This person’s problem is pretty common they ask how do I stop the items in my freezer from thawing. It seems that the items that are located on the door of a top freezer refrigerator are beginning to thaw on them and they are trying to figure out why this is happening.
The first thing you want to make sure about is that the freezer door shuts well. When I install a refrigerator I do it so it is slightly out of level. This way if the doors on the refrigerator are left open or not shut completely they will eventually swing shut. You don’t want to put too much of an angle on it you just want it enough that the door will swing shut on its own.
This person thought that might have been the problem so they double checked before they went to work and when returning the items were defrosting.
The next thing you can check is the air flow in the freezer. In the back of the freezer there is an air duct that supplies cold air. If you block it then that cold air can not reach the front or other areas of the freezer. It is a good idea to pack your freezer tight but not so tight that air can’t flow easy.
The next thing is important for the winter. In the winter if you have a refrigerator in a garage or really cold utility room the temperature in the room will not be high enough to turn the compressor on often enough to keep frozen products cold.
In our garage freezer I have learned that after about December 15th and until about March I don’t keep anything really expensive in the garage freezer. I also place plastic juice jugs filled 3/4 way full of water to allow for expansion when the ice freezes in there just as a buffer if the freezer isn’t full.
Your option is to adjust the temperature in the freezer to be cooler. This will work for a while but when it gets really cold in the garage under 40F then the compressor won’t run
I will use a small electric space heater on those days for about an hour and point it right at the refrigerator to get that area warm enough that the compressor runs for a while. That will normally last a couple days if I am not in and out of the freezer.
Checking the door gaskets is something else you can do but normally they don’t go bad.
The way you check the gasket is stick a dollar bill between it and the frame and try to pull it through. It shouldn’t be real easy but it will slide out if you tug on it. You can replace them if you can get one and they glue on. However try cleaning the surfaces first.
Final Note
Sometimes things happen and there is nothing actually wrong with your device. This can happen when temperatures change. Things like Refrigerators and Florescent lights don’t like the cold much and your water heater might put out colder water when the ground water gets real cold because water heaters normally only raise the temperature of incoming water they don’t actually heat it to a specific temp even though there is a thermostat on them.
Being aware of your conditions and what has changed can mean a lot.
For instance maybe this person placed a large box next to the refrigerator that blocked off its cooling coils and just moving the box would allow it to work.
The same is true for your vehicle when its cold or hot out and not a normal temperature and also things you might not consider like your lawn mower won’t run well under 30f unless its setup to do so.