back to the master list of frequently asked questions

back to the list of questions about deep freezers

Frequently Asked Questions About Domestic Refrigerator Repair:

Only 2 of the inside walls frost and outside wall is hot to the touch.

have an older Moffatt freezer (I bought it used 8 years ago). The freezer is cold. However, two of the internal walls have frost build up (front and left) and two do not (back and right). The right exterior wall is hot to touch. Is it worth having a repair person look at the freezer or should we just look at a new one and save the $50 house call. Thanks.

You didn't say if it was cold enough or not so it may be okay. If it isn’t cold enough, a freezer that runs but doesn’t cool is not usually repairable.

If it is, some chest type deep freezers only have 2 of the four walls as the active heat absorbing walls. The outside walls will also often be warm to the touch. This is where they release the heat absorbed from the inside along with the heat generated by the compressor, to the outside. See the article back on the web site called "All about deep freezes" which explains about embedded refrigeration components. You will find the walls of most chest type deep freezers are the actual refrigeration components.

Note: this same article is in Section 1

Thanks for your prompt response. It is cold enough for now. My question is how much longer? We could keep Popsicle’s in the top bin and they would stay frozen. Now we have to place them at the bottom of the freezer. Thanks for the insight,

Alright, if it froze your Popsicles before and not now and nothing else happened like it being moved to a different location, the control adjusted, or even plugged into a different extension cord, then something is changing.

Basically, if a deep freeze runs but doesn't freeze properly, then it's time for a new one. It most always means that either the compressor is getting weak or it has a Freon leak.

Sorry to say but both of the above are terminal. Most of the time Freon leaks on a freezer are between the two walls where you can't get at them, and replacing the compressor on one of these boys is seldom economically feasible because the job costs almost as much as a new one. ( I've replaced a few in cases where a customer has a big old one in his basement and the room has since been built around it so the unit is unremovable).

Trying to predict when it's going to become unusable altogether though is not possible but be aware it could happen quite soon after you have started to notice symptoms. It's probably started to run constantly and in this situation things can happen fairly quickly.

If it wasn't starting or not running at all then perhaps it has a worn out cold control or starter. These situations would be feasible to proceed with. Sorry to give you the bad news,