Six checks first
- Read a thermometer of your own in the middle of a drawer. Above 10°F is a fault; 0 to 5°F may be the setting.
- Clear the vent on the back wall: bags pressed against it block the fan's air.
- With the door shut, listen at its top edge for the fan. Compressor running but no fan is worth reporting.
- Check the back wall for a plate of frost or a white block where the coil cover is.
- Feel the grille: top of the unit on a built-in, floor level on an undercounter. Hot air and matted dust slow everything.
- Shut a strip of paper in the door at a few spots along the seal. Paper that pulls free without resistance means the gasket has stopped gripping.
What each result points to
| What you found | Likely part |
|---|---|
| Compressor running, no fan sound inside | Evaporator fan motor, or the control that powers it |
| A plate of frost or a white block on the back wall | Defrost heater, its thermostat, or a defrost sensor |
| Grille blowing hot air, coil furred with dust | Condenser fan, or a coil that needs cleaning |
| Paper pulls free of the shut door | Gasket, or a hinge that no longer pulls the door in |
| Everything above looks normal | A sensor or the control board, then the sealed system |
The evening tell
A freezer that cannot pull down to zero keeps running, longest when the kitchen is warm and the door keeps opening, after work and through dinner. In Denver that stretch has a price: since November 1, 2025, Xcel's residential time-of-use rate charges on-peak power from 5 to 9 p.m. on non-holiday weekdays, all year, at 2.7 times the off-peak price. A freezer that never cycles off in the evening is a clue worth passing on, and the on-peak line of your bill shows its cost.
While you wait
Should I turn the freezer to its coldest setting?
It rarely helps. If air is not reaching the food or the coil is iced, a colder setpoint only keeps the compressor running longer without cooling the drawer. Leave the setting where it was, so the fault can be seen as it is, and move the food you care about to a cooler.
Can I keep using the refrigerator side?
Usually, yes. On models that cool the two sections separately, the fresh-food side carries on. Keep a thermometer in it: 34 to 40°F is fine. If it climbs as well, say so on the phone, because a shared part such as the control board then becomes the likelier suspect.