Freezer defrost and meltdown

this fan needs to run when the compressor runs,check fan blade for being jammed by ice if you have this much ice on back wall as ice will stall motor,if no fan there will be no cool air to refrige compartment also the defrost drain tray will fill with water then freeze over which in turn floods the freezer floor and refrige compartments cause it cannot drain to the pan in the bottom

Hi and welcome to FixYa, I am Kelly.
Frost on the back of freezer is a sign of an automatic defrosting problem. On very very rare occasions the evaporator drain gets blocked with ice.
Should you discover a block of ice on the evaporator coils do a manual defrost by unplugging the unit, directing a fan into the freezer compartment for just over 2 hours with the freezer contents removed. (Makes a water mess so be ready) After the manual defrosting session... reload the freezer, plug the unit in ad return it to normal service. After 6 - 8 hours check for ice production. If you have ice production now... you most likely have and automatic defrosting problem where as the defrost cycle is not working correctl;y due to control problem, terminating early or the defrost heater and / or defrost thermostat is not working correctly.

If you want unit specif information.... I will need your COMPLETE model number.

Thanks for choosing FixYa,
Kelly

Hi mattwhodges,

This issue is usually cause bya defrost problem. First thing that you need to check is the freezer area.Please look at the back panel inside the freezer. If you notice a frostcovering at the back panel, you have a defrost problem. The only part inside the wholerefrigerator that "get cold" are the coils inside the Freezer. Thecoils need to stay free from excess frost build up so that air can pass throughthe coils and will reach the refrigerator section. The compressor and fans willshut off and machine will go into defrost mode every eight hours or dependingon the type of defrost timer or control you have. When the refrigerator is indefrost there is a heater that is tied into the evaporator coils inside thefreezer that comes on. This heater is behind the rear panel inside the freezerwhere the evaporator coils are located. It melts the frost that has accumulatedover the course of time. After about thirty minutes the machine comes out ofdefrost and goes back to normal operation. The first thing that you cando to get the machine running is to remove the rear panel of the freezer.Please remove all the frost ice that has built up. The best method is to pourhot water over the coils. The water will drain out the freezer through thedrain hole in the bottom of the freezer under the evaporator coils. Once all the frost is gone,you could put the machine back together and it would work fine. For a few days,until the frost has developed again due to the defrost issue. That would onlybe a temporary fix. Hope it helps. Thank you for using FixYa.

You will have to check the defrost timer to make sure it is turning if it is working properly and you are getting power to the defrost heating element below the freezer coil it should get hot if you have a 115volts or so to the element and it does not get hot then you have a bad element

Make sure all the fans and compressor is operating. If one is not then this is the problem...All fans must work inside and outside. If after you have verified this is not the problem UNPLUG THE UNIT and look at the freezer rear lower wall. You are looking for frost. If you find frost you will need to shut it off and open it up for 24 hours. Unscrew the lights so they don't stay on. The next day you are going to need to remove that panel with the frost on it to access the coils and defrost any remaining frost. Clipped onto the coils is a disc shaped object about the diameter of a quarter with 2 wires coming out of it. This is the defrost thermostat. If you have a meter you can verify that this part is good by allowing it to get very cold..(frosty) and then see if you can read through the 2 wires..get a reading cold its good,,,no reading cold,,,its bad. At the bottom of the coils is the defrost heater,,,look at it good if it looks ok then take the meter and see if you can get a reading through that. Same as the defrost thermostat except it does not need to be cold. Get a ohm reading its good. The last part is the defrost timer. I do not know where it is located on your unit it could be anywhere but I do know this. If the other 2 parts are good and you did have a lot of frost on your coils then this is the bad part. You will need to locate it and replace it.

MAKE SURE THE FANS ARE RUNNING FREEZER AND COMPRESSOR, THEN CHECK THE BACK WALL OF THE FREEZER IF ITS FROSTED UP YOU HAVE A DEFROST ISSUE. IF THE COMPRESSOR AND FANS ARE WORKING AND NO FROST IN THE FREEZER THATS NOT A GOOD THING..

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/dude_653d05454b389bba

Yes, Airflow is what cools the frig. Check for frost buildup on the coils indicating a problem in the defrost components r a fan not running fast enough. Eric

check the fan above the freezer coils (evaporator fan) and the defrost thermostat (located on the top of the coils), some fans won't run intill the defrost t'stat cools.

Hi thanks for te question .If all the coils are frosted. no its not going into the defrost cycle. and you also have a problem with a clogged drain thanks the appliance doc

I don't know this particular frig, but evidently the defroster doesn't work. Frost buildup has blocked the flow of cold air.

There is a defrost timer, under the frig, accessible from the front. You can turn it with a screw driver. Turn it till you hear a click. If the timer hasn't been turning, that should turn on the defroster, a heating element nested among the freezer coils. Wait half an hour and if it is defrosting, water should be dripping into the drip pan underneath the frig. If so, then replace the defrost timer and you're good to go.

If that doesn't make it defrost, then the problem is probably the defrost thermostat, in with the freezer coils. When the frig defrosts, the defrost heater stays on until the defrost thermostat gets warm. It should be open circuit while warm. But if it is open circuit while cold, it is bad and is the cause of your defrost problem.

If you open up the freezer coils, use a hair dryer to defrost. That is safer than hot water.

Hope you can fix it.