A freezer is one of those appliances that aren’t given much thought until it stops working and you’re left with thawed meat and melted ice cream. When an appliance breaks, our first reaction is to replace it as soon as possible. However, a simple refrigerator repair service in Calgary can save you hundreds of dollars in replacement costs and keep your freezer working for years to come.
The good news is, most freezer-related issues are fixable. If your freezer is not freezing, call your local refrigerator technician in Calgary right away. In the meantime, here are three possible reasons your freezer is not working and some easy solutions you can do before your service appointment.
How a freezer works
To identify why your freezer has stopped freezing, it’s important to know the different components of the appliance. Essentially, a freezer is able to freeze your food using a refrigerant gas that is compressed, condensed, and evaporated to absorb any heat out of the items. This refrigeration cycle is what keeps items frozen and when even one seemingly small thing goes wrong within the cycle, your freezer will stop working.
The basic components of a freezer include the:
Compressor – This pumps the refrigerant gas to different components
Evaporator – Where heat is absorbed and transferred to the condenser
Condenser – Where heat from the evaporator is combined with heat from the compressed gas refrigerant and changes from gas to liquid.
Filter – Captures dirt and other particles from the refrigerant
Accumulator – Stores refrigerant so the evaporator doesn’t run out
What to do when your freezer stops freezing
1. Check the seals
If you’ve noticed your freezer is not as cold as it should be or it’s stopped working altogether, the first thing to do is check the seals around the freezer door. These seals prevent warm air from flowing into the freezer and keep cold air in. Give the seals a thorough wipe to make sure that there aren’t any debris or spills that are preventing them from locking together. Take a piece of paper or a dollar bill against the seal and close the door. If you can pull out the paper or dollar bill with minimal effort, the seals are too loose and are no longer preventing warm air from coming in or keeping cold air from seeping out.
You can either purchase replacement seals and install them yourself, or hire the help of a refrigerator technician in Calgary to make sure that they’re placed correctly.
2. Clean the condenser coils
Another reason why your freezer is not working may be due to dirty condenser coils. When these coils have accumulated dust, dirt, and other contaminants, the freezer’s cooling capacity is reduced. Take all items out of the freezer and thoroughly clean the condenser coils of any debris.
3. Blocked airflow
This is one of the most common reasons a freezer or a refrigerator stops freezing and cooling items. Airflow can be blocked by having too many things in the freezer, or items are too closely packed. Simply move items around and space them apart. You may need to get rid of some items to make room. Once you’ve allowed for more space in your appliance, wait to see if the freezer starts to work again. If not, you’ll need to call for a refrigerator repair service in Calgary to rectify the problem.
