What is wrong with my freezer? Updated

[lavenderblue]

I'm debating calling in appliance repair because I don't know if the issue is actually my freezer or not. I have an LG bottom freezer set up with an ice maker. The ice is stored in a plastic thing in the freezer, not available through the door. It seems like the ice is melting and then refreezing in a solid block. Nothing else in my freezer seems to be affected by this, but I'm not sure. Or maybe the water from the ice maker is leaking? I'm not sure. I'm going to do an experiment and freeze glass of water and then place a quarter on top and see if it ends up at the bottom, thinking maybe my freezer is somehow unfreezing? IDK it's so weird and super annoying. Any thoughts on what could be happening? 

[glw]

The air might not be circulating well; is your freezer super full? You could try moving food around to make sure that enough cold air is circulating around the ice holder.

[joy]

This is happening in our freezer. I put a thermometer in there and found that the temperature cycle is from -25 deg C (about five degrees below setting) to 20 degrees C (room temperature). I have no idea how long it is warm compared to when it’s cold, but clearly it’s long enough to melt ice before it gets back down to the proper temp.

This is a temporary rental house from our friends so we’re not really looking into fixing it. We’ve just adapted to what is in our freezer (vegetables and ice).

I would confirm what the temp cycle is of your freezer.

[ewall]

You may want to check the drain line / drain tube / condensate line / whatever you want to call it to make sure it's not obstructed. I would Google your fridge model plus clogged drain and see what you end up with.

Our line had a duck bill drip valve on the end of it. It had a ball of fuzz in it which caused the water to not drain and evaporate properly. The water backed up into the bottom drawer freezer.

[picksthemusic]

Oct 21, 2024 10:57:30 GMT -5 glw said:

The air might not be circulating well; is your freezer super full? You could try moving food around to make sure that enough cold air is circulating around the ice holder.

This was going to be my suggestion. My mom just had this issue and she had to clean out a ton of food from her freezer. Since she got on Mounjaro and doesn't eat as much, she freezes leftovers but then never eats them (and her husband doesn't like leftovers) so they sit in there.

I'd try this first - clean it out so the air can circulate better and see if it still happens.

In the meantime for ice, get a traditional ice cube tray.

[livinitup]

Based on my own experience, I would recommend 2 things. First, check under the fridge that you don’t have a water leak that is puddling under the fridge and onto the floor. This happened to us and required repairs on the floor. Second, check the back (the way way back) of the freezer by the ice cube unit. We used to get a lot of frost buildup that prevents good ice making. We would either chip away at the frost or take everything out and melt/wash it away. It’s a pain but did the trick.

[sju]

It’s an LG. That’s the problem.

We have one btw. LG already replaced the compressor in 2020 so I recommend calling them directly.  Now we get ice buildup inside the fridge that H has to chip away.  We hope to replace it soon. 

ETA to clarify

[tiki]

This was the first sign of trouble in our old fridge/freezer. It had started doing cycles of defrosting/re-freezing, which was most obvious in our ice bin and ice cream. The ice that forms can block drains, fans, and air circulation, so the first thing we tried was fully defrosting over a weekend. We did it in late fall so we could put fridge food in coolers on the back porch.

You may want to put a thermometer in a glass of water in the fridge, too. Ours seemed cold but turned out to only be holding 50-55F degrees.

[lavenderblue]

Thank you everyone for the responses.

glw, my freezer is super full so I'm hoping that is the issue. I have a second fridge/freezer in my basement along with a chest freezer, so I'm going to get them all cleaned out this weekend and move some things around and hopefully that helps, especially because it is the cheapest "fix".

[1confused1]

Do you get a sheet of ice under the pull out drawer? That is what happens to me, Google tells me it’s a clogged drain line.

[lavenderblue]

Oct 21, 2024 13:57:57 GMT -5 1confused1 said:

Do you get a sheet of ice under the pull out drawer? That is what happens to me, Google tells me it’s a clogged drain line.

I will check for this as well. Thank you.

[lavenderblue]

Update: the issue thankfully was an easy fix. The freezer was in fact over full. I cleaned it out over the weekend and organized it and now the ice is no longer freezing in large chunks. Thank goodness it wasn’t due to a bigger issue.