Freezer wont stay cold, it thawed out, average temperature in freezer has been 46 degrees

If you have a frost free refrigerator then temp jumps as you discribe are somewhat normal during a defrost cycle. However it sound like your defrost temp may be getting too high. There is a limit thermostat on the freezer coils that keep the defrost temp from getting too high. The part is called a (defrost termination thermostat) and is a round disk about 1 to 1.5 inch in diameter clipped to the top of the freezer coils with 2 wires coming out of it. When cold, it allows power to the defrost heaters. At around 35/40 degrees it opens and shuts off power to the heater. 35/40 degrees sounds high for a freezer temp but that is behind the wall and only for a short time. Yours may be staying on too long or out of temp calibration needing replaced.

Many residential refrigerator / freezers are designed to work at temperature considerably above above freezing. Most modern refrigerator / freezer have a single electric thermostat - located in the fresh food compartment. This lone thermostat will control the compressor to keep the fridge (fresh food) section at the desired temperature (usually between 34 - 38 degrees F). The freezer will get colder regardless of how cold it is already whenever the fridge thermostat turns the compressor on.

Now that you see how the thermostat works, let's look at what happens when the fridge is placed in an unheated space - like a garage. In winter time, the temperature can drop considerably below 38 degrees. If the outdoor temperature remains cold enough, for long enough - it will affect the thermostat in the fridge. The temperature inside the fridge could drop below 38 degrees, preventing the thermostat from telling the compressor to turn on. Meanwhile, the temperature in the freezer compartment slowly rises from the normal -10 to 0 F degrees. It will continue to rise until it is the same temperature as the fresh food compartment or until the thermostat in the fresh food compartment tells the compressor to turn on again. This means the freezer contents will thaw.

If the temperature in the garage is even in the 40 to 50 degree range, the loss of cold in the fridge may not happen often enough to keep the compressor coming on often enough to keep some freezer items frozen solid - such as ice cream. Remember, water freezes at 32 degrees F, other products may require lower temperatures to remain frozen, and could thaw at 28 or other temperature.

Good luck!

0f and 37f

If the freezer is staying cold it sounds like a defrost system problem. A bad timer, heater or thermostat can cause frost to build up on the coils and block air flow to the refrig side. Check out ACMEHowTo.com for troubleshooting the defroster problem

you need to replace your cold control

If all is ideal maybe -10 an occationally -15 and this is F considerable coolder than -20C. ALSO fyi a chest freezer will stay at or below these temps better than an upright and especially a self defrosting model. Because a chest freezer you dont loose all the cold air when you open the door. TYhey are not made in auto matic defrost as far as I know (never have seen one but then I havent been looking for one either. An up right freezer can be manual defrost or automatic. but the cold air falls ouit every time the door is opened.

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If the temperature fluctuations occur (at least the ones to 20-30 degrees) at intervals of 6 hours or so then you are catching it in it's defrost mode which occurs on a timer. The timer shuts off everything except lights every 6 hours for an average of 20 minutes. This usually isn't enough to thaw things but I have seen it cause some crystale. Look closely at the back inside wall of the freezer for an accumulation of frost. If you see it there then you may have a defrost problem. Usually this is accompanied by steadily rising temperature in the freezer and fresh food secions both. The temps you listed (0to10) are fine. Good luck, AJ

there is a circulation fan and also a vent. Either the fan is blowing, or there is a cloged vent.

Solution Found! The problem is when the temperature surrounding the refrigerator in the garage falls to < 45 degrees, the thermostat regulating the refrigerator will not call for the compressor to kick in to provide cooling (it's temperature requirements are being met). Since there is no demand, the compressor will not cycle, which is how the freezer is kept cold, and the freezer eventually warms up to match the refrigerator temperature. Frigidaire makes a "Cold Kit" that I ordered and installed from RepairClinic.com for $22 (Item #: 1037646; Description: Garage kit). It's basically a strip heater that runs off the control power to warm the thermostat and causes the compressor to cycle once to twice a day to keep the freezer frozen. After installation, the refrigerator stays at 40-45 and the freezer stays around 0 degrees.