Freezer is cold but not freezing at all

freezingrefrigerator

After throwing a thermometer in my freezer, it is around 15-20 degrees Fahrenheit. Things that have been in there and frozen are staying frozen, but anything new that needs to freeze is not.

For example, 24 hours ago I put some of those "colored ice pops" in there and maybe 3 or 4 froze, the rest are just cold.

It is a Freezer/Refrigerator combo with the freezer on top.

What could be causing this and how would I go about fixing it?
EDIT

It looks like the back panel of my freezer is popping off for some reason. I think that this what causes it to not stay cold. Is it possible to pop it back on?

EDIT TWO
The fridge is still warm, even though it is dialed to the max. The freezer is running heavy and is around 15 degrees.

Best Answer

Freezers aren't really designed to freeze things, they're designed to keep things frozen. To change one pound of 32°F ice to 31°F ice, requires the removal of .5 BTUs. To change one pound of 32°F water, to 32°F ice, requires 144 BTUs. Therefore, it requires far less energy to keep an item frozen, than it does to freeze the item in the first place.

Almost all sources (including the USDA) agree that a freezer should be kept at 0°F (-18°C), to store frozen foods. Though a temperature of -5 to -10, is recommended to freeze food.

If the back panel of the freezer is popping off, you might want to investigate what is causing it to pop off. If there is ice forming that is causing the panel to pop off, it could mean that the refrigerant in the system is low, and there may be a leak. This is probably a unlikely scenario, though it is possible.

The more likely cause, is poor air flow.

If there's not good air flow through the condenser, the heat removed from the refrigerated compartments will not be removed from the refrigerant. At the same time, if the air flow through the evaporator is poor, heat will not be removed from the refrigerated compartments effectively. Maintaining good air flow within the refrigerated compartments is also important. The cooled air needs to move throughout the compartment, so heat can be taken away.

  • Make sure the condenser fan is working, and there's not a lot of dust and debris obstructing the flow of air across the condenser.
  • Make sure there's good air flow across the evaporator, and that the evaporator is not icing over (this may require disassembly of part of the refrigerator).
  • Make sure there's good air flow within the freezer, and that items are not blocking the vents.
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