:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/GettyImages-1432896700-e670c21014954ca6a5229c322b627aad.jpg?w=1200&resize=1200,0&ssl=1 "What to Do When Your Freezer Is Not Freezing—10 Easy Fixes to Try")
A freezer that’s not freezing can shortly result in spoiled mealsinflicting a serious mess and a serious expense. If you happen to discover your freezer is struggling to freeze gadgets, act now earlier than it’s too late. Some freezer points are easy, like a blocked evaporator fan, and others are extra advanced, akin to defective elements. The optimum temperature of a freezer is 0 levels Fahrenheit.
In case your freezer is struggling to chill all the way down to zero levels, listed here are some potential freezer issues and options.
10 Causes Why Your Freezer Is Not Freezing and Options
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Fallacious Settings
One of the widespread causes that freezers battle to freeze gadgets is that the freezer temperature or one other setting is about improperly.
Answer: Regulate Settings
Regulate your freezer’s settings, following the producer’s directions for the correct settings. Many freezers have a beneficial temperature setting, however you might discover that you simply choose a colder setting for sure meals storage wants.
Dangerous Door Seal
Even when your freezer is functionally sound, a nasty door seal will shortly trigger points that may cease your freezer from freezing meals.
Answer: Clear or Substitute Door Seal
In case your freezer’s door seal is compromised, akin to falling off, ripped, or in any other case broken, you may probably must buy and set up a brand new one. Nonetheless, it might merely have to be cleaned. Take away any buildup of grime or frost on each the door seal and the freezer.
Soiled Condenser Coils
Your freezer’s condenser coils are often positioned on the again close to the underside, although the precise place might range from mannequin to mannequin. Due to the exterior location, condenser coils are susceptible to getting soiled and clogged with mud and different particles. As soon as clogged, your freezer can battle to chill down correctly, resulting in meals not being frozen.
Answer: Clear Coils
Make a behavior of often checking your freezer’s condenser coil and cleansing off mud earlier than an excessive amount of accumulates.
To wash the coils, comply with these steps:
- Unplug the freezer.
- Take away any exterior covers.
- Use a vacuum and a delicate bristle brush to take away the mud from the coils, being cautious to not dent or bend the coils.
- Substitute the covers and plug within the freezer.
Frost Buildup
Moisture in chest-type or upright freezers will shortly freeze, resulting in frost buildup on meals, alongside the door seal, and round susceptible freezer elements. Whereas slightly frost in your meals is not a serious deal, an excessive amount of frost within the improper spot can preserve a freezer from cooling down.
Answer: Run Defrost Cycle
Freezers are designed to often defrost, stopping frost from increase and inflicting points. Nonetheless, typically that is not sufficient to maintain the frost at bay. That is when you must run a pressured defrost cycle. Comply with your producer’s directions on the right way to put your particular freezer in defrost mode.
Defrosting Points
Generally the reason for the frost is a matter with the defrost perform of the freezer, which means you possibly can’t even take away it by working a pressured defrost cycle.
Answer: Manually Defrost Freezer
In case your freezer’s defrost perform is not working, it’s important to manually defrost the freezer by unplugging it till the frost melts, then eradicating any water earlier than turning it again on. You will probably want to position your meals in one other freezer or cooler within the meantime.
Defective Thermistor
A freezer’s thermistor is among the most important elements for the cooling cycle. It screens the freezer’s temperature and tells the compressor when to activate and off to chill it down, very similar to a thermostat’s relationship with an HVAC system. If the thermistor breaks, the freezer is not going to cool correctly.
Answer: Substitute the Thermistor
Fortunately, freezer thermistors are often cheap and comparatively straightforward to switch.
To switch your freezer’s thermistor, comply with these steps:
- Unplug the freezer.
- Take away any crucial cabinets and covers.
- Find the thermistor. It is usually underneath a plastic cowl on the wall or ceiling of the freezer.
- Take away the thermistor by disconnecting any {hardware} and wires.
- Set up the brand new thermistor.
- Substitute any covers and cabinets.
- Plug within the freezer.
Warning
Each time working round a freezer’s inner elements, work with warning. Completely different elements will be extraordinarily sizzling or extraordinarily chilly. Moreover, you must by no means try and service an equipment that’s plugged in.
Damaged Evaporator Fan
A freezer’s evaporator fan circulates the cool air all through the freezer. If the evaporator fan goes out, the freezer is not going to cool correctly.
Answer: Substitute Evaporator Fan
Evaporator followers are one of many best elements to switch on most freezer fashions.
To switch a freezer evaporator fan, comply with these steps:
- Unplug the freezer.
- Take away any cabinets and covers.
- Unplug the evaporator fan.
- Take away any crucial clips or screws.
- Take away the damaged evaporator fan.
- Set up the brand new evaporator fan and plug it in.
- Substitute any covers and cabinets.
- Plug within the freezer.
Blocked Evaporator Fan
Generally, the evaporator is working, however its airflow is blocked by meals, stopping the cool air from circulating within the freezer.
Answer: Transfer Blockage
Take away any blockage from the evaporator fan so it might higher flow into the chilly air.
Defective Begin Relay
A freezer’s begin relay works at the side of the thermistor to interact the compressor. When the thermistor senses that the freezer wants to start a cooling cycle, the beginning relay turns the compressor on. Identical to a nasty thermistor, a defective begin relay might lead you to imagine your freezer has a nasty compressor.
Answer: Substitute Begin Relay
Fortunately, it is simpler and cheaper to switch a freezer’s begin relay than its compressor. Here is the right way to do it:
- Unplug the freezer.
- Take away any covers to entry the beginning relay.
- Pull off any clips holding the beginning relay to the compressor.
- Disconnect the wiring harness from the beginning relay.
- Take away the beginning relay.
- Transfer the run capacitor from the defective begin relay to the brand new begin relay.
- Set up the brand new begin relay and plug within the wiring harness.
- Substitute the quilt and plug within the freezer.
Overloaded Freezer
Placing an excessive amount of meals or meals that is too tightly packed can compromise your freezer’s means to flow into the chilly air essential to preserve meals frozen. This may end up in heat spots within the freezer.
Answer: Take away Some Objects
Take away gadgets till the freezer is just 3/4 full. Prepare the gadgets to advertise higher airflow so the freezer can distribute chilly air all through the inside.
Tricks to Preserve a Chilly and Working Freezer
Listed below are some suggestions for maintaining your freezer chilly and functioning correctly.
- Do not overfill it. Filling your freezer greater than 75% full can forestall chilly air from successfully circulating all through.
- Fill it strategically. Even in case you do not overfill your freezer, you possibly can compromise the airflow by blocking the evaporator fan. Set up your freezer to maintain the evaporator clear and promote airflow.
- Hold the door seal clear. Make a behavior of often checking your freezer’s door seal to make sure it is freed from particles and shutting fully.
- Hold the condenser coil clear. Make a behavior of checking the condenser coil as soon as a month and eradicating any mud accumulation.
- Carry out a guide defrost when crucial. If you happen to start to note frost buildup, carry out a guide defrost earlier than it will get out of hand and begins to trigger points.
- Optimize your freezer’s settings. If you happen to’ve by no means adjusted the settings, you would be hindering your freezer’s potential. Moreover, improper settings can run your utility invoice up unnecessarily.
FAQ
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For many freezer fashions, you possibly can reset them by unplugging them. Depart the freezer unplugged for a number of minutes earlier than plugging it again in. If this does not reset your freezer, the producer’s directions might specify a mix of buttons that ought to be pressed to reset the equipment.
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It may be onerous to inform if a freezer is damaged for good, as a number of easy-to-fix points might trigger the freezer to not calm down sufficient to freeze.
Begin by guaranteeing there is no frost buildup and manually defrost it if crucial. Subsequent, test the condenser coils to make sure they are not clogged with mud and clear them if they’re. Lastly, test to verify the evaporator fan is not blocked and chilly air can flow into all through the freezer.
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In case your freezer is getting chilly however not freezing, begin with the best fixes earlier than making an attempt to switch components. Merely eradicating a number of the meals, arranging the meals in a manner that promotes higher chilly air circulation, or cleansing the door seal will be all it takes to get your freezer freezing once more.