Frigidaire Freezer not freezing


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Old 12-20-09, 01:04 PM
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Question Frigidaire Freezer not freezing

The refrigerator part is cold, the fan in the freezer is running, but the freezer doesn't freeze.

Could this be the coils? Or something more?


Thank you.
 
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Old 12-20-09, 04:24 PM
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Don't know about Fridgidaire explicitly, but:
1) Is the refrigerator really cold?
2) Is the freezer cold but not freezing?
3) Do you feel the fan blowing air in the freezer?

Sometimes the refrigerator temperature control is a flap that controls how much freezing air flows into the refrigerator part.

Sometimes, the coils in the freezer get iced up, sometimes due to a faulty automatic defrost circuit, sometimes due to less-than-effective design, sometimes because the fan vents in the freezer are blocked by frozen food, just too much humidity for the design, a blocked drain hole/hose, or a combination of the above.

Mostly due to food blocking the vents, I would periodically have to remove the frozen food, the fixtures in the freezer, and the bottom plate that covers the coils. I would then use a hair dryer to melt the solid block of ice on the coils, pausing periodically to empty the defrost water tray under the refrigerator. Careful that you do not heat any styrofoam too much as it will melt ... and quickly.

While you have it apart, check that the defrost circuit is working properly
 
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Old 12-21-09, 07:30 PM
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Here is a picture of the freezer coils



The frigerator and the freezer are both cold, but freezer is not freezing food.

Took out all the food because it had thawed, so there's nothing in there now to block the vents. can feel the freezer fan.

How do you check if the defrost circuit is working properly?

Thank you!
 
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Old 12-22-09, 05:58 AM
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Looks like the coils are not frozen, so forget the defrost circuit. I would check one other long-shot -- are the coils on the outside clean. Is there a fan that is supposed to blow room air over the outside coils. Is it working?

Did that happen all of a sudden, or gradually over time?

If it isn't the outside coils and/or fan, then, in my opinion, you probably have a compressor that has gone bad or some of the freon has leaked out.
 
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Old 12-22-09, 11:26 AM
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when we first noticed the freezer not freezing, looked under fridge, saw a pen had somehow got stuck in the bottom fan where coils are.

Got the pen out, fan started working. Went to clean the coils and lint and a big, black ball thing (has copper tubes coming out of it....not sure what it's called)...that was hot to the touch.

It was more of a gradual loss of freezing.

If need to replace compressor and freon---how do you do that?


Thank you so much...have alot of food in a make shift freezer for Christmas and would like to try and get freezer working.
 
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Old 12-22-09, 11:37 AM
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The thing with the tubes is the compressor. Clean it all out...shut it off for a few hours and then let it run and come back down to temp. It may not have a problem at all...the pen blocking the fan would be a problem.
 
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Old 12-22-09, 12:14 PM
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Hi Gunguy45,


That is something we already did last night. We shut it down for a few hours last night and then started it back up.

All fans work, it's just not getting past "cool".
 
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Old 12-24-09, 06:50 AM
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I think you may have to either call in a "professional" and have him slap some guages on it, or get a new unit (gulp).
 
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Old 12-24-09, 12:28 PM
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Yeah, unfortunately, I think this refrigerator has seen it's better days. Have had it for over 10 years.

Luckily, we can get another one from a family member that has moved and couldn't take it with them.

We've been using a very large freezer to keep the Christmas cookings in it to keep them frozen....that leaked and made the kitchen's wooden floor swell up

So, now, we're replacing wooden floor boards. Moved the freezer out to garage until we can get the refrigerator out of here and bring the other one in.

Plus, I have a house full of people coming to dinner tomorrow night.....ay yi yi

It kinda seems like when something breaks down, something else follows it. But, you all have been a TREMENDOUS help and thank you for that. We just take one new project on as they come.


Merry Christmas to everyone!
 
 

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