Don’t Panic About Freezer Repair

Douglas Adams relied heavily on the phrase Don’t Panic when he created his masterpiece, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and it’s a phrase that you will want to keep in mind when you open up your freezer and find that your ice cream has started to leak all over the place. Calmly remind yourself to not panic as you shut the door and make sure your freezer is still plugged in. You will want to remind yourself of these words as you realize that the freezer door being left ajar also does not explain your melting ice cream. When you stay calm and don’t panic, you’ll find freezer repair to be something you can manage.

First Steps

When it comes to freezer repair you need to avoid the temptation to fiddle with the temperature gage. More often than not, changing the temperature only makes the problem far worse. You need to take several deep breaths and locate the owner’s manual you got with your freezer. This should contain some troubleshooting ideas that will come in handy. If nothing else, they’ll give you something to do.

When you call a refrigeration repair company, the first thing they will want to know about will be the unit’s compressor, is it working. You will be able to decide this simply by closing the door and listening. When the compressor kicks on it means that it’s working. Now you have one less thing to worry about.

Take a peek inside your freezer, how much stuff do you have crammed inside of it? If you have every available inch of your freezer packed, it’s likely that the freezer really hasn’t broken down, and that you’ve just filled it to full for the air to circulate properly. As soon as you move some of the items away from the vent, your freezer should kick on, and your food will refreeze. The rule of thumb tends to be that you need to have a minimum of 1 inch of empty space at the back and top of your freezer in order for it to work properly.

Frost can be another huge problem when it comes to freezers not working properly, The more often you get in and out of your freezer, the more frost will collect on the walls and your food. If you have lots of frost, you’ll want to defrost the freezer manually, even if you have an auto defrost model.

If you’ve rearranged the contents and the freezer still doesn’t seem to be working properly, it’s time to accept the fact that the freezer repair problem could be mechanical.

Even though a frosty build up and over packing tend to be the most frequent causes for freezer malfunction, there’s some more than can be a problem.

Common Freezer Repairs

• • Over time the seals on your freezer doors can get dirty or wear out. In addition to looking at the seals, you should slide your hand along the door and feel for cold air.
  • When was the last time you cleaned behind your freezer. If it’s been a while, the time has come to move your freezer and vacuum the coils. This will allow the air to flow properly.
  • Check to make sure the thermostats happen to be working properly

Time to Defrost?

Defrosting your freezer by hand might be time-consuming, and it might be messy, but it’s not hard. The most complicated part will be trying to decide where you’re going to store the food while the frost melts.

After removing the food, you need to remove the power from the freezer and leave the door open; this makes it possible for the frost to melt. You’ll want to make sure you have placed several towels on your floor to catch the moisture as it drains from the freezer. Once the frost has melted, you just need to wiped the interior and replace the food.
If you’ve done all of this and your freezer still doesn’t seem to want to work properly, it’s time to arrange for a freezer repair service call.