Why does my freezer over freeze like this and why does it only keep things frozen about halfway up?
Posted by Pm_Me_For_SomeAdvice@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 18 comments
Fingers_of_fury@reddit
I took a small computer fan and inserted it into the bottom of a small pvc pipe at the bottom of the fridge. The fan would then suck up the cold air from the bottom and blow it out at the top (put a small 90 degree elbow at the top). It will circulate air throughout the whole box and keep an even temperature throughout. I’ve never had a problem with the evaporator plate icing up since and I’m in the South Pacific where it’s very humid. Wire it to the power on your compressor.
pdq_sailor@reddit
Yes.. this works ...
mikeboatman@reddit
That's a good idea. I've been wondering how best to circulate air in both my fridge and freezer. I might give this a go.
Thanks!
whyrumalwaysgone@reddit
Need some air circulation - you can wire up a cheap 12v computer fan in there to run when the fridge is cycling on and it will make a huge difference. Literally any air movement at all will help.
First step is defrost it, then look in the back of the thermostat for 12v, should be available at the end of the harness behind that knob. Then a little #18AWG or 20AWG 2-conductor wire, and attach the fan anywhere with a zip tie or 2. Point it so you are circulating the air.
Also check your insulation at the top, and seal off any gaps. You are getting moist warm air in there to make that ice.
pdq_sailor@reddit
I did this with a duct to take cold air from teh bottom and circulate it up one side of the compartment...
pdq_sailor@reddit
The thermostat does not cycle and moisture infiltration builds up on the coil.. so weather stripping on the lid is needed.. and more insulation will help.. I put a circulation fan and duct in the compartment to even up the temperature.. and put in a digital temperature controller...
Plastic_Table_8232@reddit
Pics of lid? Try setting a piece of extruded poly styrene over the lid with something mildly heavy in it after defrosting.
Could be that the lid has poor insulation or an extremely air leak. The foam over the door test will help.
Is your fridge water or air cooled condenser?
I fill my evaporator with freeEr bags of water to maximize the mass of the evaporator and keep the cycling down and temps down as well. Your fridge doesn’t look very full - mass helps maintain temps. If your evaporator is trying to cool air it’s going to run constantly and go from cold to hot quickly.
NorseBear73@reddit
Probably leaking. It's like a normal freezer when it's not got a tight seal around the door. The humid environment builds up the ice quickly around the elements. Like an AC running full power when the temperature outside is too great to what you've got on the wall display. That's why you can get it snowing in the bedroom.
Raneynickelfire@reddit
You either have a very, very faulty AC unit, or have something very backwards. That's not how central AC works.
NorseBear73@reddit
Out of experience, yes. What's your humidity? You see this in hotels in hot climates all the time where people leave their ac on full and leave for the day.
X_kansas_x@reddit
After moving the temperature probe out of the frost, and replacing the gasket foam to prevent humid air from getting in, perhaps add a lid to the freezer box. Kind of like the plastic flap on some very small mini fridges keeps the shoebox freezer colder than the rest of the fridge.
I also recommend a small digital thermometer to move around the box to test if your changes work.
I'm presently trying out a piece of 50mm closed cell foam (salvaged packaging material) on top of my similar freezer to keep the areas separate. It seems good so far, and I'm getting about -1 degree C in the freezer box under the foam lid and 7 degrees in the further reaches of the fridge. Your mileage may vary.
Ancientways113@reddit
Try r/refrigeration
alex1033@reddit
One reason can be that the lid is not tight or the insulation is weak on the upper part of the fridge box. Another one is air is a pretty good insulator - a full fridge is always more efficient than a nearly empty one.
tralavoi@reddit
Hmmm. Im looking at your photo and my first thought is, that is not a freezer. It is a fridge.
Where in the world are you, like in the tropics, or in the northeast usa? And how long does it take to ice up that much?
If it takes weeks to do that, then you definitely dont have a freezer. You have a fridge.
A proper freezer should be built and insulated to keep items at or below 0 degrees F. In the heat of the tropics during the day our decade old freezer (engel md40) will keep food as cold as 5F with frequent opening and closing.
A properly built and insulated fridge should keep food at or below 40F.
If this box cant keep foods much colder than 20F then its really a fridge. And even if you added tons more insulation it might not make it a freezer without a properly sized compressor the proper amount of heat transfer.
jackdog20@reddit
Consider all that ice up to be like a green light indicator that it is on. It’s working.
dollardave@reddit
Don’t stick your thermostat temp sensor in the ice box and it won’t freeze over like that.
dickwae@reddit
When I lived aboard I had a top of the line cold plate system, I never used it. I bought a block of ice once or twice a week, a flawless system.
_starrydynamo_@reddit
Water vapor in the air freezes on the coils. It's not something special about your freezer, all freezers (basically) do this, however, many have an automatic de-ice cycle that melts the buildup and drains the water.
If you want to get rid of it, you should remove all the food, shut off the freezer and let the ice melt, then drain the water.
The 'only cold half-way up' issue might be related to the lack of efficiency that comes from the buildup.