Frigidaire Freezers are some of the most popular appliances in the market and for good reason! They’re spacious, energy-efficient, and have a slew of great features to help you keep your food as fresh as possible.
But these machines are not perfect, and users have reported having issues where their freezer will stop freezing for seemingly no reason. Needless to say, this is a big problem as your food is now spoiling.
So in this article, I’m going to explain why this problem occurs and show you how to get it fixed up as quickly and easily as possible.
Why is your Frigidaire Freezer Not Freezing?
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Generally speaking, when a freezer is unable to lower its temperature enough to freeze food, it’s due to one of the components in the refrigeration circuit becoming faulty.
This is more commonly due to the component needing a good clean. But in some rarer cases, the component may outright fail and require replacing.
1. A Condenser Coil Blockage
The condenser coils are a series of tubes located at the back of the freezer through which the refrigerant is pumped. As this happens, the refrigerant condenses back into a liquid and, in doing so, expels the heat it’s pulled from the Frigidaire refrigerator.
The heat expelled from the coils then needs to be removed from the fridge using a fan.
However, what can commonly happen is dust, hair, and other debris collects in between these condenser coils and acts as an insulator—preventing the heat from being blown away from the Frigidaire refrigerator.
When this happens, you’ll need to clean out the condenser coils and ensure the air can circulate between them.
2. The Condenser Coils are Frozen Over
It’s also possible for the condenser coils to become too cold and develop a layer of frost over them. This also acts as an insulator and prevents the heat from escaping from the condenser coils, causing the freezer not to work.
In this situation, the condenser coils will need to be defrosted before the freezer can lower its temperature correctly.
3. The Temperature Control Thermostat isn’t Working
The temperature control thermostat monitors the internal temperature of the freezer. When the temperature rises above a certain level, it will instruct the fan and compressor to begin working and cool things down.
So when this runs into problems, the freezer doesn’t know when to begin cooling itself.
Here you should test the thermostat with a multimeter to see if it’s working, and if it’s found to be defective, then it should be replaced.
4. The Condenser Fan or Motor is Faulty
The job of the condenser fan is to draw in air from the outside of the freezer, which then passes over the condenser coils and compressor, which then takes the heat with it as it’s exhausted back out of the Frigidaire fridge.
This airflow cycle is fundamental to how a freezer can cool. But sometimes this fan can run into problems such as becoming blocked up, obstructed, frozen, or sometimes it can just simply burn out.
When this happens, steps will need to be taken to restore the condenser fan and the motor to working order, as without it, the freezer will not freeze.
5. The Start Relay isn’t Working
The start relay gives the compressor a helping hand to start, as it’s unable to start by itself.
You can commonly identify if the delay is failing by listening to the clicking sound indicating it’s starting the compressor. If this clicking isn’t present or keeps clicking indefinitely, then there may be a problem.
Here you’ll need to test the start relay with a multimeter for functionality; if it’s found to be non-functional, then it should just be replaced.
6. The Compressor is Defective
When the compressor starts to go bad, you will usually hear some kind of noise or hum when it’s under operation. As this pumps the refrigerant around the freezer, so when this starts to fail, the freezer won’t be able to cool itself.
If you suspect something is wrong with the compressor, you will need to once again test it with a multimeter. If it’s not working, then this too, should be replaced.
7. A Main Control Board Issue
The main control board acts as the brain of the appliance, controlling the various components and turning them on/off as needed.
These are quite complicated devices and, as such, have many points of failure. This makes them very hard to diagnose and fix, the usual course of action when it’s not working properly is just to replace the entire control board with a new one.
8. The Freezer is Overloaded
Overstuffing freezers with products can prevent the cold air from contacting every item, reducing how effectively the freezer can cool itself.
There may also be items blocking the evaporator fan, which will reduce its ability to pass air over the evaporator coils.
By lowering the volume of produce inside the freezer or by re-arranging them in a better way that facilitates good airflow, we can restore functionality to the freezer.
How to Fix a Frigidaire Freezer Not Freezing?
Now that you have a good idea of what’s causing the problem, it’s time to get it fixed up. It’s helpful to keep a multimeter to hand to check each component before replacing it so you can be completely sure it has failed.
This can help narrow down the problem so you can be sure you’re replacing the correct component.
1. Clean Out the Condenser Coils
If the condenser coils have become blocked up with hair and dust over time, they will not be able to adequately expel the heat from the freezer, preventing it from cooling.
So we need to clean out the coils to ensure they can function properly.
- Start by disconnecting the power to the freezer; you should not perform any maintenance on the appliance while it’s powered.
- Pull the Frigidaire fridge away from the wall to gain access to the coils.
- Clean the coils off using a cloth; it’s helpful to have a vacuum to hand to ensure the dust doesn’t fly everywhere as you dislodge it.
- Push the freezer back into place and plug it back in.
This issue will eventually return as it’s just a natural part of the fridge’s operation. So we recommend performing this task about once a year to keep the dust buildup under control.
2. Defrost the Condenser Coils
If the condenser coils have an excessive frost buildup, you will need to defrost them. Otherwise, they won’t be able to expel the heat correctly.
One way to do this is simply unplugging the fridge and leaving it off overnight, placing a few towels around the bottom to catch the water residue as the frost melts. However, sometimes it’s inconvenient to leave the fridge off as you may have food that will spoil.
So a quicker method is to unplug the fridge and use a hairdryer or towel dipped in hot water to melt the ice quickly. Be sure not to overheat the coils, and remember to have towels ready.
3. Test and Replace the Temperature Control Thermostat
If the temperature control thermostat isn’t working, the fridge won’t know when to turn the compressor on or off.
Here the thermostat needs to be tested with a multimeter to determine functionality. If it’s found to be non-functional, then it needs to be replaced.
As replacing the thermostat is quite an involved process, we recommend contacting Frigidaire customer support, who will arrange for a trained technician to replace this component for you.
4. Fix the Condenser Fan
Without a working condenser fan, the fridge’s ability to expel heat from the appliance will be dramatically reduced.
The first thing to do is check if it’s been obstructed by anything; this could be due to items inside the freezer being placed right in front of the fan, reducing its working efficiency. Or something may be physically blocking the fan blades, which should be removed.
If this doesn’t help, then the condenser fan motor itself may have failed, in which case you should contact Frigidaire support again, as this will need to be replaced by a trained technician.
5. Replace the Start Relay
If the start relay has been tested with a multimeter and needs to be replaced, you can do it yourself, as the process is relatively easy.
- Start by turning the power to the freezer off.
- Pull the fridge out, so you have access to the rear.
- Remove the rear compartment that shrouds the compressor and start the relay.
- Remove the wire retainer from the relay and run the capacitor from the old relay.
- Pull the old relay out, and this can now be discarded.
- Install the new relay in its place and plug the wire harness in as it was installed before.
- Re-attach the rear compartment cover and turn the fridge back on.
6. Replace the Compressor
Without a working compressor, the refrigerant cannot be pumped around the fridge.
If the compressor has been tested and found to be defective, it must be replaced. This is quite an involved job, so we recommend contacting Frigidaire support, who will arrange for a technician to help you with this process.
7. Install a New Control Board
As the control board is such a complicated device, it’s usually easier to replace the whole board than to repair it.
Again, a trained Frigidaire technician will need to install this for you.
8. Don’t Overload the Freezer
If the freezer has been overfilled, then the cold air won’t be able to circulate properly, and it might obscure the evaporator fan. Ensure the freezer isn’t over 75% full so all the items can properly cool down.
Additionally, you should arrange the items so that the cold air can make contact with each item. The freezer will struggle to keep everything properly cooled if they are stacked too tightly together.
Adrian is an ISCET licensed professional that has completed the National Appliance Service Technician Certification Exam and has the expertise to diagnose and repair any appliance. He is well-versed in the latest technologies and techniques and is always up-to-date on the latest industry standards.
