20 Most Recent Kenmore Freezer 20.3 cu. ft. Frost Free Upright Freezer - Page 7 Questions & Answers

Faulty alarm.

the compressor fan in the back is either bound up or not working unplug your machine until you get the new fan if your unable to replae the fan yourslef call a technician if you are use either marcone or allbrands appliance they will mail you the fan to your house hold

Hi,
As the weather is getting warmer for many people their freezer and/or refrigerator do not work right because of a dirty condenser coil...

Check out this tip that I wrote about that... it is a great place to start trouble shooting your unit...and something that you can do rather then calling a repair person to do a simple thing for you...

http://www.fixya.com/support/r4024657-refrigerator_condenser_coil_cleaning


http://www.fixya.com/support/r3885294-refrigerator_troubleshooting

http://www.fixya.com/support/r4023749-refrigerator_compressor_start_capacitor

heatman101

First check the fan and see if it is spinning. If not get to it and give it a nudge. Some WD 40 may be in need, The Raz

Go to sears.com and use the parts link and enter your complete model number. it will take you to the specs. and diagram.
this problem could be one of several so i am going to list the possibilities:
freezer is stuck in defrost mode (the timer will do that so it could be the timer)
thermostat not working

as far as this these two parts control operation
i would start 1st with the t'sat. unplug then get to the t'sat take off the 2 wires and jump out those 2 wires (put the 2 wire together somehow but be careful)
make sure the wires dont touch anything (especially you when you plug in)
if the freezer kicks on replace t'stat
if it doesnt them replace timer

hope this was helpful

The evaporator coil must be lightly frosted from the top to bottom. This proves that all of the r-134a freon is still present in the system. If you visiblely see that it is not (half frosted the other half warm?no frost) then this is a sign that the r-134a freon has leaked out. Another way to determine for sure is to use refrigeration gauges to check the pressure.

let me know what you found then we can take it from there... hope this was helpful

If it's the freezer that's 29 degrees, that's too warm. It should be close to 10 or 0. I would suspect a defrost problem. If it's an automatic defrost

The evaporator coil behind the cover on the back wall inside the freezer will ice up under normal conditions. Every 8 to 10 hours for around 20 minutes the defrost timer (or in most newer models the electronic adaptive defrost control) will turn the defrost heater on to melt the built up ice. There is a defrost thermostat which prevents the heater from overheating the freezer by breaking the heater circuit when the temp reaches close to 32 degrees F. The entire cooling system shuts off during the defrost cycle and starts back when the timer advances through the cycle.

If this ice is not melted it will continue to build up until the air can’t flow over the coil to circulate the cold air through the freezer and into the fridge. The temperature change in the fridge is usually noticed first followed by the freezer.

If the defrost thermostat is bad, it can prevent the heater from coming on OR it won’t turn the heater off when it gets too warm. It is clamped to the evaporator coil at the top to sense the temp. If it appears to be misshapen it is bad.
With an ohm meter it should show continuity when cold and none when warm.
You can also bypass(disconnect the two wires plugged into it and twist them together) the thermostat to see if the heater comes on then. If it does then you know the thermostat is bad and needs replaced.

The defrost heater is located on the evaporator. It is in a tube which is at the bottom and can also go up the sides of the evaporator. On some types you can see a burnt spot if it’s bad. With an ohm meter it should show continuity from end to end when disconnected from the wiring in the freezer. You can also test the wiring for voltage when it’s in the defrost mode.

If you have a defrost timer you can test it. It can be located under the fridge behind the kick panel on the front. Some are in the fridge with the controls at the top. You can turn the defrost timer till it clicks and everything shuts down. The heater should now come on. If it does, replace the timer because that means the timer is not running. If it doesn't, check the heater and defrost thermostat. Turn the timer again till everything starts back up to end the defrost cycle.

If you have an adaptive defrost control instead of a timer, replace it if the heater and thermostat test good. It is located in the fridge with the controls in some models and on the back in others. You can post your model number into one of several appliance parts sites on the internet and search for defrost components to find your parts.

Use a turkey baster filled with very hot water and flush it several times. That should resolve the problem. Also check the door gasket, if it is leaking, excessive frost would be visible causing more water then the system was designed to handle.
Good Luck,
Gil

there is a power failure

try cleaning vents/drain holes in whole unit this should allow more air to flow.also when did you last manually defrost whole unit.....

i have filled polythene bags with paper scunched up inside.to fill any empy drawers this will stop all the cold air escaping and being replaced with warm damp air.....works for me.....

I suggest checking the defrost circuit. Make sure the drain in the back of the freezer is clear first. Then check the defrost timer, switch, and heating element using a volt meter. You can download a schematic from the Sears/Kenmore website.

Freezer temps can very, but as we know freezer temps can run from +32F to -40 or more on commercial boxes with the different freons. But back to you, I would say from my charts on low, med., temp refrigerators, you should be around +8F to -5F. When I mentioned +32, we know that's when water starts to freeze, so you want the freezer to be much colder then that.In order to keep ice-cream frozen, you must cycle around -5f to -10f.I sincerely hopes this has helped you out, as you will I am sure get many different opinions, but +8 to-5 is excellent for this box.
Sincerely,
Shastalaker7

my father was a cook
anf he lived by one rule of food

when in doubt thrwo it out

If the liner is cracked you can place duck tape over the hole(it is available in white)to hide it. Be sure you are not covering any vents for air flow in the freezer.

If this is helpful please leave Feedback. Thanks, SnugglePants

could be a bad start relay or start cap. could be a bad compressor. if you have an electric meter you can test the ohms of the compressor and that can tell you if the windings are good, however it cannot tell you if the piston is locked. if you have a locked rotor condition and bad starting components you will not be able to tell until you replace the bad starting components and test run. if it hums and draws lots of amps its locked rotor. most compressors will tell you RLA and LRA amperage, LRA is locked rotor amps, RLA running load amps