Why Is My Freezer Frosted Over?

It may sound silly, but there is such thing as too much ice in your freezer. You want it cold in there but you don't want it to be arctic. Have you been noticing a buildup of frost in your freezer? Not only is it unsightly but frost build up can impact the quality of food you have stored in your freezer and lead to bad odors. It can even hurt your freezer's efficiency in the long run. If you've noticed this build up, you need to do something about it.

Usually layers and layers of frost buildup in your freezer is a symptom of another issue entirely and this is how it's finally rearing its head. Generally speaking, freezer frost is a sign that something's wrong with the moisture levels in your freezer and the cause of that can be a number of different things. Doing some research can help prepare you for a call with a professional.

Your freezer door is outfitted with a gasket on it that helps create a seal for the freezer door when it closes, keeping out excess air and moisture. When the gasket fails, moisture can get into the freezer where it quickly freezes in the cold temperatures and settles on the freezer surfaces as frost. If this keeps happening, you get a pretty literal snowball effect. So, the first place to look is to check your freezer's gasket to make sure it's not damaged or failing for any reason.

While it seems like freezers can handle any amount of storage, there is such thing as overstuffing your freezer. Check your manufacturer's guidelines for how much you should be filling your freezer and make sure you're not exceeding its limits. Having too much going on in your freezer can lead to moisture problems, inefficient cooling, and an inability to properly close and seal the door. It never hurts to check for user error when you have an appliance issue.

It's also possible it's just too warm where your freezer is. This can happen when the freezer is placed too close to a wall or to a heat-producing appliance like an oven or dryer. Either of these situations can cause a freezer to deal with excess humidity that gets inside the freezer and settles as frost. Take a look at where your freezer is placed. Make sure you've got several inches between your freezer and the wall and check to make sure the area is not too humid. If this is the case, you might want to look into moving your freezer and reinstalling it somewhere else.