Manual Defrost Freezer Repair Guide
This freezer repair guide will walk you through the steps in repairing your
manual defrost freezer. Your freezer can have hundreds even thousands of dollars
worth of food in it and sometimes you just can’t wait for a repairman. Even if
you could wait this freezer repair guide can help you save money by doing the
repair yourself.
Not Running /No Sound
Cold control
If your freezer is not running, the cold
control is the most likely cause. First, disconnect the freezer. Then locate the
cold control (behind the control knob). Disconnect the wires from the cold
control and check to see if there is continuity between the terminals. If not,
the control is bad and needs replacing. Note that if you can connect two male
terminals to a short length of wire and plug them into the wires you unplugged
from the control to bypass the control temporarily until you get the new
control. This will cause it to run continuously but you will not loose your
food. Note be sure to tape it up good so that it won’t short out. Cold controls
can be found at AppliancePartsPros.com.
Start relay
If the start relay
is bad the compressor will not run but you will hear a click every 2 to 5
minutes when the compressor tries to start. This clicking noise is the overload
cutting the compressor off when it fails to start. If you are hearing this type
of click, replace the start relay. The start relay is located on the side of the
compressor inside the cover. Note that if the compressor continues to do this
after you replace the start relay the compressor is bad. Start relays can be
found at AppliancePartsPros.com.
Identifying Start Relays
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Running But Not Cooling
Needs Defrosting
On a manual defrost freezer ice will
build up on the evaporator coils (or on the inside wall of a chest freezer).
This ice acts as an insulator and eventually the temperature inside the freezer
will only be as cold as the ice. This is not cold enough for the freezer to keep
food frozen. The easiest way to defrost a freezer is to unload it and place a
pan of hot water on each shelf and close the door and the ice will be gone in no
time.
Door Gasket
The door gasket can cause a
freezer not to cool properly. If the door gasket is ripped to the point that it
is allowing a lot of warm air to enter the freezer, replace it.
Refrigeration
If your freezer is not cooling
properly it may not be refrigerating, as it should. The easiest way to check to
see if its refrigeration is to feel the sides; if it is working properly both
sides (and the front on a chest freezer) will be warm from top to bottom. On an
upright freezer the evaporator coils also serve as shelves and these shelves
should be covered with ice. If your freezer seems to have a refrigeration
problem, my opinion is that its time for a new one.
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