# Freezer won't work. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 18, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373 "2012-05-18T22:57:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/1 "2012-05-18T22:57:55Z")
I know, everything is falling apart over here. The freezer compartment of our Whirlpool Refrigerator/freezer is no longer freezing, and the refrigerator compartment feels warmer than it should. No settings have been changed. The last two times a similar thing happened it was the evaporator fan that had failed. Each of those other two times had the fan not spinning and the coils frozen. This time the fan is not spinning BUT the coils are not frozen. There is a block of ice surrounding a number of electrical parts in the back left of the freezer, previously covered by the metal back. Does this still sound like an evaporator fan, or more likely something else. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/2 "2012-05-18T22:59:04Z")
Oh, yeah. Model ET25DKXBW02 Serial number EE2614328 ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/3 "2012-05-18T23:03:45Z")
Sounds like it needs to be defrosted first. Empty out all all the food into ice chests, or cook it. Let the Frig stand with the door open for 24-48 hours until all the ice is gone. DO NOT attempt to chip off the ice. When all the ice has melted, plug it back in and check it in a couple of hours to see if it is freezing. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/4 "2012-05-18T23:14:33Z")
Perhaps this is so. I do want to emphasize that nothing to do with this freezer is frozen except this 2 x 3 x5 inch block surrounding controls. I was thinking of using a hair dryer on it. Bad idea? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/5 "2012-05-18T23:25:59Z")
I wouldn’t. ---
**Author:** ![johnpost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f17d59/32.png) [@johnpost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnpost)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2012, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/6 "2012-05-18T23:41:13Z")
> [@dauerbach](#): > > Perhaps this is so. I do want to emphasize that nothing to do with this freezer is frozen except this 2 x 3 x5 inch block surrounding controls. I was thinking of using a hair dryer on it. Bad idea? the hair dryer will shut itself off from over heating long before you’ve melted much of anything. let it sit for 2 days and thaw and dry out. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/7 "2012-05-19T00:18:32Z")
Ok, thanks. I will nix the hair dryer and just leave it off till it thaws. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/8 "2012-05-19T17:38:39Z")
So I bought the part locally for 79.00, replaced the old part and voila…it works. Am now using dishes with boiling water to meld the ice, then will put everything back together. Thank you to everyone who offered advice. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/9 "2012-05-19T17:42:04Z")
What part did you replace? ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 19, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/10 "2012-05-19T18:34:43Z")
So I bought the part locally for 79.00, replaced the old part and voila…it works. Am now using dishes with boiling water to meld the ice, then will put everything back together. Thank you to everyone who offered advice. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2012, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/freezer-wont-work/622373/11 "2012-05-22T03:03:10Z")
An evaporator fan.