A freezer usually fails quietly. You open it and find ice cream gone soft, meat thawing and water in the bottom. If that's you, keep the lid or door shut, move the most valuable food to a cooler box or a neighbour's freezer, and get in touch. We repair chest and upright freezers at homes across Johannesburg, including the second freezer in the garage that the whole family relies on.
The technician tests the freezer where it stands, finds the fault and explains the repair and its cost before any work starts. Thermostats, relays, fans, lid and door seals and defrost parts are everyday repairs. A failed compressor or a gas leak is a bigger job, and the technician will help you weigh it up honestly.
Common freezer faults we fix
Not freezing, but it runs
The motor hums but the food stays soft. On chest freezers this is often a faulty thermostat, a relay, or gas that has leaked out. On frost-free uprights, an iced-over evaporator or a failed fan is a common cause.
Won't switch on
No light, no hum. Check the plug point and the circuit breaker first. If they're fine, the fault is usually the thermostat, the wiring or the start relay.
Icing up
Thick ice on the walls usually means warm, damp air is getting in through a worn seal or a lid that doesn't close flat. On frost-free models, a defrost heater or timer fault causes it.
Water underneath
On uprights, a blocked defrost drain or a split drain tray sends melt water onto the floor. On chest freezers, water usually means it has been thawing.
Running all the time
A freezer that never cycles off can have a dusty condenser, poor ventilation around it, a worn seal or a faulty thermostat. Low gas makes it run without ever getting cold enough.
Tripping the electricity
A freezer that trips the earth leakage often has moisture in its wiring or a fault in the compressor or defrost heater. Leave it off until it has been checked.
Is it worth repairing a freezer?
Often, yes. Freezers are simple machines, and the parts that fail most, such as thermostats, relays, seals, fans and defrost parts, are affordable to replace. A compressor failure or a gas leak is the expensive end. On an older chest freezer that needs one of those, compare the repair price with a new freezer before you decide. The repair or replace check can help.
Freezers in garages and outside rooms
A lot of Johannesburg freezers live in garages, laundries and storerooms. That's fine, but they work harder there. Summer heat under a tin roof, dust on the condenser and boxes stacked tight against the sides all make a freezer run longer and wear sooner.
Leave a hand's width of space around the freezer for air to move, keep the back and the coils free of dust and spider webs, and don't stand it in direct sun. If the garage floor is uneven, level it so the lid seals all the way round.
Defrosting a chest freezer
Most chest freezers need a manual defrost once the ice is about as thick as a finger. To do it safely:
- Switch off at the wall and move the food to cooler boxes.
- Leave the lid open with towels and a tray on the floor, and let the ice melt on its own.
- Never chip ice away with a knife or a screwdriver. Puncturing the cooling pipes means a gas leak, which is one of the expensive repairs.
- Dry it out, close the lid, switch on and let it get cold before you put the food back.
No call-out fee when we repair it.If no repair is done, a R500 call-out applies. The technician finds the fault and explains the repair before any work starts, so you decide whether to go ahead.
Book a repairFreezer repair questions
Why is my freezer running but not freezing?
Usually the cold isn't reaching the food: the evaporator has iced over on a frost-free model, a fan has stopped, or the door seal is letting warm air in. Low gas from a slow leak, or a compressor that runs weakly, are the bigger causes. Check the seal and the vents first, then book a technician.
Why isn't my chest freezer cooling?
Check the basics first: the plug, the temperature dial and the lid seal, and make sure there's space around the freezer for the heat to escape, especially in a hot garage. If it's humming but warm, or silent with the power light on, the thermostat, the start relay or the compressor needs testing. Book a technician.
Why is my freezer icing up?
Ice builds up when warm, damp air gets in: a worn or twisted door seal, a lid or door that doesn't close fully, or one that's opened often. On a frost-free freezer, heavy ice on the back panel means the defrost system has failed. Defrost it, test the seal with a sheet of paper, and if the ice comes back fast, book a technician.
Why is my freezer making a noise?
A steady hum and the odd click are normal. A loud buzz, a rattle or a squeal usually comes from a fan catching on ice or wearing out, or from a freezer that isn't standing level. A compressor that clicks every few minutes without starting needs attention soon. Check that it stands level and nothing touches the back, then book a technician if the noise carries on.
How much should a freezer repair cost?
It depends on the fault. A thermostat, a relay or a seal is a small repair. A compressor or a gas leak costs a lot more. The technician tells you which it is, and the price, before any work starts. No call-out fee when we repair it. If no repair is done, a R500 call-out applies. See how our prices work.
Is it worth getting a freezer repaired?
Usually, if the fault is a thermostat, a relay, a fan, a seal or the wiring: those cost a fraction of a new freezer. A failed compressor or a gas leak on an old freezer is the case to weigh up, and the technician gives you the price first so you can. Our repair or replace check helps you decide.
My freezer isn't working after a power cut. What can I do?
Keep it closed first: a full, closed freezer stays frozen far longer than one that keeps being opened. Check the plug point and the DB board, then switch the freezer off at the wall for ten minutes and on again, so the compressor can restart cleanly. If it still won't run, book a technician.
How long does a freezer take to get cold again after the power comes back?
Usually a few hours to get back below freezing, and longer if it was off for a long time, the lid or door was opened a lot, or it's full of food that has warmed up. Keep it shut while it recovers. If it still isn't freezing after a day, something more than the power cut is wrong: book a technician.
