If you have a standalone, chest or upright freezer, odds are that you haven't spent as much time getting to know it as you've other appliances.
To save money, reduce energy consumption and extend the life span of your freezer, check out our popular How it operates: Freezer video to learn how chest and upright freezers work:
Here are maintenance and care tips to maximize efficiency and keep your chest freezer or upright freezer running well:
- Check the temperature: Periodically look into the freezer thermostat to ensure that your freezer is placed at zero degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius). If your model does not have a thermostat, make use of a thermometer to check the temperature. Adjust the freezer control when needed.
- Clean: Periodically clean the interior using a damp rag and a small amount of dish detergent. For spills and stickiness within the interior and on the gasket (door seal), try a spray cleaner like Goo Gone.
You could possibly get rid of freezer odor using a deodorizer. We like this one – Fridge Aid – a recyclable and biodegradable, high-absorbency paper honeycomb filter. Based on the manufacturer, it's laboratory-tested to be 50 times stronger than baking soda in absorbing powerful food odors.
- Check the doorway gasket (seal) for wear. The gasket keeps cool air inside of the freezer and warm air outside of it. A worn and torn gasket requires the freezer to use more energy to complete its job. Fortunately, replacing a gasket is inexpensive and easy. You can find a replacement gasket specifically for your freezer model on RepairClinic.com.
Additional maintenance and care tips for chest freezers:
- Defrost. Chest freezers do not defrost automatically. Manually defrost your chest freezer every six to Twelve months or whenever half an inch of frost has accumulated on the freezer walls.
How to defrost a chest freezer:
- Relocate all food from the freezer.
- Unplug the unit (or switch off the thermostat).
- After all of the frost has melted, uncover the drain plug (present in most models) and drain the water.
- When the freezer is dry, power the unit back on.
- Return the food once the freezer has reached its set operating temperature – zero degrees (-18 degrees Celsius).
Additional maintenance and care tips for upright freezers:
- Clean the defrost pan: Most upright freezers possess a self-defrosting feature. Every eight to 12 hours, the freezer melts frost that accumulates around the coils. The water drains right into a shallow pan located at the bottom of the freezer. There's no need to empty the pan, because the water will evaporate naturally. However, you'll need to check and clean the pan periodically. Use tepid to warm water and dish detergent to clean the pan and prevent odors and curb mold growth, which poses an excellent health risk. Most models allow you to easily detach the lower grill and slide the pan. Refer to your owner's manual for cleaning instructions specifically for your model.
- Clean from the condenser coils and cooling fan once per year. These important components attract dust and dirt. Layers of buildup require unit so work harder.
How to clean your freezer's condenser coils (black, radiator-like coils):
- Unplug the freezer.
- Use a brush like this one – the most popular long-handle bristle brush – coupled with your vacuum to remove lint, dirt, pet fur along with other debris from the condenser coils.
- Restore power to the freezer.
For models with condenser coils located inside of freezer walls:
Your unit might have condenser coils within a wall of the unit. Since the coils release the heat through the walls, it's wise to position the freezer with plenty of area surrounding it so the heat can dissipate efficiently.
Freezer not freezing? Making funny noises?
Check out RepairClinic's free freezer troubleshooting and repair help info on our website. RepairClinic has replacement parts created specifically for your model.
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