Chest Freezer doesn’t get cold enough?

The Critic

The Critic

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Purchased a 2-yr old Amana chest freezer off Craigslist last week.

I defrosted it for several days in the garage, scrubbed and hosed it out and plugged it in for 24 hrs before loading it.

The freezer refuses to get colder than 7F (confirmed with a wireless thermometer probe). Currently, it is full of breast milk and three 20lb bags of ice. The compressor also runs continuously, it has never stopped.

I opened the service panel and found this:

FFD372DE-59D4-4F15-8C02-7D9223393353.jpeg

C611CD14-EFC6-4262-BDC1-337A2659B0FD.jpeg

0B63B714-5657-4F8F-BC2A-0CC266009D0C.jpeg


This is the first chest freezer I have owned, so I’m not sure what’s consider normal behavior.

Thanks.
 
They take a while to get cold, especially if it’s empty.

When I bought a cheap Haier chest freezer a couple years ago, I let it get cold over night (about 12 hours) before filling it with food. I have a freezer thermometer on the basket but it wasn’t under 10°F yet and I think the compressor ran most of that time. But now with it full of food, the thermometer is at 0°F and pretty much stays there (there is a thermostat, I have it set half way at number 3). I never had the service panel off so I’m not sure what that black stuff is in your first pic.

dishdude said:
I don't get the need for multiple refrigerators and freezers. If it won't fit in one you don't need it.
Click to expand...
We have a relatively small 18 cu.ft. refrigerator with top freezer. For two people it’s just not big enough. I like to get meats on sale and portion them in zip lock bags and freeze them. Also it’s good for frozen veggies and a bunch of other stuff that won’t fit in the top freezer.
 
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Make sure the door gasket is in good shape, otherwise that's probably the reason the guy sold it. Unfortunately, to have it serviced would probably offset any savings in your purchase.
 
What's the condensor look like - clean? Is the high pressure line coming out of the compressor hot or barely warm?

It's probably low on refrigerant and/or the compressor is weak.
 
Lubener said:
Make sure the door gasket is in good shape, otherwise that's probably the reason the guy sold it. Unfortunately, to have it serviced would probably offset any savings in your purchase.
Click to expand...

That's assuming that it can even be serviced.
If this is one of the smaller chest freezers, it is probably similar to the small cube refrigerators in the sense that manufacturing for them is farmed out to the lowest bidder.
Even though it is badged an Amana (Whirlpool,) I seriously doubt that one could obtain any parts through the Whirlpool network.
This is probably one of the "Use 'em up, throw 'em away models" , unfortunately. Someone put it on Craigslist to recoup their losses.
I'd recommend that the OP post the issue at this site:


These guys are good and know their stuff. They have talked me through several appliance debacles.
If it can be repaired from a DIY perspective, they can talk you through it.
I would guess that one could probably buy a comparable one NEW for not much more than a service call would be.
 
All the above concerns plus being in the garage may impact how cool it can get. I don't know what temps you are experiencing, but putting it outside if it is warm may also be a factor.
I'd probably shuffle any goods so the most valuable are in your indoor unit. But I'm sure you already knew that :)
 
javacontour said:
All the above concerns plus being in the garage may impact how cool it can get. I don't know what temps you are experiencing, but putting it outside if it is warm may also be a factor.
Click to expand...
I live in the North East.
I plugged my 'kitchen' frig into a Kill-A-Watt Meter to check wattage used for one year.
Summer temps went up to 85º .... Winter temp down to 60º
The summer months saw ALOT more run time (no AC in house).
 
The black deposit is smoke. The insulation around those pipes has been on fire for a a brief time. That was probably a routine factory mishap rather than a field failure or an attempt to repair.
 
I agree with mk378 about the black deposits. Maybe remnants of soldering the tubing joints from the factory.

AFTER you go through the proper diagnostic steps to eliminate electrical/other component problems and you think it might be low freon, it is possible to DIY add freon. There are many YouTube videos showing the simple procedure. It requires a bullet piercing valve (Supco is the go to brand $5), a gauge tube,and a can of correct coolant. No need to spend more than $20 on the gauge (Amazon). Some videos miss the step of purging the tube of air before adding freon.

I did my fridge 2 years ago and all is well.
 
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If it leaks, the leak is almost always in the coils inside the walls and not repairable.

Note that this machine and other new units don't contain a CFC or HFC, they use a hydrocarbon gas which I think is a mixture of propane and butane (also note that there are two isomers of butane, with different thermal properties). I'm not sure where to buy small quantities of it specified as a refrigerant.
 
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My new chest freezer took about 3 days to fully cool off. At first, I thought it was "weak" but it's been -10 or so after cooling down.

The burn marks are probably from production soldering.
 
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One BIG mistake some people make with refrigerators, freezers and window AC units is not sitting them upright to rest for hours before running the unit. You don't want to lay it down in transport, chuck it in the house and plug it in and run it right away. Because of the oil travels to the wrong spot when laid down.
 
mk378 said:
The black deposit is smoke. That was probably a routine factory mishap rather than a field failure or an attempt to repair.
Click to expand...
Interesting 'cause I've seen smoke residue like that more than once, on working units or others, and always wondered if it was bad or something got too hot at some point. I'm surprised they're that sloppy with the soldering but I guess I (we) shouldn't be surprised....
 
My fridge at home jumped to 47F yesterday when it was 85 in the house. Stupid thing has just one small folded
condenser on the bottom of the unit with have of that laying on a compressed glassfibre pad!
Very hard to impossible to clean.
So I laid on the floor and at least i got the 1/2 lb of cat hair and dustbunnies off the inlet grill :)
 
Nothing more expensive than a broken, inefficient or old chest freezer . It is noticeable on your power bill.

The breast milk is a ton of work and I would try a different freezer. They are not supposed to run like that as temp is usually -2F in them.
 
Lubener said:
Make sure the door gasket is in good shape, otherwise that's probably the reason the guy sold it. Unfortunately, to have it serviced would probably offset any savings in your purchase.
Click to expand...
The guy who was selling it was in the process of moving, so I don't think performance was a concern. There was a fairly heavy build-up of ice before I defrosted it.

I only paid $100 for the freezer, so it isn't a huge loss if I have to dump it.

ZeeOSix said:
What's the condensor look like - clean? Is the high pressure line coming out of the compressor hot or barely warm?

It's probably low on refrigerant and/or the compressor is weak.
Click to expand...
Not sure - how do you even access the coils on a chest freezer like this one?

Tdbo said:
That's assuming that it can even be serviced.
If this is one of the smaller chest freezers, it is probably similar to the small cube refrigerators in the sense that manufacturing for them is farmed out to the lowest bidder.
Even though it is badged an Amana (Whirlpool,) I seriously doubt that one could obtain any parts through the Whirlpool network.
This is probably one of the "Use 'em up, throw 'em away models" , unfortunately. Someone put it on Craigslist to recoup their losses.
I'd recommend that the OP post the issue at this site:


These guys are good and know their stuff. They have talked me through several appliance debacles.
If it can be repaired from a DIY perspective, they can talk you through it.
I would guess that one could probably buy a comparable one NEW for not much more than a service call would be.
Click to expand...
I didn't see any service ports, so I have no idea how these things are serviced. doitmyself's idea is fascinating though - might need to look into it.
New one's have risen in price....significantly. These things now go for $500-$700.

doitmyself said:
I agree with mk378 about the black deposits. Maybe remnants of soldering the tubing joints from the factory.

AFTER you go through the proper diagnostic steps to eliminate electrical/other component problems and you think it might be low freon, it is possible to DIY add freon. There are many YouTube videos showing the simple procedure. It requires a bullet piercing valve (Supco is the go to brand $5), a gauge tube,and a can of correct coolant. No need to spend more than $20 on the gauge (Amazon). Some videos miss the step of purging the tube of air before adding freon.

I did my fridge 2 years ago and all is well.
Click to expand...

This one? Mine takes R600a. Do you have any recommendations for a gauge set?
skyactiv said:
One BIG mistake some people make with refrigerators, freezers and window AC units is not sitting them upright to rest for hours before running the unit. You don't want to lay it down in transport, chuck it in the house and plug it in and run it right away. Because of the oil travels to the wrong spot when laid down.
Click to expand...
It sat for 24 hrs before I plugged it in.
 
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