Is my freezer dead?

[kenny]

The refrigerator temp seems fine but lately the freezer temp seems high.

Yesterday I pulled it away from the wall and gave the coils underneath a SUPER good brushing/vacuuming.
Then I changed the freezer setting to the coldest.

Today I do not really notice an improvement; ice cubes are frozen but things like ice cream are gushy.

It's a 11-year old Kenmore with bottom freezer.
What to do next?

 

[lyra]

Next, you can replace it with a new energy efficient model. That will save you money in the long run. I need a new fridge too. I think mine is 15 years old and I've read anything over 10 years old is terribly inefficient energy wise.

 

[kenny]

Thanks, but FWIW this WAS the most efficient one I could find 11 years ago.
That was a priority to me.

They claimed at the time that they were super efficient then compared to old ones.
I wonder how much improvement in efficiency has really taken place in 11 years.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Probably quite a bit improved Kenny.

How full is your freezer? Sometimes mine isn''t as efficient and my ice cream, especially gets squishy. It just means I''ve been buying too many frozen veggies and the air can''t circulate well. If this isn''t the case then yes, it might be time for a new one.

 

[kenny]

OMG, I think I just found the problem.
Ice has built up on the back of the inside of the freezer.
I believe it is also behind the back panel blocking the flow of cold air.

Someone suggested I check this and sure enough...

Actually now that they mention it I do recall this happening years ago.
When I cleaned the heat exchange coils yesterday they were filthy.
I think that makes the freezer cycle on longer which may make ice build up.

So now I'll put all my frozen food into a camping ice box and use a hair dryer to melt the ice, take off the back panel and melt more ice.
Here's a pic of the ice build up on the back wall.

 

[monarch64]

Yeah...I don''t think all that ice buildup is supposed to be there! Let us know after you de-frost it if it worked! You should get more life out of a Kenmore than 11 years, I think. I''m a big fan of KM appliances.

 

[kenny]

I posted the following two pic backwards on purpose.
This is when I was removing the back panel.
Notice all the vents along the bottom of the back panel.

 

[kenny]

Okay this is the view BEFORE I removed the back panel.

See all the ice build up over those vents?
You can't even see the vents.

That's a Tupperware lunch, probably from the Eisenhower era, on the left frozen to the back wall.
Hahaha.

 

[kenny]

Melting ice onto a towel.

Hope the ice on my finger doesn't melt.