Not cooling · Which part of it is warm?
Why Is the Freezer Thawing While the Fridge Holds?
- Signed
- Dean Halvorsen
- Role
- Refrigeration technician — sealed systems and airflow
- Certification
- EPA Section 608 certified
- Published
Short answer
The trouble is on the freezer side alone. A built-in Sub-Zero combination gives its freezer a compressor and refrigerant of its own, so a fridge still at its usual reading proves the unit has power and sends the search to freezer-only parts. Sub-Zero Repair Edmonds tests them for the $89 service call: (206) 210-3547.
Why the cold fridge is good news
Sub-Zero builds its built-in combinations with what it calls dual refrigeration: the fridge and the freezer each have a compressor (the pump that pushes refrigerant round), coils and a refrigerant charge of their own. So a fridge that still reads normally tells you the unit has power and that half of it works, and puts every remaining suspect on the freezer side.
Signs you can read yourself
Soft ice cream beside frozen-solid meat means the freezer has drifted a few degrees; bags that flex with no ice left in them mean it has been warm for some time. Then check for:
- a drawer or door that stops short of closing, held by a bag or tray, or out of line when shut;
- a gasket (the magnetic seal around the door) that is torn or no longer meets the cabinet all the way round;
- a large load of room-temperature food added in the last day, a cause Sub-Zero’s service manual lists by name;
- a freezer setting that has been moved warmer on the control panel.
The order a technician works in
- Door, hinge and seal, plus the freezer light: a lamp that stays lit with the door closed warms the compartment.
- The evaporator fan (the small fan that blows air across the freezer’s cold coil). On the built-ins in Sub-Zero’s service manual a door switch stops this fan whenever the door opens, so a bent or failed switch can leave it idle with the door shut.
- A coil buried in ice because a defrost part has stopped working.
- The condenser (the coil that throws the heat out into the kitchen) and its fan.
- The freezer’s own sealed system: a leak, a blockage or a compressor that no longer pumps well. Pressure gauges go on only after every electrical and mechanical cause above has been cleared.
What it may cost
$89 to find out — the visit and the diagnosis, taken off the repair if you go ahead.
- Door gasket or seal replacement Shows as one section creeping warm, beads of water or frost along a door edge $270–$620
- Evaporator or condenser fan motor Shows as a fan that has gone quiet behind the grille, or cold coils behind a warm shelf $340–$700
If gauges show the freezer's own sealed system has failed, that repair is priced from the sealed-system range instead.
Ranges, not starting prices. The technician names one figure inside the band before any panel comes off, and Sub-Zero Repair Edmonds holds to it.
Wait or call today?
Can wait until morning
- Ice cream has softened but meat, fish and ice cubes are still rock hard: leave the door closed and book a visit.
- The FDA reckons a full freezer kept shut holds its cold for about 48 hours, and a half-full one for about 24.
- Food that still shows ice crystals, or sits at 40°F or below, can go back to freezing, according to the same FDA guidance.
Call today if
- The freezer thermometer has climbed past 40°F and packs bend in your hand.
- The fridge has started to lose its cold as well, so both sections are now involved.
- A click comes from the base every few minutes and the freezer never settles into a steady run.
Anything in the second card is a reason to phone Sub-Zero Repair Edmonds on (206) 210-3547 today rather than tomorrow.
Questions people ask next
Should I move the frozen food into the fridge side meanwhile?
Only what you will eat within a day or two, because the fridge is not built to keep things frozen. Pack the rest tightly in the freezer and keep that door closed, or move it into a cooler with plenty of ice. A packed freezer stays cold for longer than one holding a few loose items.
Can the freezer's cooling fail while the fridge's keeps going?
Yes. The two sections of a built-in combination share a cabinet, a control panel and a power supply, but each runs its own compressor and refrigerant, so one can leak or stop pumping while the other carries on. Sub-Zero Repair Edmonds checks the freezer side anywhere from Meadowdale to Firdale; call (206) 210-3547.