How to Troubleshoot a Kenmore Upright Freezer

An upright freezer is a great addition to households that like to cook large meals and freeze leftovers, buy meat on sale and freeze for later or create their own canned goods and freeze until ready. A Kenmore upright freezer has a life expectancy of between 12 and 20 years, with an average of 16 years, according to Mr. Appliance. It should continue to perform admirably throughout its life. However, normal wear and tear can introduce unintended problems. There's the possibility that at some point in its normal lifetime, your Kenmore freezer will require troubleshooting and/or repair.

First, check your common sense approaches. Be sure the freezer is plugged in appropriately with the correct type of plug. Be sure the door still seals adequately.

With a Kenmore upright freezer, the most common problem is when the freezer stops working — meaning the freezer is failing to freeze the food items inside of it. In this case, there are a number of potential causes you'll have to check, including:

• Dirty Condenser Coils
• Evaporator Coils Frosted Over
• Sealed System Leak
• Fan Motors
• Thermostat
• Part Maintenance or Replacement

If the condenser coils are external of the unit, usually on the back side or under the unit, they will require periodic cleaning. If not cleaned on a regular basis, the buildup of dust and dirt will hamper the exchange of heat into the air, which will cause the condenser to operate inefficiently and may reduce its capacity to produce the amount of cooling energy needed to balance the freezer. In this case, clean the coils every six to 12 months as recommended in the owner's manual and inspect them every three to six months to determine they are in working condition.

Freezer units have a freezer defrost cycle to evaporate any frost buildup from the evaporator coils to keep them working efficiently. If the defrost heater has stopped working, frost will build up over the surface and prevent the heat exchange from taking place. You'll want to check for continuity in the defrost heater and replace as necessary.

If the top shelf still freezes but lower shelves are having difficulty, this could be due to a breach in the sealed system. Unfortunately, if the sealed system is leaking, it's usually more cost-effective to replace the entire freezer.

Both the condenser and the evaporator have fans that work to circulate air over the coils to aid in heat transfer. If either fan stops working, its related part will not be able to operate efficiently and eventually cooling power will be lost. In this case, check either motor for operability and continuity, and address the problem as necessary.

The thermostat is the piece of the control system that measures the existing temperature and calls for a cooling load if the internal temperature is too high. It connects to the compressor, the condenser and the evaporator, and provides whichever piece it finds necessary with the power needed to perform its operation.

If this piece becomes faulty, it will send bad or nonexistent signals to these parts, which will affect the unit's ability to freeze. If your Kenmore upright freezer temperature control is not working, you may need a technician to help you fix it.

A number of internal parts can wear out over time. These include the start relay, control boards, compressor and other pieces that can wear or fail during the refrigerator's normal life and need replacement. You may need to contact a Kenmore expert repair person to help diagnose which part has failed and the best way to replace it.

Many modern freezer models have a space where they can show an error code to help the user and service person determine any malfunctions and how those might be affecting the operation of the freezer. There are error codes for stuck keys as well as for the freezer being turned off, which are explained on the Kenmore website.