Freezer repair in Fort Myers and Bonita Springs
Call before 11 AM and we aim to be there the same day.
The service call fee is waived when you go ahead with the repair.
Fort Myers area
Punta Gorda, Pine Island, Cape Coral, Fort Myers, Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach
Bonita Springs and Naples area
Estero, Bonita Springs, North Naples, Naples, Marco Island
When a freezer stops freezing
Upright, chest and column freezers share one kind of cooling circuit, but frost-free and manual-defrost models fail in different places. Each row names the parts behind a symptom and their numbers on the drawing.
- Usual causes
- In a frost-free upright the cold comes from a coil hidden behind the rear panel, and a small fan moves it over the shelves. A fan that squeals, chirps or has gone silent leaves the compressor running for nothing. A coil sealed in frost by a failed defrost part blocks the same air.
- What the technician does
- We open the rear panel and read the frost on the coil. Frost over the whole coil points to the defrost system. Frost on only the first few rows of tubing, with the rest bare, points to low refrigerant, which means a leak. Then we check that the fan blade spins freely and the motor gets power.
- Usual causes
- A frost-free freezer warms its coil with a heater a few times a day. When the heater burns out, the small defrost thermostat clipped to the tubing fails open, or the timer or board never starts the cycle, frost keeps growing until air cannot pass. Manual-defrost chest and upright models have no heater: they are built to be defrosted by hand.
- What the technician does
- We measure the heater and the defrost thermostat for continuity, start a defrost from the timer or the service menu, and replace the part that does not respond. A manual-defrost model has no defrost parts to replace: it is defrosted by hand, as described in the checks below.
- Usual causes
- Melt water from each defrost runs down a trough and a tube to a pan near the compressor, where it evaporates. In a humid garage that tube can freeze solid or clog, and the water refreezes as a sheet on the freezer floor or spills out under the door. On a chest freezer, a drain plug left open leaves a puddle.
- What the technician does
- We thaw and flush the drain, check the copper strap or the small heater that keeps it from freezing again, and make sure the pan is in place and not cracked.
- Usual causes
- Every bit of heat taken out of the cabinet leaves through the condenser. On an upright with a fan-cooled coil at the bottom back, a stalled condenser fan or a coil matted with dust and pet hair traps that heat, so the compressor never reaches its cut-off point.
- What the technician does
- We test the fan motor, clean the coil, and time the compressor against the room temperature. If the freezer is boxed into a closet or pushed against a garage wall, we compare the space around it with the clearance its manual asks for.
- Usual causes
- The compressor tries to start, draws too much current, and the overload on its side cuts it off with a click. A failed start relay is the usual reason, then a compressor that is seized or shorted. Low voltage from a long extension cord can cause the same pattern.
- What the technician does
- We test the relay and the overload, measure the compressor windings, and check the voltage at the outlet while it tries to start. Replacing a relay takes minutes. If the windings are open or grounded, you get the cost of a compressor job before anything is cut open.
- Usual causes
- Humid air is getting past the door. The gasket has gone flat, torn at a corner or dried hard; a hinge has worked loose; the cabinet leans forward; or an overfilled basket keeps the door from closing. In Florida air the leak shows up as snow on the door within a day.
- What the technician does
- We check the seal all the way round, level the cabinet so the door swings shut by itself, tighten or replace the hinge, and fit a new gasket when the old one will not recover.
- Usual causes
- The thermostat decides when the compressor runs: a dial with a sensing tube on older models, a thermistor and a board on newer ones. Contacts that weld shut keep it running nonstop; contacts that stick open let it drift warm. A thermistor that has drifted feeds the board a false reading.
- What the technician does
- We compare the real temperature with a reference thermometer, test the thermostat contacts or measure the thermistor against the chart for that model, and replace whichever is out of range.
- Usual causes
- Often the power never reaches the freezer: a tripped GFCI, a plug that slipped half out behind the unit, or a breaker. When the outlet is live, the fault is a damaged cord, a thermostat that failed open, or the control board on newer models.
- What the technician does
- We trace power from the outlet through the cord, the thermostat and the controls. If a GFCI keeps tripping, we look for the reason, such as moisture in the freezer wiring, instead of resetting it and leaving.
Freezers in Florida garages and seasonal homes
Many freezers here sit in a hot garage, and many in a house that is closed half the year. Both change what fails and when.
A garage at 100°F
May to October
On a July afternoon a closed garage here can pass 100°F. A freezer rated for cooler rooms runs almost without a break, and its compressor and condenser fan wear out faster. Models sold as garage-ready list a wider span of room temperatures on the spec sheet; check it before you buy a replacement.
Hurricane season
June to November
From June to November, keep the freezer full: jugs of water fill the empty space, hold the cold through an outage and give you drinking water afterwards. If you run it on a generator, use a heavy-duty cord and keep the generator outside, at least 20 feet from doors, windows and vents.
Away for the summer
May to November
Before you fly north, freeze a cup of water, then set a coin on top of the ice. If the coin has sunk to the bottom when you come back, the freezer thawed and refroze while you were gone, and the food should be thrown out. A power-loss alarm or a Wi-Fi thermometer warns a neighbor in time.
Humidity and frost
June to September
Each time the lid or the door opens in August, wet garage air rushes in and turns to frost. Manual-defrost models need defrosting more often here than up north, and a weak defrost heater in a frost-free model usually gives up in the summer first.
Rust in garages near the Gulf
In garages on Sanibel, Fort Myers Beach, Pine Island and Marco Island, salt in the air eats at the condenser, the compressor terminals and the bottom of the cabinet. Rust around the base or a crusted plug on the compressor is worth a look before it stops the freezer.
Freezing a big catch
Back from the water with a cooler of snapper or grouper? Add only what the freezer can freeze in a day, usually 2 to 3 pounds per cubic foot, in flat bags so it freezes fast. More than that at once warms everything already inside.
Freezer brands we repair
Upright, chest and garage freezers, built-in freezer columns, under-counter freezer drawers, and the freezer section of any refrigerator we service.
High-end brands
High-end appliances: parts are covered by a 1-year warranty.
Everyday brands
3-month warranty on labor for all appliances except high-end.
Brand names and logos belong to their owners. SUNTECH is an independent repair service.
Check these first
Nothing here needs tools or opening a panel. If the freezer starts working, good; if not, what you found saves time on the visit.
Find the GFCI
Garage outlets are usually protected by a GFCI, and the button that trips may be on a different outlet: elsewhere in the garage, on an outside wall or in a bathroom. Press Reset on each one you find.
Measure, do not guess
Put an appliance thermometer between frozen packages and read it after a few hours. 0°F is the target. A reading of 10°F tells the technician something different from one of 35°F.
The flashlight test
At night, switch on a small flashlight, set it inside facing the door, close the door and turn off the garage light. Light showing around the edge marks where the seal leaks. Check also for a bag or a basket caught in the door.
Room to breathe
Pull the freezer a few inches away from the wall and move boxes away from the grille and the sides. Most models list the clearance they need in the manual.
Defrost a manual model
On a chest freezer or a manual-defrost upright, frost thicker than about a quarter inch is due. Unplug it, move the food to coolers, open the drain plug if it has one, and let the frost melt with the door open.
Listen before you call
Note whether you hear a steady hum, a fan, or a click every few minutes, and whether the bottom back feels warm. That points the technician to a relay, a fan motor or the defrost parts before the visit.
Keeping the food safe. Keep the door shut and do not add new food. USDA guidance for a freezer that has stopped: about 48 hours when it is full and the door stays closed, about 24 hours when it is half full. Food that is still icy, or at 40°F or below, is safe to refreeze, though it may lose some texture. Food that has been above 40°F for 2 hours or more goes in the trash.
Do not try these
Prying ice loose with a knife, a screwdriver or an ice pick. In chest freezers and manual-defrost uprights the refrigerant tubing runs inside the walls or the shelves themselves, and one puncture ends the freezer.
Speeding up a defrost with a heat gun or a space heater aimed inside. The liner warps and cracks. Pans of hot water on the shelves with the door closed are safe.
Resetting a breaker that trips again right away, or running a freezer that smells burnt at the bottom back. Unplug it and leave it unplugged.
Oil spots under the compressor or a hiss from the tubing mean a leak. The refrigerant has to be recovered and the system pulled into a vacuum before it is recharged.
Freezer questions
Is a chest freezer worth repairing?
Often, yes. A chest freezer is simple: a thermostat, a compressor with its start parts, and tubing in the walls. A thermostat, a relay or a cord is a modest repair.
Why are the sides of my chest freezer warm?
Many chest freezers and some uprights get rid of heat through tubing behind the outer walls instead of a coil at the back, so warm sides are normal. Sides that are hot all the time while the food softens are not: that points to a compressor that never stops.
Why will the door not open again right after I close it?
Closing the door pushes some air out, and the cold air left inside shrinks. The slight vacuum holds the door for a few seconds, then lets go. Some models have a small valve that lets air back in. If the door stays stuck for minutes, that valve or ice on the seal needs a look.
Can a freezer live in a garage without air conditioning?
Yes, if the temperatures the garage reaches are within the range in its manual. Keep it out of direct sun, give it the clearance the manual asks for, and expect it to run longer from June to September.
Should I empty the freezer before you come?
No. Leave the food in and the door closed, unless it is already thawing; then move it to coolers with ice or to a neighbor’s freezer. If the coil has to be defrosted during the repair, we tell you on the visit before we start.
What does the service call cost?
We tell you the fee when you call. If you go ahead with the repair, the service call fee is waived.
What warranty do I get?
3 months on labor for all appliances except high-end. On high-end appliances, parts are covered for 1 year.
How can I pay?
Card, check or cash.
Send a request
Tell us the appliance, the brand and what it is doing.
Your request is sent
Thank you. Here is what happens next.
If it cannot wait
Call before 11 AM and we aim to be there the same day.
Fort Myers area
Bonita Springs and Naples area