I have a Woods model F16CVREC freezer that has formed ice within the freezer compartment and warmed to the point of defrosting the food within the unit. Any ideas what the problem may be? Thanks Islander

Unplug the drain tube by shooting hot water down it with a turkey baster. It is located underneath the evaporator.

Thank you for your post friend.

I understand that you are having intermittent defrost issues with your Frigidaire refrigerator. Are you experiencing an accumulation of ice buildup, are you losing food? Defrost issues can be caused by a variety of things such as a defective defrost heater, thermostat or defective door gasket. I recommend that you visually inspect the door gasket for defects such as gaps or tears. You can also use a dollar bill to test the door gasket. Place a dollar bill in between the door and the body of the freezer. If the dollar bill pulls out with no to little resistance, you may need to replace the door gasket. A faulty door gasket can allow warm air to enter the compartment and cause frost to buildup.

If there is a miscommunication within your freezer, a reset can possibly correct this issue. I recommend that you reset your refrigerator by unplugging it for 10 minutes. I hope this information has been helpful. -NS

Most home refrigerators share the same cooling coil for both compartments so in order to defrost the freezer that coil has to be disabled by pulling the plug. You havent mentioned the brand of refrigerator that you own but i am guessing that you have an automatic defrost. Can you hear a fan running inside the freezer compartment when the door is closed and the compressor in the back is running? If so your freezer will automatically defrost. The ice you probably see collects on the shelving or inside walls. Generally you can take the plastic handle of a screwdriver and gently tap the ice to get it to crack and fall off. Take care not to hit cold plastic parts or panels, they may crack or break. Otherwise I would get the model of the refrigerator and go to the manufacturers web site and post your question to get a positive answer. Good luck!

Either the defrost circuit has failed or the refrigerant is low - my money is on the defrost circuit.

Most defrost circuits have three main parts:

1) defrost electric heating coil
2) defrost terminator
3) defrost timer.

The heating coil and terminator are in the freezer compartment - behind a protective panel. The heater is usually piggy-backed on the freezer coil and the terminator is in contact with the freezer coil to detect its temperature. The defrost timer is a simple assembly of a clock motor with switch contacts that can be located anywhere the manufacturer desires. The timer turns on or enables the defrost circuit every 8 or so hours for up to 30 minutes give or take.

When the timer has enabled the defrost cycle, the cooling mode ceases; the compressor shuts off and power is sent through the terminator to the heater. The heater warms and melts any ice build up on the freezer coil. The water drips to a pan and flows down the tube to a pan under the fridge - where it is evaporated off. The heater warms the freezer coil until either a) the timer returns to cooling mode or b) the terminator senses a preset rising temperature on the freezer coil. Once either condition is present, power is interupted and heating stops. The compressor is energized through the adjustable thermostat in your fridge. Since it is warm, the compressor turns on and cooling begins.

If any of the components listed above (1,2 or 3) have failed, the defrost cycle never warms the freezer coil and the ice never melts to clear the freezer coil as intended. Air can not be circulated through the freezer coil since it is choked with ice, so even though the compressor runs, the fridge and freezer spaces never get colder. The adjustable thermostat never sees the temperature you've set so the compressor never shuts off.

Water dripping in the fridge is melting ice from the freezer space - as the freezer is not getting colder - only the protected space around the freezer coil is.

To fix this, you'll have to get the service manual or schematics for the fridge to determine where the parts are located and do some troubleshooting with a multimeter after disassembling the freezer compartment and wherever else to access the timer if needed. This is not a good first appliance repair job for a DIYer due to the danger of refrigerant and testing live electrical parts in closed in spaces.

I hope this helps.

sounds like a defrost problem there should be a defrost control and some form of a heater onthe inside of your freezer you should call a technician for proper diagnosis on which part you will need

It sounds like you have a defrost problem.

All the cooling for both sections takes place in the freezer behind the back wall. A fan back there distributes the cold air throughout the freezer and fresh food section. Every 8 - 10 hours a heater comes on for about 20 minutes to eliminate the frost from the evaporator coils back there. If this defrost cycle fails the frost will build up to a point of no air flow so the fresh food side and most of the freezer start to warm up.

The best way to take care of this is to turn it off and unload the freezer, take the shelves out and the screws holding the back panel inside the freezer out. Remove the back panel from the freezer. Use hot water and a hair dryer to unthaw the ice and frost, you will need lots of towels as the melting will bring lots of water on to the floor. Once the frost is gone you will need to install this part WR51X443. The picture below shows it. The kit contains new heaters and thermostat.

if self defrosting model check frozen drain in freezer

The cause if no defrost cycle , remove the panel where the ice is and derost with unit unplugged , use a hairdryer or similar to defrost ice , make sure its all defrosted , check the heater under that coil to make sure its still intact.
Also check the defrost timer , there may be a wiring diagram on the back showing where this is located.
Phil

Here are some short videos on how to fix your problem...
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You said you checked the seal but one thing you can try to be double sure the seal is tight put a thin layer of vaseline along the entire seal it will fill in any gaps and you can be sure it is sealing completely.