Feel free to speculate. We have an upright freezer in the basement - about the size of a smallish full-sized fridge. It’s frost-free (which means it goes through a defrost cycle periodically).
We have a temperature alarm on it. Thin wire attached to a probe inside, and a battery-powered alarm unit outside, that chirps if the inside gets too warm.
About 2 weeks ago, I happened to hear the chirping. No telling how long it’d been going on, as the freezer is, well, in the basement (thereby limiting the alarm’s usefulness but it’s better than nothing, right?). I opened the freezer, everything inside was frozen solid. Maybe some condensation around the seal, but everything looked fine. I replaced the alarm’s battery, and figured the problem was the battery dying.
Last Tuesday, I happened to hear it chirping again. Went downstairs, checked - and definite moisture. A number of items still frozen solid, but a few were a bit soft. Sigh. Frantic moving of the solid things to the kitchen fridge / freezer; anything really soft, or with raw meat in it, we left down there until trash night (Thursday night). Including 4 turkey breasts bought half off, similar number of pork tenderloins, etc… we probably lost about 75 dollars worth of food. We left it in there hoping it would be cold enough to not rot / reek by trash night.
Thursday night we went to empty the freezer… and everything was frozen rock solid. We threw it all out anyway.
We’ve since eaten some of the stuff we salvaged and nobody’s gotten sick, so I think my judgement was correct.
So - any ideas on what’s wrong with this thing and whether it’s salvageable? My theory is an overzealous defrost cycle. It’s a 5 year old Kenmore.
One problem I’ve had with freezers in general is if there is any damage to the inside wall, like a puncture through an aluminum side. That lets moisture in and can stop the insulation quality of the fiberglass stuffing. You may want to completely thaw the unit and dry it out, then seal the holes with duct tape.
If ice packs around the temperature sensor or the controls, then they are unaware of the true temperature of the unit. Clear the ice with something tame, don’t chip at it with anything sharp. If the temperature sensor gets too hot it will pop like when a medical thermometer, and need replacing.
If you have a lot of dust bunnies on the condenser coils, I would remove them with a brush (they sell long brushes for this in hardware stores), although I’ve read it’s really not that big a factor in saving energy.
If the unit runs constantly it might need more coolant added. This can be done by yourself if you check a do-it-yourself website.
Former refrigerator repair guy here…
Lot of things it could be…most likely it is not the need for more coolant. It doesn’t wear out. If it was low, then it’s because there’s a leak, and it would just keep getting worse. My guess would be either a problem with the defrost timer, or a problem with the defrost limit switch. The timer is usually pretty accessible, the limit switch requires taking out the lining. It’s possible the interior light (if the freezer has one) isn’t going out when you close the door, but that’s rare. It’s also the easiest to check.
One thing I found was a fan blowing air over the coils that was caked with dust. It had obviously been getting damp a lot and collecting dust deposits that layered like a piece of felt, making it wobble and stall. The blades are easily bent and ruined, but if you spray with water and let it soak in for a good while, then they can be gently cleaned. Not all designs have fans.
Thanks, all!
I’d agree with Harry1945 that it’s probably not a need for more coolant, as it does freeze solid (when it’s not letting stuff thaw, anyway!).
No evidence of any punctures though we’ll check again, and we will certainly make a point of vacuuming the coils - haven’t done that since we got it 5-ish years ago. At the very least it can’t hurt (assuming we don’t start pounding on it with the vacuum hose!!).
I’ll check the light situation - hadn’t thought of that.
I’ll check the manual (thanks, TMH!) for our unit and see if it offers any enlightenment on location of timer, temp sensor etc. Those would be things we can play with on our own, before we get a technician out to fix it; my worry is the tech will simply determine that it’s freezing just fine, and not see / diagnose the “except when it isn’t” part!
You are going to need an epa certificate to leagally charge the unit. And I think it is a bad DYI anyway.
Consider it might be the wiring to the outlet, the outlet or the cord on the freezer developing a bad spot with on again off again results.
While I agree that it is bad DYI…the average home owner has no clue about tools or pressures or temperatures…the EPA apparently makes exceptions for those who want to try. My understanding is that the HO can try it once. Then if the unit quits again, a professional with all the necessary certifications must be called. Rather hefty fine involved for failure to comply. I’ve been out of that business for 20 years, so I’m not current on what is required.