How much frost should be on coils in freezer - Kenmore 53582 / 53584 Side by Side Refrigerator

Condenser coils do not frost ....If ice (more than just frost) is present in the freezer you have a defrost problem
check the following ....
- air circulating fan in freezer
-defrost circuit .... defrost heater, defrost thermostat, and the defrost timer If you have a control logic board the defrost control is part of the logic board

Frost free means that the evaporator coil will not accumulate a thick layer of frost. It will not prevent frost from accumulating on the walls of the freezer. To slow down the amount of frost build up inside the freezer, do not keep the freezer door open for any longer than necessary. The freezer door seal may be defective. This would allow moisture in that would freeze on the inside walls. A heater with timed intervals to come on is one way for a frost free feature. But this will not work for frost build up on the inside walls of the freezer. It would only melt the frost and then it would refreeze again.

Frost will normally build up if you do not have frost free freezer and in which case it is possible the frost free system is faulty. If it is not frost free then it has to be defrosted a few times in a month. However if the frost comes up very quickly then there are possible causes.
You may be having leakage from the door seals or there are items in the freezer that are not properly covered to avoid moisture escaping. Other possibility is that your freezer is set too cold and there are not many items in it.

Frosting on evaporator coil should be evenly distributed all over the coil. If the frosting only appears up on the top around where the refrigeration line enters then the gas pressure is too low - if you add refrigerant the frosting will move down to cover the bottom coils also.

Hello,

This tip i wrote explains what to check when the freezer coils is frosted up and doesn't defrost automatically.
http://www.fixya.com/support/r10097882-wrong_when_freezer_frosted_refrig_warm


GENE

Plug the freezer in a let it run.
After a short while you will see frost lines inside the freezer.
There will be corresponding hot areas outside the freezer if you feel along the outside of the freezer.
The frost lines and hot areas are your coil routing.
You would tap your holes between coils.

Check and see if there is frost on the back wall of the freezer. Also make sure the fan is running in the freezer. If the fan isn't running in the freezer replace it. If you have any frost or ice on the back wall of the freezer, remove the back wall inside the freezer. Check and see if the coils are completely frosted over. Thaw the coils out with a hair dryer, then measure the heater and make sure it measure there. (ohms)
If it's ok, then the defrost thermostat which is attached to the coils or the defrost timer is bad.

Try to remove rear wall of freezer to check frost pattern. An even but light patter of frost on full coil is normal. Coils full of frost with aluminum almost fully hidden generally means defrost problem. Heavier frost on the bottom coils and gradually tapering off as you go up until the top coils have no frost usually means a leak of freon or a bad compressor.

The frost should be uniform on the coils. Uneven frost pattern is a sign of low freon. Most systems are sealed but a qualified tech can recharge the system after finding the leak and cap it off.

Hi: The fact that it still makes ice tells me the freezer is a zero degrees. When you said condensation in the freezer did you mean frost? If your defrost heater fails it will cause the frost free freezer to build up frost. The frost will build up and block the vent that supplies the cold air to the fresh food. The defrost heater is behind the metal wall at the back of the freezer, at the very bottom. A glass tube with a metal coil in it. The coil can break and stop the defrosting. Replace that. Use a hair dryer to melt the frost from behind the panel. All of it top to bottom. You need to remove all the frost to free up the airways. I hope this helps, Jeff