We have a general electric 20 cu ft chest freezer. the outside becomes hot to the touch is this normal?

if new and a 5 ltr

check thermostat setting

it takes some time to freeze up unit and contents

motor will run a bit longer then normal

then should kick in on and off with the thermostat

The hot sides is normal, this is how they expel the heat from inside the freezer, sometimes it may help to use a fan to help cool. Also make sure there is about 12" of room around all sides of the freezer .

The insulation between the inside and the outside of the freezer haas become water logged, This can be twmporarilly remedied by switching off the freezer and letting the insulation dry out for a few weeks, less in hot dry climates, but the solution is temporary and the problem will reoccur. To have the foam replaced means a complete strip down of the freezer and is seldom worth the cost. I am sorry, but you will probably have to get used to living with the problem. Incidently, it does make inroads into your electricity bills.

Hi, can you put your hands on front of freezer, and check from 1 to 5 without getting burn? how long can you keep your hands on front of freezer? check from 1 to 20 and let me know, normally there's a condensate line, or part of condenser lines that passes through freezer body , purpose of those condensate line is to prevent your door gasket from freezing , especially during winter. It's normal for front of freezer to be warmed, on hot days it will be a little hotter, you said "very hot" makes me wonder how hot it is, put your hands on front of freezer, use number method and let me know, but it's normal. good luck.

it is normal for outside to get hot. that is where the condensor coils are located. if unit is working don't worry.

Is it really becoming excessivly hot or is it that you just have not been aware before. Most freezers generate heat when they are cooling down (yeah ok, so that sounds crazy). It may just be the freezer working hard to lower the temperature to get back to normal operating temperature

Believe it or not, but it is normal. Especially when just turned on. As the internal temp. gets colder so will the temp. on the side get cooler.

This is a normal condition.  The condensor coils are in the cabinet and their job is to remove heat which is why it is hot.  You will want to make sure the freezer isn't in a tight spot where air from the room can't flow across it.  Without good air flow it will become too hot and not cool properly and lead to the compressor failing too soon.

it should be warm to the touch but not so hot you cant. and also depending on how long the freezer is running and how warm it is where the freezer is will effect how hot the outside is. the reason the outside of the freezer is hot is because thats how the freezer releses its heat from the refrigerant. the longer it runs or the harder it has to work the more heat it has to hive off. so unless the freezer is not cooling there is nothing to worry about.