With an upright freezer not freezing, where it sits and how it's loaded get checked before any part does, because heat and overloading can defeat a healthy freezer; after that come the compressor, the fans, the defrost system and, last, the sealed system. A thermometer reading taken over a day and a note of where frost is forming give the technician most of what they need to start.
Before the visit
- •Model and serial number, usually on a label inside the cabinet or on the door frame.
- •A real temperature. Leave an appliance thermometer in the middle of the freezer for a day.
- •Where it sits. A garage, utility room or kitchen, and roughly how hot or cold that space gets.
- •Frost. Heavy frost near the door, frost on the back panel, or none at all.
- •Sounds. Whether you hear the compressor, a fan, or clicking.
- •Access around the freezer and to its outlet.
Safe pre-checks:
- Confirm the outlet. Whirlpool's upright freezer power guide says to use a three-prong outlet, check for a tripped breaker or GFCI outlet, and not to use an extension cord.
- Check the door seal with a sheet of paper closed in the door. Whirlpool's freezer troubleshooting article says a paper that slides out with little resistance may mean a faulty gasket.
- Move food away from the vents at the back.
The checks, in the usual order
| Step | What's tested | What it rules in or out |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Actual temperature and the control setting | Confirms the problem and rules out a warm setting |
| 2 | Room temperature, clearance and nearby heat sources | A space outside the rated range can stop a healthy freezer from keeping up |
| 3 | Door gasket, door alignment and how often it's opened | Air leaks bring in warmth and moisture |
| 4 | Recent loading and blocked vents | A large load of unfrozen food takes time to pull down |
| 5 | Compressor and condenser fan running, and condenser cleanliness | Rules out a freezer that can't shed heat |
| 6 | Evaporator fan, on models with automatic defrost | A cold coil with no fan leaves the cabinet warm |
| 7 | Defrost heater, defrost sensor and control | A coil packed with ice can't cool the air |
| 8 | The sealed system | Considered last, once everything above checks out |
Whirlpool's guide to an upright freezer that isn't freezing gives the limits behind steps 2 and 4: don't install the freezer where the temperature falls below 40°F or rises above 110°F, leave about 3 inches of space at the top and sides and 2 at the back, and add no more than 2 to 3 pounds of unfrozen food per cubic foot at a time. Its freezer article adds that some freezers have condenser coils inside the walls, which can't be cleaned, and that a faulty evaporator fan or defrost part can keep a freezer from staying cold.
Tools you may see
- •Thermometer, to confirm the temperature in several spots.
- •Multimeter, for the fan motor, defrost heater and defrost sensor, with the freezer unplugged.
- •Clamp meter, to confirm the compressor is drawing normal current.
- •Service test mode, on electronic models, to force a defrost or run a fan on command.
Questions you'll probably be asked
- •Is the freezer in a garage, and how hot does that space get in summer?
- •Did you recently add a large amount of unfrozen food?
- •How often is the door opened, and does it close on its own?
- •Is the freezer manual-defrost or automatic-defrost?
- •Where is the frost: around the door, on the back panel, or nowhere?
- •Is it plugged into a GFCI outlet or an extension cord?
What the findings usually mean
- •Room or garage outside the rated range: the freezer may be working as designed, which is common in a San Antonio garage in summer.
- •Gasket or door alignment: warm, humid air is getting in, often with heavy frost near the door.
- •Condenser fan stopped or coil clogged: the freezer can't shed heat.
- •Evaporator fan not running: cold stays at the coil instead of reaching the food.
- •Coil packed with ice: a defrost heater, sensor or control problem.
- •Everything checks out but it still won't pull down: the sealed system, covered in how a suspected refrigerant leak gets diagnosed.
Sources
- •Not Powering On, Upright Freezer, Whirlpool Product Help
- •Not Freezing, Door is Sealing, Upright Freezer, Whirlpool Product Help
- •7 Freezer Problems and How to Help Fix Them, Whirlpool
Good to know: In a San Antonio garage, the room temperature check comes before any part is tested.
To have an upright freezer checked, call TrueFix San Antonio at (210) 401-3007 or see our freezer repair page.