I have a 15-year-old Kenmore freezer that's not cooling properly. Ice cream is melting and food is thawing. I measured the temperature and it rarely drops below 21°F. Upon taking it apart, I found ice building up on the lines entering the freezer compartment, and the compressor coils underneath were dirty, which I cleaned. I noticed some discoloration on the lines near the compressor too. I defrosted the ice block and let it run for a couple of days, but the temperature still isn't dropping below 20°F. Could this be a refrigerant leak or low refrigerant? I haven't checked the defrost thermostat yet. I've included a picture of the issue and a graph showing the temperature over the last two days.
2 Answers
Yeah, low refrigerant does seem likely here, and since it's a residential unit, the lack of a service valve could mean you're in for a replacement. Still, if there's any chance it could be something else, it’s understandable to want to explore other options before shelling out for a new one.
It sounds like you might be dealing with low refrigerant. Also, some older models don't have a service port for refilling it, which could complicate things. If that's the case, replacing the unit might be the best option. But before you do that, it might be worth checking for any other issues.