Liquids, in particular, started melting. Lowered temperature but that didn't help. Finally called a friend who is a repair tech--more commercial though--and he took the inside back of the freezer off to reveal an ice ball around the connectors. Said he didn't think it would be worth repairing but I'd like to give it a shot. If I unplug and let that ice ball melt for a few days and re-plug it, what are my chances of success in the off chance that items had been previously pushed against the vents? I realize there could be a leak in which case I'd forget it but should I bother? It is only four years old and I hate to think of a new one right now but...

Yes, it's quite a project taking that back off and now the ice mass is bigger than ever.

The IcyBall system removes heat from the refrigerated cabinet to the warmer room by using ammonia as the refrigerant. It contains 2 metal When the cold ball is fully charged with liquid ammonia, the device is turned around by placing the hot ball in the cool bath.