Freezer compartment has frost buildup

This freezer is not frost free. Being an upright limiting the amount and frequency of opening the door will reduce the build up of ice. Ice is expected and depending on humidity and quality of seal around door affects the amount of ice.

Using a thin ribbon check the seal integrity around the door. Confirm nothing is prohibiting the full closure of the door.

Adjust door if necessary. Replace seal if defective. Freeze open unsealed items in a frost free freezer before locating frozen food in this unit.

These units are likely located in the garage where the humidity is high. If used only as needed planning transfer between this and the kitchen unit frost can be minimized.

Being a conventional freezer not frost free freezer burn is less likely and frozen food will not dry out as quickly. Confirm that the freezer maintains about 0 degree F.

This unit is likely more efficient and will maintain the food frozen longer in the event of power outage.

Hope this helps?

POSSIBLY faulty door seals allowing outside moisture to enter freezer compartment. This is especially prevalent in older units and/or tropical climate zones [ie high humidity] ... OR if freezer is OVER-LOADED with food items !!!
If you are putting in large quantities of fresh produce to be frozen it is quite often better to PRE-COOL all the items in your refrigerator PRIOR to placing in your FREEZER as they will usually have a high moisture content which will cause frost build-up in your freezer ...

Hi

Frost is a natural occurrence on the evaporator coils in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator. To prevent frost buildup, a self-defrosting refrigerator warms the coils using a defrost heater several times each day to melt away the frost. This frost melts into water and flows out of the compartment through the drain. If any part of the defrost system is not working properly, the result can be heavy frost buildup that may affect the cooling capacity of the refrigerator.

The defrost timer is a mechanism that tells the defroster how long to run to melt the frost. The limit switch measures the temperature in the freezer and helps to maintain it, while the heater is the key element that melts the frost. Any one of these components could need replacement at a given time, which will result in this over-frosting.
Also check this bellow link:-

http://www.ehow.com/how_4504020_test-refrigerator-defrost-timer.html

Please get back to us if you have further query else please accept the suggestion.

Thank you for contacting fixya.com

The problem you describe is that your defrost circuit has failed. The fridge should stop the compressor periodically and turn on the defrost heater to melt the frost buildup. Since the frost in building up on your coils, the fan can't blow the cold air into the fridge compartment. It defrost is controlled by a module that turns on the heater. Most of these failures have to do with the defrost heating element burning out. It can be replaced by someone who has some mechanical ability.

The coil and heater is located in the back of the freezer compartment behind the panel in the back. You can obtain parts from appliance repair outlet or online like appliancepartspros.com or repairclinic.com.

You will have to check the defrost timer to make sure it is turning if it is working properly and you are getting power to the defrost heating element below the freezer coil it should get hot if you have a 115volts or so to the element and it does not get hot then you have a bad element

Check to see if the fan inside the freezer is working... Also check if you have any frost build-up inside the freezer ..Frost buildup is an indication of either a non working defroster and/or a bad fan. Can't diagnose it with limited information.

Regards'
Dectech

1)The door gasket on the freezer door helps keep the cold air in and the warm air out. If the gasket is dirty or damaged, it may prevent the door from closing properly, which can lead to frost buildup on your freezer walls. To make sure the door is sealing, slip a dollar bill or a sheet of paper between the gasket and the freezer and then close the door. If the bill or paper pulls free with little or no resistance, the gasket isn't sealing properly. Wipe the gasket with a damp cloth to remove dirt, grease and other residue. If the gasket is damaged, replace it with a new one. Sometimes frost can accumulate on the back panel of your freezer if the door is open too long or too often. When you open the door, you let warm, humid air inside, and this condenses and freezes. Make sure there are no packages preventing the door from fully closing, and limit how often you open the door by removing what you need all at once.
2)Ventilation is important because it ensures your freezer stays cold. If something inside the freezer blocks the internal vents, the freezer may become warm, causing condensation to form on the walls, and eventually leading to frost buildup. When loading your freezer, make sure there are no items resting against the rear wall of the freezer and space the contents out as much as possible to improve ventilation.
3)Side-by-side refrigerators with a built-in ice maker may accumulate frost if the flap on the ice dispenser doesn't close properly. This allows warm air to enter the freezer side, condense and freeze, causing frost buildup over time. Open the freezer door and examine the flap inside the ice chute. It should be flush against the housing. If it is not, empty the ice bin and make sure there is no ice or debris preventing the flap from closing.
4)If your freezer door closes properly and nothing is keeping it open, frost buildup on the back panel may indicate a problem with the freezer's self-defrost system. The self-defrost system turns off the compressor for a short time every six to 12 hours so it can turn on the defrost heater. This melts any frost buildup on the freezer coils, and the water drains to the pan beneath the freezer. If this component fails, frost continues to build. Move the contents to another freezer and turn your freezer off for 24 to 48 hours to manually defrost the interior. If frost builds up again, contact a qualified appliance repair technician to inspect the defrost timer and repair the problem.

Our side by side did the same, started because the cooling coils on the bottom (although cleaned regularly), still overworked due to build up of dust and especially pet hair. The heating coil in the freezer compartment which prevents ice buildup in modern (frost-free) units kicks on full time and the compressor can't compensate, thus your perishables start to thaw. Luckily we were still under warranty. hope this helps you at least start diagnosing the problem.

Check the door seal to ensure outside air not being pulled in . You could have a defrost problem if frost build up on rear freezer wall .

This would indicate a problem with the ice chute door seal. Have it serviced. Air leakage would cause the frost-ice buildup.