Why is there a lot of frost built up inside the freezer?

WARNING!

To avoid personal injury or death, disconnect your appliance from its power source before you start any troubleshooting or repair work. Use caution when working inside any appliance.

Refrigerator Gasket

A frost build-up inside the freezer usually means that there is a problem in the self-defrost system. You may even have damaged door gaskets. When you open the freezer door, you also let in a blast of warm, often humid air. This moisture usually freezes onto the evaporator coils immediately.

Refrigerator Compressor

Self-defrost freezers are supposed to self-defrost themselves. Every 6-12 hours they turn off the compressor for a few minutes. A defrost heater then turns on to melt any frost build-up on these coils, which allows the frost and ice to melt, then it drains off to the pan underneath. Unfortunately, though, when a component fails, too much frost can build up on the evaporator coils. With no air flow over the coils, cooling in the freezer compartment becomes almost non-existent.

Refrigerator Defrost Heater

You can manually defrost your freezer by turning it off for 24-48 hours and turn it back on to see if it begins to work properly. If your freezer now works the way it's supposed to, test the three other components in the self-defrosting system, the defrost heater, the defrost thermostat, or the defrost timer.

Refrigerator Thermostat

You can visually inspect some defrost heaters to see if there is a break. If it looks physically broken, then it needs to be replaced. Otherwise, check the defrost heater for continuity.

The defrost thermostat, which is just a bi-metal switch, lets current pass through at factory set temperatures. It also prevents current from passing through at the temperatures set by the factory. The set temperatures for the defrost thermostat vary from manufacturer to manufacturer.

Refrigerator Defrost Timer

You can test the defrost timer by manually advancing to the defrost cycle. You can usually manually advance this timer with a screwdriver. Insert the screwdriver into the advancement pinion and turn clockwise a 1/4 to 3/8's of a turn. The timer should advance out of the defrost cycle in less than an hour.

If, after testing these components, it still does not cool properly, there may be a problem with the refrigerant level and you will need to contact a professional appliance repair person.

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Freezer Repair Questions and Solutions
1. Why doesn't the freezer work at all? 2. Why doesn’t my freezer freeze? 3. How do I clean my freezer's condenser and evaporator coils? 4. How often should I clean the coils? 5. What’s the best way to clean my freezer? 6. Why is there a lot of frost built up inside the freezer? 7. Why does the freezer keep running? 8. Why is the freezer leaking? 9. Do I need to leave a space behind my freezer?		10. Why is it noisy near the bottom of the freezer? 11. Why is it noisy inside the freezer? 12. Why is it noisy in back of the freezer? 13. Why do my frozen foods taste funny? 14. Why does my ice taste bad? 15. Why do my frozen meats look burned? 16. How cold does my freezer need to be? 17. Can I keep my kids out of the freezer?		18. How often should I defrost my manual defrost freezer? 19. Can I pack my freezer too full? 20. Why do I feel cold air when I stand next to my freezer? 21. What can I do to preserve my food during a power interruption? 22. Why won't the freezer door close properly? 23. Why does the freezer rock back and forth when I open or close the door? 24. Why does my freezer door pop open when I close the refrigerator door? 25. How do I repair scratches on my freezer?

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