Ice in the bottom of the freezer is indicative of a frozen or obstructed defrost drain tube. Some models have a heater for this aspect. The drain tube needs to be cleared of ice or other obstruction in order for defrost water to be drained properly.
Please recheck the model number provided. I think it's missing one character. As is, can't reference service information specific to your model.
Basically, Kristen, the way it works goes like this:
The control board governs cycles of freezing and defrosting in the freezer compartment. It receives input from thermistors (monitoring temperatures in the freezer) to interrupt cooling, and initiate defrost cycles when the low temperature set point is reached. Power is then sent to a heater element so that it can melt away any frost or icy build up on the evaporator coils (this is where the water you found frozen at the bottom comes from). A thermometer detecting the temperature during this phase shuts off the power to the element when it’s high temperature set point is reached, ending the defrost heating. Again, the control board receives the input from a thermistor indicating the end of the defrost cycle, and the control board signals the compressor to restart and begin another cooling period. During the cooling period, there’s a motor and fan in the freezer (evaporator fan motor) that works to circulate the cold air.
If any of these components fail there will be problems. All your thermistor and thermostats, the defrost heater, etc., might be fine, and the control board could be the problem. But, considering your description of the problem(s), I might suspect a faulty thermistor, as these failures are common, and when they occur one might expect inconsistent performance (one time the cycles are fine, the next time something fails). Also, can’t rule out a possible evaporator fan motor failure, either, at this point.
You have to access the evaporator area of the freezer compartment in order to begin testing these components, and you need to be able to use a multi-meter to check components for continuity. Hopefully there’s someone in your orbit who is qualified to safely take a look and run a few tests for you. If not, you really need to call a qualified repair service.
Hope this might help you at least have a better idea of what might be happening.
Good luck, and keep us posted.
3 
2 
6 
1 Comment
Tony!! Thank you so much, I’m flailing here trying to save my food and freezer. I had tried to copy the model number from the Lowe’s website, which was completely different from the one inside the fridge.
Model # GFE28HMHEES
by Kristen