Freezer not freezing, or icing up: what it usually is

Frost building up on the freezer back wall

A sheet of frost or ice on the back wall of the freezer, often with the fridge compartment going warm at the same time, means the defrost cycle has stopped running. Every few hours a working fridge briefly heats the evaporator coil to melt off frost; when the defrost heater, defrost thermostat or control board fails, frost accumulates until it blocks airflow entirely.

This is common on Whirlpool, Kenmore and GE units in the 1990s and 2000s subdivisions, and on Samsung and LG French-door units it is the same fault showing up behind the fridge compartment's back panel instead. The repair is a defrost heater or sensor,, done in one visit after we clear the ice.

Freezer runs but never gets cold

If the freezer is running and the back wall is not frosted, but nothing freezes, the cold is not being made. The likely causes, in order:

• Compressor start relay. Clicks every few minutes as it tries and fails to start. Cheap, same-visit.
• Condenser fan or dirty condenser coils. The system overheats and shuts down. Same-visit.
• Evaporator fan. On a freezer-only unit or a chest freezer, the cold is made but not circulated.
• Sealed-system leak or compressor failure. The compressor runs constantly or is silent and hot. This is where we have the repair-or-replace conversation on freestanding units, and where repair still wins on Sub-Zero, Miele and Liebherr built-ins.

Chest and upright freezers in garages and basements

The stand-alone freezer in the garage fails the same ways, with one extra: a garage that drops below freezing in a York Region winter can confuse a freezer's thermostat into thinking it does not need to run. If it failed in January and the garage is unheated, tell us, because it may be placement rather than a fault.

What to do in the next hour

1. Keep the door closed. A full freezer holds for a day or two.
2. Check the power, the breaker and that the temperature dial has not been knocked.
3. Look for a gap in the door seal or something holding the door ajar.
4. Listen for clicking, which points to the relay, or a constant run with no cold, which points to the sealed system.
5. Call. Freezer failures are prioritised alongside no-cooling fridges.

What it costs

Pricing depends on the appliance, the brand, the fault and the part, so we do not publish a price list. Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you what to expect before anyone comes out. Call or email for a quote.

Where we work

We serve Richmond Hill, Markham, Aurora, Newmarket, Stouffville and Thornhill, and North York and King City. Call or email for the earliest available appointment. Related: fridge not cooling and fridge repair across York Region.

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