Upright Freezer Not Getting Cold

Refrigerator & Freezer Repair
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1

I’m working on a 13-year old upright freezer that is not getting cool nor cold. I need help troubleshooting the problem. The freezer worked fine until my parents moved into an assisted living facility. It then sat for a year unplugged. It was then moved to my sons garage. It has not cooled since the move. Cosmetically the Freezer looks great.

Here is what I have done so far:

  1. Removed the panel inside the freezer to expose the fan, Cold Control/On-Off, Evaporator, defrost element, etc.
  2. Using a Volt-Ohm meter, I tested the flow of electricity to the various components. The unit is not in defrost mode. Power goes to the Cold Control and then to the Timer. The timer is sending power to the compressor, fan, and the the Electronic Module. Their is no power going to the Defroster.
  3. The compressor is running and the fan inside the Freezer is running.
  4. The very small copper tubing (inside the Freezer) frosts over. However, after the small tubing gets bigger and enters the evaporator, the frost is no longer there. The evaporator does not get cool or cold.

All of the components seem to be working and test out ok. So, it appears to me that either the closed system has lost most of its refrigerant or there is an internal problem in the compressor.

Questions:

  1. What is the Electronic Module and what does it do?
  2. If the refrigerant R134-A is low, what is the typical cost to have someone make a service call, find the leak and recharge the system?
  3. What else could cause the problem of not getting cold? What else can I test?

Given the Freezer is 13 years old, I’m trying to determine if the freezer is worth fixing.

I appreciate the help.

2

Seems like your refrigerator system developed a leak, or the capillary line is frozen. Either one requires replacing the compressor and fixing the leak, rather expensive.

3

Thanks for the reply.

I called a local appliance repair shop. They asked if the Freezer had been laid on it side or back when it was moved. They said if it had been laid down, the oil and refrigerant could have mixed and this would cause the symptoms. My son (who moved the refrigerator from his grandparent’s condo to his house) said it was upright all of the time.

Any other ideas on how to troubleshoot the problem? Any way to tell if the capillary line has been damaged? Any suggestions?

4

All the symptoms point to a bad compressor, not worth fixing.