# Frost or ice building up in the freezer | XT Appliances Warren Source: https://warren.xtappliances.com/refrigerator-repair/frost-buildup XT Appliances · Warren # Frost or ice building up in the freezer Frost on the freezer's back wall usually means the defrost system has stopped clearing the coil, while frost around the door points at the seal. [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)[Request a call back](#callback) Every frost-free refrigerator makes frost. Whenever the door opens, moisture from the room freezes onto the cooling coil behind the freezer's back wall. A defrost system clears it on its own: a control decides when to defrost, a small thermostat on the coil lets power through only while the coil is cold, and a heater under the coil melts the frost so it can run down the drain. If any one of those stops working, the frost stays and grows. Where the frost forms tells you most of what you need to know. ### Frost on the back wall Frost caked on the freezer's back panel is a defrost failure. It comes on slowly. The freezer may seem fine at first, then the fridge side warms over several days, sometimes recovering for a while before it warms again. That's the coil icing up until the fan can't push air through it, and since the fridge gets its cold from the freezer, the fridge warms first. The heater is the most common failure in that chain. The defrost thermostat comes next: stuck open, it never lets power reach the heater, and the frost looks exactly like a dead heater's. If the heater and the thermostat both test good and the coil still ices, the control isn't starting the defrost cycle. Nobody can tell these three apart by looking, so guessing at parts tends to replace the wrong one. ### Frost around the door Frost along the door opening or on the gasket is a sealing problem. A torn or flattened gasket lets humid room air in all the time, and the moisture freezes where it enters. A fridge with a bad seal usually sweats around the door and runs constantly. Close the door on a dollar bill in several spots around it. If the bill slides out easily anywhere, the seal is weak there. Also check that nothing inside is stopping the door from closing all the way. If the frost has reached the point where the fridge side is warming, or food has been above 40°F for two hours or more, call us. On the visit our technician takes off the freezer's back panel to see the coil, then tests the heater, the defrost thermostat and the defrost control in turn. ## What it usually turns out to be 1. Part**Defrost heater**The heater melts the frost off the coil on each defrost cycle. When it burns out, frost builds a little more each cycle until it cakes the freezer's back wall and the fridge side starts to warm. 2. Part**Defrost thermostat**This small switch on the coil lets power reach the heater only while the coil is cold. Stuck open, it keeps the heater off, and the frost looks the same as a dead heater's. 3. Part**Defrost control or timer**The control decides when to defrost. If it never starts a cycle, the coil ices over even though the heater and its thermostat are fine. 4. Part**Door gasket**A torn or flattened seal lets humid room air in, and the moisture freezes near where it enters. Frost around the door opening, sweating and constant running point here. ## Try this first * Note where the frost is: the back wall points at the defrost system, the edges of the door point at the seal. * Close the door on a dollar bill in several spots. If it slides out easily, the seal is weak there. * Make sure nothing inside is stopping the freezer door from closing all the way. Stop using it and call now if * The fridge side has started to warm * Food has been above 40°F for two hours or more [Call (636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968) ## Other refrigerator problems * [Freezer is cold but the fridge side is warm](https://warren.xtappliances.com/refrigerator-repair/freezer-cold-fridge-warm) * [Refrigerator not cooling and clicking at the back](https://warren.xtappliances.com/refrigerator-repair/not-cooling-clicking) * [Refrigerator leaking water inside or on the floor](https://warren.xtappliances.com/refrigerator-repair/leaking-water) * [No ice or no water from the refrigerator door](https://warren.xtappliances.com/refrigerator-repair/ice-water-dispenser) Or go back to [refrigerator repair in Warren](https://warren.xtappliances.com/refrigerator-repair). ## Rather we call you? Leave your number and what's wrong. We'll call you back. Or call [(636) 367-1968](tel:+16363671968)