Freezer on Fridge is Freezing UP

[blueangelsc]

Hi everyone I am new just joined and I am lost so if this is
not where I am suppose to post please let me know.I am
in need of some help...please my fridge is staying warm
and my freezer part has ice all on the back of it I turned
it off and took the hair dryer to it this afternoon but just
checked and it is forming ice on it again.... I have had
to throw everything out of the fridge because it is warm.
Any ideas what it could be.....Thank you all so much and
I know I am gonna have fun in these forums learning all
these neat things.Hope everyone has a nice night...
Rita

[rixitfixit]

It`s been my experience with refrigerators that freezing up is either caused by lack of Freon---which is extremely rare in factory-charged refrigerators--or the evaporator fan in your freezer compartment is inoperative.
If you have your refrigerator running with the door open and your door switch button held in and neither hear nor feel a fan it`s likely your motor went bad.
Replacing it is not very difficult,but I`d certainly recommend you getting someone to do it who has done it before,as it sometimes takes a certain cunning to get freezer panels out for motor access.

[woodchuck]

I think you're auto defroster isn't working. Check this TROUBLESHOOTING (http://www.acmehowto.com/howto/appliance/freezer/freezer.php) site to see how to check your defrost timer,defrost heater, and defrost thermostat.

[rixitfixit]

The defrost timer would only be evident as a problem if the compressor never came on---or after a period of hours the freezing process begins(assuming the freezer is without ice at the beginning).
Defrost problems are indeed the most common in refrigerators,but without instruments can only be diagnosed over a period of time.And this is even if one were to manually put the timer into defrost,or into freezing mode.
If freezing begins fairly quick when the unit is turned on it can be nothing more,nor less, than an evaporator fan not working or a lack(or an overcharge) of Freon. :)

[ron cherrington]

[QUOTE=blueangelsc]Hi everyone I am new just joined and I am lost so if this is
not where I am suppose to post please let me know.I am
in need of some help...please my fridge is staying warm
and my freezer part has ice all on the back of it I turned
it off and took the hair dryer to it this afternoon but just
checked and it is forming ice on it again.... I have had
to throw everything out of the fridge because it is warm.
Any ideas what it could be.....Thank you all so much and
I know I am gonna have fun in these forums learning all
these neat things.Hope everyone has a nice night...
Rita[/QUOTE]
I had very similar prolem and followed woodchuck's lead. Fixing the problem (replacing defroster timer and defroster heater) took some effort but it did fix the problem.

[rixitfixit]

I went to peoples` homes for over 23 years repairing appliances and air conditioning.And even plumbing,depending on which contractor I was working for.
My point is...most of residential appliance problems are not only due to user error,but the symptoms are completely misdiagnosed by the owner when problems do occur.
This is the situation here,I believe.You said initially the frost was on the back of your freezer.An irregular freeze pattern clearly indicates a refrigerant problem.And I`ve seen refrigerant problems occur not because of lack of Freon---in rare cases because of bad valves in the compressor.
Your defrost timer,in most cases,is designed to initiate about every eight hours and last for about twenty minutes.The defrost heating element will stay on at that time as needed,depending on what`s called a "terminator switch"(as we old timers called it).Whether it`s on,or off,the timer will then go back into regular operation.
I`ve went to folks` homes and found the problem to be the defrost timer and didn`t have one on the truck---so I totally defrosted the freezer of ice and told the customer I`d return the next day with the timer.Even so,when I returned there was only a moderate amount of ice buildup in the freezer.
So this is an example of what I said earlier about time and frost buildup---if your freezer is clear of ice and it starts building ice(especially in only one particular place)within one to six hours,you positively have a Freon problem.Or an evaporator fan not operating.
These other guys who quickly condemn the timer have a 90% chance of being right,but I doubt it---assuming you have told us the true symptoms.

[woodchuck]

The amount of buildup of ice on the evaporator coils is affected by the amount of moisture in the air in the freezer. Each time the door is opened,cold dry air is replaced by moist air from a humid kitchen,which is then frozen on the coils. Moisture is also taken out of food stored in the freezer. Ice "all on the back of the freezer" which I read as all over the back is a description of a freezer needing defrosting.

Irregular or ice in just one spot is surely a sign of low freon.

[rixitfixit]

Agreed.Still...all the good advice we`ve been offering is speculation at best without being able to see for ourselves---or having the original poster here to give accurate symptoms,or at least a little bit more data. :(