refrigerator, countercbckwise to

lower it. Use adjustable wrench or

pliers onthe roller ad~ustingscrew’s

3/8” hex head bolt. ~
When adjusting rollers or leveling

legsfor proper door closure, bottom
front edge of cabinet should be
approximately 5/8” from f?oor.

Tore~!ace
on back of grille with clamps in
cabinet and gently push forward

until grille snaps into place.

frxwsewWe, align prongs

2

.—

—

Operating YourRefrigerator

setthe

—-

temperatureContro!s

TEMPERATURE CONTROLS ,

t *

FREEZER

4

C

INITIAL SETTING

~ COLDEST

%

ALLOW 24 HOURS FOR TEMPERATURES TO STABILIZE

Your refrigerator has two controls
that let you regulate the tempera­ture in the fresh food and freezer

compartments.
!NITIALLY, set the FRESH FOOD

controlat
controlatC.

Forcolderorwarmertemperatures,

adjustthedesiredcompartmentcon-

trol oneletteror numberatatime.

IMPORTANT

Wheninitiallysettingthecontrolsor

whenadjustingthem,allow 24 hours
forthe tem~ratures tostabilize,w

evenout.

Note:Turningthefreshfd mntroi

to“OFF” turnsoti BOTH com~rt-

ments—frxh f- AND fr-er.

How to test temperatures
Use‘themilktestfor the fr~h f-

compartment.

milkonthetopshelfinthefreshfood
compartment.Checkit adaylater.
Ifthe milk istoo warmor toocold,

adjustthe temperaturecontrols.

Usethe icecram testfor tb

fr~zer comwtiment. Place

tainer of ice cream in the center of

the freezer compatiment. Check it

a day.Ifits too hardor tm soti,

after

adjust the temperature controls.

e, Always allow 24 hours forth@ r@frig­w;::e~ ~~acb ihe temp@ratur@

.

5 and the FREEZER

Placeacontainerof

a con-

P

FRESH FmD

INITIAL SETTING 5

b

●

COLDEST 9

Irl

B;

:0

~+

2

●1 ~ ~++o

tkrmtat b!ow w°F. atnight

...

youmaywanttoturnthe/etiered

controlonestepcolder,asfrom

“D.”Coolertemperaturesinthe

to

housemaycausethefreezercon­trolsto operatelessfrequently,
thusallowingthefreezercompafi­mentto warmsomewhat.Toprotect

yourfrozenfoodsupply,ieaveyour
/eHeredsettingatthiscoldersetting

fortheentirewinter
Wriod oftimeyouareturningdown
yourthermostat.
importantwhenthethermostatis

turn~ downforanextendedPerid.

Thischangeshouldhaveno
effecton your

However, if freezing

the numhred control onestep
warmer,asfrom“5” to “4.”

Whenyoustopturningthetherm~
statdown,turntem~rature controls
backto theirregularsettings. ~

or for whatever

Thisisespecially

fresh food section.

recurs,turn

EnergySaverSwitch

TheEnergySaverSwitchisIwated
onthe temperaturecontrol panel.

This turns off heaters in your

refrigeratorthatpreventmoisture

fromformingontheoutside.

oftheEnergySaverSwitch

Use

cansaveyoumoney.Estimated

yearlysavings,dependingonyour

localelectricrates,areasfollows:

—.

EstimatedYearlySavings E“~~gY

“’’’M:;:::)

TBF17

II

TBFM17$ “0°

1

I

I TBF19 I $10.00 I $17,00 I $23.001 16%

Withthe heatersturnedoff,there
isachancethatmoisturemayform
ontheoutsideofyourrefrigerator,
especiallywhentheweatheris

humid.Thehumidityismostlikely
to behigh inthesummer,inthe
earlymorninghours,andin homes

“C”

whicharenotairconditioned.
Oer anextendedperiodoftime,

moisturethatformsontheoutside

maycausedeteriorationofthepaint
finish.Itwill beim~fiant to protect
the finishbyusingappliancepolish
waxasdescribedon page9.

I

whenthe Energysaverswitch is

pushti to theright,electricityflow
throughthe !OWwattageheaters
whichwarmthe outsideof the
inetand,undermostconditions,
preventthe formingof moisture
or waterdroplets.

Nodefrosting

It is not necessaWtodefrostthe

freezerorfreshfoodcompatiments.
Yourrefrigerator isdesignedand
equippedto defrostitself
automatically.

$16700

I #

[–q

$21.00

--—

16%

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3

Pati No. 468316PQ4