Frigidaire upright freezer heat dissipation problem
#1
10-28-09, 08:17 AM
Frigidaire upright freezer heat dissipation problem
Frigidaire upright freezer (FFU17F9GW3). Seems to be working OK, but the hardwood floor beneath the compressor is the problem. The compressor is mounted on a bracket at the bottom rear of the unit and that bracket is in contact with the floor. There are no legs at the rear of the freezer to prevent it from contacting the floor. There are two adjustable legs in the front for leveling. The floor is engineered hardwood (plywood with an oak top layer). The heat has scorched and delaminated the boards and actually disintegrated the wood beneath the compressor. Is it normal for the compressor to run this hot? Should there be some kind of legs at the rear to allow the rear to be raised for air circulation? Is a cooling fan suppose to be there? I dont see one.
Jim
Jim
#2
10-28-09, 04:20 PM
This is a new one on me.
If the compressor gets that hot it should go into thermal overload.
And if it gets that hot, you'd think you'd have an underlying mechanical or freon issue, and the freezer would not even be cooling properly, and be running contantly.
If you have no fan and one is required, the freezer should lose it's ability to cool, because it would lose it's ability to transfer heat (this applies to units with the hot condensor coils under a unit, in a compact design, - as opposed to those coils behind the unit, whose surface area is larger).
Where are the coils and are they clean? If you feel the (hot condensor))coils, are they uniformly cool, warm, hot, or spotty in temp, where leaving the compressor is really hot, but out on the coil farther it is cool?
Maybe you have a run-on condition going on because the freezer coil temps can't reach the thermostat (due to iced coils/fan/vent perhaps) or the thermostat is out of calibration or shot.
Answer any above question and also say if the unit keeps running without stopping. Also what temp is it inside the unit? And where is this freezer kept? And what temperature is the ambient temp around it? And does this unit require manual defrosting or automatic? And if it has a lightbulb inside, is it shutting off when the door is about closed? And are the door gaskets good?
If the compressor gets that hot it should go into thermal overload.
And if it gets that hot, you'd think you'd have an underlying mechanical or freon issue, and the freezer would not even be cooling properly, and be running contantly.
If you have no fan and one is required, the freezer should lose it's ability to cool, because it would lose it's ability to transfer heat (this applies to units with the hot condensor coils under a unit, in a compact design, - as opposed to those coils behind the unit, whose surface area is larger).
Where are the coils and are they clean? If you feel the (hot condensor))coils, are they uniformly cool, warm, hot, or spotty in temp, where leaving the compressor is really hot, but out on the coil farther it is cool?
Maybe you have a run-on condition going on because the freezer coil temps can't reach the thermostat (due to iced coils/fan/vent perhaps) or the thermostat is out of calibration or shot.
Answer any above question and also say if the unit keeps running without stopping. Also what temp is it inside the unit? And where is this freezer kept? And what temperature is the ambient temp around it? And does this unit require manual defrosting or automatic? And if it has a lightbulb inside, is it shutting off when the door is about closed? And are the door gaskets good?
#3
10-29-09, 03:04 PM
Thanks for your help.
The coils are not exposed. They are sealed inside the cabinet. The compressor does cycle on and off. The temperature inside the freezer is approx. 15 degrees. The freezer is located in the kitchen. Ambient temp is 70 degrees. It has automatic defrosting. Light goes off when door closes. Gaskets look good. There is some ice collecting inside at the bottom. Also this unit resides in a nitch between cabinets, maintaining 3 inch clearance at the top and sides as per installation manual. The manual also specifies a minimum of 1-inch clearance at the bottom. Yesterday I installed a set of rear feet that allowed me to raise the freezer about one inch off the floor, using the front adjustable feet to level it. I don't know if this will solve the problem but it should help. Jim
The coils are not exposed. They are sealed inside the cabinet. The compressor does cycle on and off. The temperature inside the freezer is approx. 15 degrees. The freezer is located in the kitchen. Ambient temp is 70 degrees. It has automatic defrosting. Light goes off when door closes. Gaskets look good. There is some ice collecting inside at the bottom. Also this unit resides in a nitch between cabinets, maintaining 3 inch clearance at the top and sides as per installation manual. The manual also specifies a minimum of 1-inch clearance at the bottom. Yesterday I installed a set of rear feet that allowed me to raise the freezer about one inch off the floor, using the front adjustable feet to level it. I don't know if this will solve the problem but it should help. Jim
#4
10-29-09, 04:41 PM
It cycles on and off, and yet it is only 15? Let me know where you have it set at.
Is that how you have it set? I am thinking it is cycling off only on thermal overload, due to any number of problems that I listed yesterday. You eliminated some, with your answers. But it still could be due to iced up condition with coils or a vent, or evaporator fan frozen in ice or malfunctioning(if it has one), low on freon.
The coils that shed the heat are in the cabinet also? If so, are vents for it blocked? And such coils would have a fan to cool them. Is that working?
Is that how you have it set? I am thinking it is cycling off only on thermal overload, due to any number of problems that I listed yesterday. You eliminated some, with your answers. But it still could be due to iced up condition with coils or a vent, or evaporator fan frozen in ice or malfunctioning(if it has one), low on freon.
The coils that shed the heat are in the cabinet also? If so, are vents for it blocked? And such coils would have a fan to cool them. Is that working?
