Can I repair a freezer that has ice build up on the condenser pipe?

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Freezer

Repair information for standalone freezers.

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Mark Varley @markvarley

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게시일: 2018년 9월 14일

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Can I repair a freezer that has ice build up on the condenser pipe?

I have a 5 year old floor to ceiling integrated Scholtes freezer (model RU3032NF). I noticed a puddle underneath the unit and have removed it. I tried a full defrost and re-connected after 2 days. I observe that the pipe coming out of the condenser develops a thick layer of ice over several hours then stops, melts completely and the cycle starts again. The freezer itself works well and everything stays cold. A new freezer will be around €800 so worth fixing this if it’s possible. Scholtes as a brand appears to have disappeared, it sounds like they were sold to Indesit / Whirlpool. Any advice would be much appreciated

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jayeff @jayeff

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Hi,

I may be wrong but it looks like the line to the evaporator unit inside the freezer is icing up not the line from the condenser unit (which is on the outside the freezer).

This could be caused by the evaporator unit inside the freezer (usually behind a panel) icing over caused by lack of air flow over the unit (perhaps a faulty evap fan inside freezer -can you hear the fan running inside the freezer after you’ve manually defrosted the freezer? - don't know your model but usually evap fans only run when the door(s) are closed and stop when doors are open - prevents cold air being blown out), or perhaps the evaporator unit is not being defrosted properly,

Does the freezer have an auto defrost function or does it seem that the unit runs continually? Usually with auto defrost the freezer is turned off (compressor stopped) approx once every 8-12 hours for approx 20 minutes (depends on maker) to allow the ice build up on the evap unit to melt and drain away. If it has this feature and it doesn’t turn off it could be a faulty defrost thermostat/timer. If it does turn off it could be a faulty defrost heater or still the defrost thermostat.

Other cause could be clogged air ducts inside the freezer or restricted air movement over the evaporator unit (dirty)

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Thanks for the quick reply @jayeff ! The photos I attached above show the bottom rear of the freezer, there is no panel covering these, the freezer is like this. The freezer itself is completely sealed and the door closed so what you see here is the outside. I have had the freezer sitting outside on my terrace for the last couple of weeks so plenty of air flow and no visible signs of dirt clogging up so I am not sure what is going wrong. I don't hear any fan working. Yes there is an auto defrost function so thanks for the explanation of the compressor stopping, that makes sense now why the ice clears itself every so often. Not sure if there is anything else to try, I might have to bite the bullet and buy a new freezer and keep this one in the shed, it works fine it's just a bit leaky!

Mark Varley 의 2018년 9월 15일

Hi,

Usually with freezers the evaporator unit is on the "inside" of the cabinet out of sight, as it is freezing cold and then air is blown over it by the evap fan into the freezer compartment to cool the area down to the set temp..

Either the evap unit is behind a panel inside the freezer compartment or it is above it (below it?) in a compartment with vents into the freezer compartment.

If you don't hear a fan running when the unit has defrosted then there is a problem with the evap fan. and if the compressor runs continually until the auto defrost kicks in then there is a problem with the thermostat (different thermostat to the defrost thermostat) or thermistor which should turn the compressor off when the set temp is reached

Also, as your freezer is only 5 years old (not old at all) getting a reputable professional fridge repair service to check it out might be a cheaper option than a new freezer.

jayeff 의 2018년 9월 15일

Thanks again for all your help, I got a quote for repairing and the callout fee alone made this not worthwhile unfortunately however the freezer works fine albeit a bit leaky so I have moved it to the garage and replaced with a fridge/freezer in the kitchen, thanks again for your help!

Mark Varley 의 2018년 9월 18일

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Thanks for the quick reply @jayeff ! The photos I attached above show the bottom rear of the freezer, there is no panel covering these, the freezer is like this. The freezer itself is completely sealed and the door closed so what you see here is the outside. I have had the freezer sitting outside on my terrace for the last couple of weeks so plenty of air flow and no visible signs of dirt clogging up so I am not sure what is going wrong. I don't hear any fan working. Yes there is an auto defrost function so thanks for the explanation of the compressor stopping, that makes sense now why the ice clears itself every so often. Not sure if there is anything else to try, I might have to bite the bullet and buy a new freezer and keep this one in the shed, it works fine it's just a bit leaky! — Mark Varley
Hi,

Usually with freezers the evaporator unit is on the "inside" of the cabinet out of sight, as it is freezing cold and then air is blown over it by the evap fan into the freezer compartment to cool the area down to the set temp..

Either the evap unit is behind a panel inside the freezer compartment or it is above it (below it?) in a compartment with vents into the freezer compartment.

If you don't hear a fan running when the unit has defrosted then there is a problem with the evap fan. and if the compressor runs continually until the auto defrost kicks in then there is a problem with the thermostat (different thermostat to the defrost thermostat) or thermistor which should turn the compressor off when the set temp is reached

Also, as your freezer is only 5 years old (not old at all) getting a reputable professional fridge repair service to check it out might be a cheaper option than a new freezer. — jayeff
Thanks again for all your help, I got a quote for repairing and the callout fee alone made this not worthwhile unfortunately however the freezer works fine albeit a bit leaky so I have moved it to the garage and replaced with a fridge/freezer in the kitchen, thanks again for your help! — Mark Varley

Freezer

Can I repair a freezer that has ice build up on the condenser pipe?

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