Who knows about FREEZERS??

[doorframe]

I've got a small under-counter freezer. It works fine, but..... it ices-up by the thermostat, which is fixed to the inside top.
We defrosted it 2 days ago and already there is a patch of ice forming around the stat housing. The stat works fine. The door seal is fine.

This is the piece of junk (pic from the net)

You can see the stat housing at the top.

Anybody got any ideas?

Roy

 

[Gromit62]

Hi doorframe
A freezer cannot make ice, it can only convert moisture into ice so there is moisture getting into your cabinet somehow as you have checked the door seal then is from the contents or the atmosphere when the door is open.
I would think the man reason the ice is concentrated around the thermostat housing is the lack of insulation creating a cold spot.
That’s the most likely reason for the problem and the cure is if under warranty get the makers engineer out and ask them to replace the freezer, because it will never get better, only worse and if the ice starts to form inside the housing then it becomes dangerous.
Geoff

 

[doorframe]

Cheers Geoff. No warrenty I'm afraid. Got it 2nd hand. As a wild guess I thought maybe the stat was causing a warm spot :? due to high resistance contacts. I've tried 2 inches of polystyrene on top of the freezer as the cut out for the stat housing is the thinnest part of the insulation. There is a hole through the wall above it for the wires to go through, so I thought it may be letting air in there, but I've filled the hole with silicon and it's made no difference.

Maybe these pics will help. This is after 2 days. After a month it's the size of a tennis ball.

Roy

 

[Gromit62]

From your photo’s Roy the problem is not insulation breakdown but it is classic air ingress into the freezer cabinet. This is a problem found in a lot of upright freezers were the door gasket has wear. It might not be apparent but it’s there, sorry you’re going to have another look at your gasket. One fix I know of but I was never allowed to use is to place thin draft excluder strip under the gasket to pack it out to make a good seal. The seal strip is placed on the plastic inner door lining to pack out the magnetic gasket, trial and error I am afraid Roy and I wish you luck with it, sorry I can’t be of more help.
Geoff.

 

[doorframe]

I wish you luck with it, sorry I can’t be of more help. Geoff.

On the contrary Geoff. You obviously know a lot more about freezers than I do so your advise is much valued and I'll act upon it. While having another look at the the seal, one thing I've not noticed before but now appears glaringly obvious is a 2mm gap in the 45' angle between the return folds of the casing where I've circled. Only as deep as the thickness of the steel but definately NOT airtight ...

I've got some thin adhesive 'insulation' type stuff on a roll that should be good to fill those gaps, so I'll start there.

Thanks again,

Roy

 

[Digit]

Roy, the test is to place a strip of paper on the face of the cabinet, close the door and check if the seal grips it by pulling gently on the strip. On the larger units the usual cause is that the cabinet is distorted. Even small units can warp when fully laden and few people ever check them for squareness.
Most freezer companies tell you to check them for level with a spirit level and most have a levelling adjustment.
If that does not solve your problem I'll take you to the next level.
One the larger units people, customers, were often very surprised at the weight of the contents.

Roy.

 

[andycktm]

you sure your not the salvager Roy 1! :lol: :lol:

 

[Digit]

No I'm not! At least not be name even if I am by rep!
No, I used to flog the damn things and Welsh farmhouse kitchen floors are copies of the mountains.
Or am I Roy 2? :lol:

Roy.

 

[doorframe]

Hi Roy. Thanks for your interest. (Are you Roy1 or Roy2??)

I'll give your paper test a go. I've been all over the seal looking for leaks but can't find any. I tried sealing the gaps in the case but no difference :?

I'll let you know.

Thanks again,

Roy (1 or 2 :?

 

[Digit]

Roy one or two? No idea! :lol:

Roy.