--- title: "Perlick TEL: the evaporator coil is colder than it should be" description: "What TEL means on Perlick TEL: the evaporator coil is colder than it should bes, what to check before booking, and when it is not a failure at all." url: "https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-tel/" --- # Perlick TEL: the evaporator coil is colder than it should be TEL is the G5 alarm for low evaporator temperature. ## What TEL actually means. TEL is the G5 alarm for low evaporator temperature. Perlick’s steps are to run a defrost, make sure the door shuts and the gasket seals, and check that food is not blocking the evaporator fan or the louvered inlets. Perlick freezer display What to do when TEL shows on the freezer ### Kind of code Defrost system A frost-free freezer warms its coil for a few minutes several times a day to melt the frost, and the control noticed that this did not happen or took too long. A heater that burned open, a defrost thermostat or a timer that stuck, or a drain frozen shut lets frost wrap the coil until air cannot pass. Chest freezers without automatic defrost do not show these codes; their frost comes off by hand. ### Usually leads to Freezer defrost system repair Repairing the heater, the defrost thermostat or sensor and the timer or board that keep ice off the hidden coil in a frost-free upright, column or undercounter freezer. ### Shows up as Freezer Error Code A freezer error code appears on the display: letters and digits, a flashing temperature, or a warning symbol, sometimes with an alarm and sometimes with the freezer still running. ### Make Perlick Perlick freezers repaired in place, whether the trouble is soft food, a stubborn alarm or frost on the walls. ### Source Perlick G5 User Installation & Operation Manual, Form Z3023 (linked from the G5 Luxe 24-inch freezer drawers page) Perlick G5 undercounter models with the touch display, including the G5 Luxe 24-inch freezer drawers (URS24E61). The code appears in Alarm History, which keeps the last ten alarms with date and time. ## Before you book, in this order. Each step comes from Perlick's own guidance for TEL on its freezers. Follow it to the end: the last card says whether this is a visit. 01 Start a defrost cycle from the display. 02 Move packages away from the evaporator fan and the louvered inlets so air can circulate. 03 Check that the door or drawers close fully, and book a visit if TEL repeats within a week. ### Still there? It usually turns into [freezer defrost system repair](https://freezerrepair.center/services/defrost-system-repair/). Book with the code and the model number. ### What not to do TEL is not a cabinet temperature alarm; the food may be at the right temperature. The more severe version is TEY, extra low evaporator temperature. ## What you may notice with it. The freezer problems TEL tends to arrive with. Answer these at the freezer before anyone is booked. [All problems](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/) Before you call ### [Freezer Error Code](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-error-code/) [All 7 causes, cheapest first](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-error-code/) It also comes with - [**Heavy Frost Buildup in the Freezer**](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-frost-buildup/) - [**Standalone Freezer Not Freezing**](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-not-freezing/) Problem ### Freezer Error Code 7 causes, cheapest first Where TEL usually leads ## Freezer defrost system repair. **Defrost heater, defrost thermostat or timer · low to moderate.** Book a visit [What the job involves](https://freezerrepair.center/services/defrost-system-repair/) ## Perlick freezers. Perlick freezers repaired in place, whether the trouble is soft food, a stubborn alarm or frost on the walls. [Perlick freezer repair](https://freezerrepair.center/brands/perlick/) More Perlick codes [T1H](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-t1h/) [T1L](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-t1l/) [DO1](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-do1/) [DO2](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-do2/) [PWR](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-pwr/) [P1F](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-p1f/) [PEF](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-pef/) [TEY](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-tey/) [TCH](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-tch/) [FEF](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-fef/) [UIX](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-uix/) Defrost system on other makes [Fisher & Paykel F2](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-f2/) [Marvel Ed](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/marvel-ed/) [Sub-Zero 21](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/sub-zero-21/) [All 8 codes of this kind](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/#family-defrost) Perlick builds this ### Undercounter freezer A 15- to 24-inch freezer or a pair of freezer drawers built in under a counter, in a kitchen island, a home bar, a basement or a pool house, venting from the front. ## In Perlick's own words > TEL Low Evaporator Temperature Activate a defrost cycle. [Perlick G5 User Installation & Operation Manual, Form Z3023 (linked from the G5 Luxe 24-inch freezer drawers page)](https://api.perlick.com/Data/PDFFiles//URS24E61-5-SD00cd0ba0f8e9738adf2dbf4d8b2ea84a67f8a11fff_Z3023_G5_User_Installation_Operation_Manual_With_Checklist__07_13_26.pdf) [Perlick G5 User Installation & Operation Manual, Form Z3023 (linked from the G5 Luxe 24-inch freezer drawers page)](https://api.perlick.com/Data/PDFFiles//URS24E61-5-SD00cd0ba0f8e9738adf2dbf4d8b2ea84a67f8a11fff_Z3023_G5_User_Installation_Operation_Manual_With_Checklist__07_13_26.pdf) Every code on this site is taken from the manufacturer's documentation, never from a forum or a parts listing. Perlick G5 undercounter models with the touch display, including the G5 Luxe 24-inch freezer drawers (URS24E61). The code appears in Alarm History, which keeps the last ten alarms with date and time. ## Perlick TEL freezer repair, where we come out. The same visit in every metro below: the code, the model number, and a diagnosis before any part is ordered. 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Start a defrost cycle from the display. If it comes back, it needs a visit. ### How can stacked food cause TEL on a Perlick? Packages pressed against the fan or inlets starve the coil of air, so it runs colder and frosts faster. Leave a gap in front of the vents. ### Does TEL mean my Perlick is low on refrigerant? Perlick does not say so. Its steps focus on defrost, the door seal and airflow; a technician checks the sealed system only if those are fine. ### What is the difference between TEL and TEY on Perlick? Both concern a cold evaporator. TEY is the extra low version, and Perlick asks for a manual defrost first in both cases. --- **[Read on the site: Perlick TEL: the evaporator coil is colder than it should be](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/perlick-tel/)** **[Book a visit with FreezerRepair.center](https://freezerrepair.center/schedule/)**