Chest freezers and their proper functioning are vital for a perfect household to have a smooth flow. If you see a problem in the freezer’s cooling capability, follow the simple troubleshooting steps and fix it.
A chest freezer can encounter many issues while running in its lifetime, but there is nothing to worry about as it is part of the parcel, and we have the perfect solutions for you to fix it. Most problems relate to the freezing of the deep freezer that gets affected down the road. Some simple checks can be done, and their solutions can be applied to fix the problem immediately because you don’t want your food to go bad.
Troubleshooting Freezing Issues in Chest Freezers
There might be many reasons at work affecting the freezer’s cooling that should be ruled out one after another to reach the exact area causing the problem. Listed below are some of the checks you should start performing one after the other to underpin the actual situation.
Checking for the Power Supply
The proper electricity supply is the first thing to be checked in a chest freezer if it is not cooling. Mostly it is recommended that these machines have their own dedicated circuit to have an adequate supply of energy irrespective of any overload or short-circuiting in the house.
Check the power plug of the freezer for its proper insertion and after that, make sure that the circuit is intact, which means there isn’t any tripped breaker. To ensure that steady electricity is being provided to the freezer, check the power outlet for voltage along with the cord of the freezer for any breakage. If the power cable is broken or damaged, it must be repaired before starting the freezer.
After ruling out all these possibilities, you can restart the freezer by plugging it in and checking for its appropriate working.
Proper Door Closure
Sometimes the freezer isn’t cooling because of some highly petty issues like an inadequate closure of the chest freezer lid. This lets the cold air escape the freezer, and the hot air from the outside mingles with the inside air, affecting the cooling process adversely.
The freezer’s contents should always be in such a way that allows the door to close correctly so that the cooling process should not be affected.
Condenser Coils’ Cleanliness
A condenser is one of the major components involved in the working of chest freezers, providing a hectic amount of lower temperatures through the refrigerant to keep the freezers at the set temperatures. These condenser coils are externally located in the freezers and are usually prone to get dirt or other muck in the open kitchen environment.
It is essential to check these condenser coils for any accumulation of dirt or dust as these particles hamper the proper working of the condenser. These dust particles lower the coil’s efficiency and affect refrigerant cooling. It is essential to keep these coils clean for the appropriate working of the chest freezer as it will also prevent the condenser from overheating and overloading the energy utilization.
The coil can be easily cleaned with a soft brush and a vacuum cleaner so as not to harm the coils. Keeping the coils clean will eradicate all these problems and set the cooling process back on.
Check for Compressor Start Relay
The freezer works with the working of the compressor that is ignited by the capacitor that acts as a start relay for the compressor. If the compressor’s start relay doesn’t work, it will stop the compressor from turning on, and the freezer will work but wouldn’t cool as the condenser isn’t coming to life.
The multi-meter should check the compressor start relay, and if found bad, it should be replaced immediately for the normal working of the compressor.
The evaporator coils work the same way as the condenser coil, just vice versa, as it absorbs the heat from the deep freezer and takes it to the condenser coil to cool it again. If the evaporator coils get too cold and deposit some ice on it, its function of absorbing heat from the freezer’s inner body is badly affected, and the freezer starts getting bad at cooling.
This problem should be abolished by auto defrosting the coils, but still, if it doesn’t work well, you can manually defrost them. Just take all the food out, keep it in a safe place elsewhere in a freezer, and unplug the freezer for 24 hours, keeping the door ajar. This will let all the ice melt and defrost the evaporator coils so that they should start functioning normally.
Check for the Evaporator Fan
The compressors are always provided with an evaporator fan in all the freezers to direct high-speed air to maintain a good refrigerant flow through the coils. The fan’s appropriate functioning is essential for the overall cooling of the freezer.
In case of the chest freezer is not freezing correctly, the evaporator fan should also be checked for its working. Before checking the fan’s motor, the evaporator fan blades should be pushed manually to see if it is stuck due to any muck or dust. If cleaning the fan brings it back to life; otherwise, check the fan motor that usually goes amiss and can be replaced quickly to make the fan work again.
Checking the Thermostat Switch
Another possibility might be the thermostat switch that rarely but sometimes goes bad. The thermostat is essential in maintaining and regulating the temperature of the freezer.
This thermostat switch is on the side of the freezer and can be checked by a multi-tester for its continuity and proper functioning. The multi-tester will tell you if there isn’t any continuity shown by the thermostat, which means that it’s not working, and you need to replace the thermostat by setting your freezer back on work.
After performing all the checks on the condenser, evaporation fan, thermostat, and coil, it’s time to call in an expert mechanic if the freezer isn’t performing up to the mark. The faulty parts in the freezer are to be replaced by an expert so that there shouldn’t be any issue installing the new components like the thermostat switch or the evaporator fan.
