There is frost around the top of my Holiday manual defrost chest freezer freezer - does the seal need to be reparced

Going to have to assume a lot of things... because you put no make or model... (such as self defrosting).

After you have checked that there is NOT excessive FROST BUILD UP (prevents air flow & causes same symptoms...
(defrost issue: different trouble ... comment me back)

Without any mention of EXCESSIVE FROST (which would indicate poor door seal/alignment...
(Not DEFROST FAILURE (dry defrost pan)...

That leaves us with your EVAP FAN...

There are a couple of reasons evaporator fans fail:

(you just eliminated old age in your question... "year old")

- Defective is still a possibility (replace)

- Ice/frost blocked (Full manual DEFROST)

- Physical blockage ((inspect: usually wire or POOR install.

Check your manufacturer's parts list and shop around for the BEST PRICE... There NO variances in quality (just price).

GOOD freezers work because of excellent air flow...!!

And ALWAYS REMEMBER TO TAKE PICURES & REMOVE POWER BEFORE fiddling with every appliance.

Good luck...
(I check in daily... Please do comment if you need me)

Carnac the Magnificent

On a chest freezer, frost always accumulates around the top perimeter first because the warmer moist air comes in contact with that area first once the door is opened. More frequent defrosting may be the answer.

Chest freezers are manual defrost. Which mean yall unplug it to defrost it.

leaking seal at that point,feel the seal around that area you will feel it warm.This is caused by warm air getting sucked in at this point,replace seal.adrian?????????

You may have a leak of refrigerant, you may have a warm air leak when the lid is closed, or you may just need to defrost it manually. use heat ONLY, do NOT poke at the ice or frost with anything

as its a chest freezer you have no auto defrost,so you must do it your self.make sure all food is wrapped/heat sealed bags.to stop moisture/frost from building up.use a freezer thermometer to set at
-18C and do not over fill,if you live in a high humidity area then every other month is about right.DO NOT DEFROST WITH STEAM OR HOT AIR.USE CAR DE ICER .then dry thoroughly.

Either the door gasket is not sealing well or the unit is low in refrigerant.

I am not aware of a chest freezer that is auto defrost.Go ahead and defrost it like you would any chest freezer. Eric

is this a chest freezer? Thick frost around top? try defrosting unit. DO NOT scrape the ice. Very important to remove drain plug to remove water or frost will very rapidly redeposit

The reason this happens is because the defrost timer is not turning back on when it needs to, causing the freezer to thou out and overfill the drip tray sitting on top of the compressor. A new defrost timer should be available from the local refrigeration wholesalers in your area.