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Human01011000  
#1 Posted : Wednesday, March 30, 2022 9:49:16 AM(UTC)
Human01011000

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Joined: 3/30/2022(UTC)
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United States
Location: IL

I just bought a home with a GE Monogram Freezer (ZIF36NMILH) manufactured in 2008. As far as I can tell, the fridge (which matches, but is a separate unit, I believe) works fine, but the freezer is not cold enough. It barely keeps ice frozen, and things like ice cream and frozen fruit thaw quickly. I don't know the exact internal temp, but I have a freezer thermometer coming later today and will update this post at that time. We've defrosted the whole freezer both by: 1) disconnecting power and letting it sit for 12 hours and by 2) repeatedly advancing the defrost timer to the defrost interval with the door open (approximately 5-6 times for a total of 2.5 - 3 hours). While there was some frost on the evaporator coils before the defrost, I don't see anymore now.



There is an audible clicking sound coming from the defrost timer, it sounds like a clock with regular clicking occurring more than once per second. I will test the defrost timer when I get my multimeter, but that might will not be until tomorrow when the rest of our stuff arrives. Here is a link to a video showing the inner workings of the freezer. If you have the sound on, you can hear the clicking. I know that the condenser is a bit dusty and plan to clean it, but I don't think that's the issue. The condenser coils are not getting very warm at all, possibly the same temperature as the ambient air. The compressor is a little warm, maybe 90-95F, but definitely not hot. The evaporator coils do not feel very cold either, but they do feel a little cold, so the system must be pumping some heat.



What would you recommend for a next trouble-shooting step? I'm pretty handy, but also very conservative and careful. I'd prefer to avoid a service call, even if it means that this repair takes a week or two (I am patient), but I know my own limits and will not be messing with the closed system at all. Any suggestions welcome.

Update 1: Despite the condenser coils not getting very warm, some of the evaporator coils were covered with frost within a few hours of the freezer being allowed to run normally. Photo.

Does anyone know how to access the evaporator fan on this model?

Edited by user Wednesday, March 30, 2022 10:39:17 AM(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

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ThatGuy  
#2 Posted : Wednesday, March 30, 2022 11:53:31 AM(UTC)
ThatGuy

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United States
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It sounds like your sealed system is low on Freon. The room temp condenser coils and the low amount of frost on the evaporator coils are symptoms of the loss of some of your Freon. The problem with that is finding the leak and sealing it if possible. You could just add Freon, but it just going to keep leaking.

Most likely your best option would be to save your money and spend it on a replacement freezer. Sorry it's not better news.
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