Is an iced up freezer dangerous?
September 14, 2010 11:15 PM Subscribe
What are the dangers of having a freezer that forms ice inside? My relatively new fridge/freezer has started to form ice inside. I have defrosted it using advice from previous questions. I am concerned about its safety.
I have checked the door seal which appears fine. This picture shows how the back seal has come away and ice has formed behind the back cover plate. The back cover plate is now slightly warped from the ice behind it.
Can I fix this problem or should I call an expert?
Pic of freezer here
I have checked the door seal which appears fine. This picture shows how the back seal has come away and ice has formed behind the back cover plate. The back cover plate is now slightly warped from the ice behind it.
Can I fix this problem or should I call an expert?
Pic of freezer here
What he said. There isn't any safety issue involved.
Ice buildup is mildly annoying, and if it gets too thick it makes the frig use a bit more power, but there isn't any danger involved, except maybe if a big piece of ice breaks loose and falls on your foot.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:31 PM on September 14, 2010
Ice buildup is mildly annoying, and if it gets too thick it makes the frig use a bit more power, but there isn't any danger involved, except maybe if a big piece of ice breaks loose and falls on your foot.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 11:31 PM on September 14, 2010
Erm, long before auto-defrosting freezers was a time when freezers would frost over like Hoth. This would reduce available space and knock efficiency down a very large peg, but you would usually defrost it yourself, either manually (my mother uses a spare license plate) or by unplugging the bastard, migrating the food, and waiting.
No safety risk to speak of. It's cold in there.
posted by disillusioned at 11:51 PM on September 14, 2010
No safety risk to speak of. It's cold in there.
posted by disillusioned at 11:51 PM on September 14, 2010
It's a freezer. It's going to get frosty. To keep it to a minimum, just try not to open the door for too long. That way, the moisture won't get in and condense and freeze all over the cold surfaces.
Frost isn't really a safety issue. Worst case scenario is the motor gets clogged up and conks out, and you have to eat all your ice cream before it melts.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:59 PM on September 14, 2010
Frost isn't really a safety issue. Worst case scenario is the motor gets clogged up and conks out, and you have to eat all your ice cream before it melts.
posted by Sys Rq at 11:59 PM on September 14, 2010
The only thing is the back panel being pushed out indicates excessive ice build up on (or below) the coils. This could be due to a faulty defrost switch/timer/whatever-it-uses, faulty defrosting element, faulty fan, or packing the freezer too full / incorrectly so that the freezing air either can't circulate at all or takes a short-circuit straight from fan to intake.
None of them is a safety issue. The first 3 are faults; the fourth - and most likely - is a user issue (don't block the fan, don't block the intake, don't pack all your stuff at the front only leaving a short path straight across the back from fan to intake grill).
posted by Pinback at 12:17 AM on September 15, 2010
None of them is a safety issue. The first 3 are faults; the fourth - and most likely - is a user issue (don't block the fan, don't block the intake, don't pack all your stuff at the front only leaving a short path straight across the back from fan to intake grill).
posted by Pinback at 12:17 AM on September 15, 2010
Best answer: easiest way to defrost a freezer ... unload, take it outside, open the doors, hit it with a garden hose on full ... defrosted in 5 mins ... dry it off, take it back inside, plug it in, and refill.
posted by jannw at 2:15 AM on September 15, 2010
posted by jannw at 2:15 AM on September 15, 2010
....and if at any point in the defrosting process you think, "you know, this would go a LOT faster if I attacked this sumbitch with this here chisel and scraped that ice right off" DO NOT DO THAT or you WILL fuck it up and puncture a coil or rupture space-time or some shit and the people with whom you live who were formerly DELIGHTED that you were defrosting the freezer while they were lazing about watching the Thundercats will become DISMAYED and make you pay to fix it and you will feel like a penniless moron.
Signed,
The Voice of Experience
posted by BitterOldPunk at 3:51 AM on September 15, 2010 [23 favorites]
Signed,
The Voice of Experience
posted by BitterOldPunk at 3:51 AM on September 15, 2010 [23 favorites]
What are the dangers of having a freezer that forms ice inside?
You run the risk of a slightly higher electric bill. That's...about it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:18 AM on September 15, 2010
You run the risk of a slightly higher electric bill. That's...about it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:18 AM on September 15, 2010
A relatively new freezer shouldn't be building up ice on the interior at all. It sounds like the defrost heater isn't working properly. If by "relatively new" you mean still under warranty I'd make a service appointment. The defrost heater is just a chip on the main control board. They don't fix them, replace the whole board. The problem is the damn boards run $150 and up depending on the brand of your fridge.
posted by COD at 5:51 AM on September 15, 2010
posted by COD at 5:51 AM on September 15, 2010
If you (like I) lack the gumption and upper-body strength to drag your refrigerator outside every three months to rinse with a hose, you can do what I do: use a hair dryer.
If this was marketed as a frost-free freezer, then you should have it looked at. Something may be wrong. But not all modern freezers are frost-free - I have a mini fridge that's frost-full and it's only four years old.
posted by ErikaB at 10:10 AM on September 15, 2010
If this was marketed as a frost-free freezer, then you should have it looked at. Something may be wrong. But not all modern freezers are frost-free - I have a mini fridge that's frost-full and it's only four years old.
posted by ErikaB at 10:10 AM on September 15, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mr_roboto at 11:24 PM on September 14, 2010