--- title: "Freezer Runs All the Time: Causes and Fixes" description: "A freezer running constantly never goes quiet: the compressor hums for hours, the base feels warm, and the power bill creeps up while the cabinet may or may not…" url: "https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-running-constantly/" --- # Freezer Runs All the Time A freezer running constantly never goes quiet: the compressor hums for hours, the base feels warm, and the power bill creeps up while the cabinet may or may not hold its temperature. ## What it usually means. A healthy freezer runs in cycles: long runs after a load of groceries or on a hot day, then rests. When it never rests, either it is losing cold as fast as it makes it, or it cannot make cold efficiently, or it does not know when to stop. Losing cold points to a lid or a door that does not seal, a hot room, or a new load of warm food. Making cold poorly points to a condenser buried in dust, a fan that stopped moving heat away, frost on a frost-free coil, or a slow refrigerant leak. Not knowing when to stop points to a thermostat or a sensor. The thermometer tells these apart: a cabinet colder than its setting is a control problem, one warmer than its setting is a cooling problem. The 6 causes, cheapest first Answer these first 01 What does a thermometer in the cabinet read compared with the setting? 02 How warm is the room, and is the freezer in a garage or near a furnace or a water heater? 03 When was the condenser last cleaned, and is there space around the cabinet? 04 Is there frost on the back wall, or ice around the door or the lid? 05 Is there warm air coming out of the base, and can you hear a fan there? ## Check these before you book. Freezer running constantly: 5 checks, and none of them costs anything. 01 Put a thermometer in the middle of the cabinet for an hour, then compare the reading with the setting. 02 Give the cabinet a few inches of space on each side and at the back, and note how warm the room gets. 03 Check the door or the lid seal with a sheet of paper at several points. ### Also worth checking - Clean dust from the grille at the base or the coil at the back, following the manual and with the freezer unplugged. - If the thermometer rises above 10°F, move food to a working freezer or a cooler with ice and book a visit. ### How soon does it need a visit? Constant running is not urgent while the cabinet holds 0°F; it costs power and wears the compressor. It turns urgent when the thermometer starts rising, because that means the freezer is losing the fight, and the food comes first. ## The causes, cheapest first. 6 things freezer runs all the time turns out to be, from hot room or no air around the cabinet to slow refrigerant leak. [The cost guide](https://freezerrepair.center/cost/) 1. 01 no repair ### Hot room or no air around the cabinet A freezer in a summer garage or pushed tight into a closet works much harder. A few inches of space on the sides and back make a real difference. No repair: check it yourself 2. 02 low ### Condenser coil clogged with dust The coil sheds the heat taken from the food. When dust and lint blanket it, the compressor runs much longer to do the same work. [Fixed by freezer evaporator and condenser fan repair](https://freezerrepair.center/services/evaporator-and-condenser-fan-repair/) 3. 03 low to moderate ### Condenser fan not turning Uprights, columns and drawers with a machine compartment rely on a fan to cool the coil. A stopped fan leaves the compressor hot and running. [Fixed by freezer evaporator and condenser fan repair](https://freezerrepair.center/services/evaporator-and-condenser-fan-repair/) [On an undercounter freezer](https://freezerrepair.center/types/undercounter-freezer-repair/) 4. 04 low ### Seal leaking cold A torn gasket or a lid that does not drop fully lets cold escape all day, and the compressor never catches up. [Fixed by freezer door and lid gasket replacement](https://freezerrepair.center/services/door-and-lid-gasket-replacement/) [See freezer door or lid not sealing](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-door-or-lid-not-sealing/) 5. 05 low to moderate ### Thermostat or sensor not ending the cycle If the cabinet is much colder than set, the control is not switching off the compressor. [Fixed by freezer thermostat and temperature control repair](https://freezerrepair.center/services/thermostat-and-temperature-control-repair/) [See freezer running too cold](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-too-cold/) 6. 06 highest ### Slow refrigerant leak With the charge dropping, the compressor runs nonstop and the cabinet slowly loses ground, often with frost only on part of the coil. [Fixed by freezer sealed system and refrigerant leak repair](https://freezerrepair.center/services/sealed-system-and-refrigerant-leak-repair/) ## What else it could be. Most often confused with standalone freezer not freezing, then freezer running too cold. [All problems](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/) Codes that come with it - [`Check condenser` Bertazzoni · Mode, not a failure](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/bertazzoni-check-condenser/) - [`Self-test result` Bosch · Control board and communication](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/bosch-self-test/) - [`F2` Fisher & Paykel · Defrost system](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-f2/) - [`F15` Fisher & Paykel · Fans and airflow](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-f15/) - [`F42` Fisher & Paykel · Defrost system](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/fisher-and-paykel-f42/) - [`E2` Frigidaire · Temperature sensors](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/frigidaire-e2/) [15 more codes, by make](https://freezerrepair.center/error-codes/) Also related - [**Loud or New Noise From the Freezer** 5 causes](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-loud-noise/) Food at risk now ### Standalone Freezer Not Freezing 6 causes ### Freezer Running Too Cold 5 causes ### Freezer in the Garage Stopped Working 6 causes ## The makes it happens on. 28 makes on this site; freezer runs all the time can show up on any of them. Each mark opens that make's own page. [All 28 brands](https://freezerrepair.center/brands/) ## Freezer Runs All the Time, where we come out. 9 metros, each with its own page. [All service areas](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/) [Tampa Bay](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/) FL · 31 areas - [Hyde Park](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/hyde-park/) - [Davis Islands](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/davis-islands/) - [Palma Ceia](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palma-ceia/) - [Westchase](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/westchase/) - [Carrollwood](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/carrollwood/) - [Belleair](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/belleair/) - [St. Pete Beach](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/st-pete-beach/) - [Palm Harbor](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/tampa-bay/palm-harbor/) [Orlando](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/orlando/) FL · 30 areas - [Winter Park](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/orlando/winter-park/) - [Windermere](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/orlando/windermere/) - [Dr. Phillips](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/orlando/dr-phillips/) - 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[Miami Beach](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/miami-beach/) - [Golden Beach](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/golden-beach/) - [Weston](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/weston/) - [Boca Raton](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/boca-raton/) - [Palm Beach](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/south-florida/palm-beach/) [New York Metro](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/) NY · 75 areas - [Upper East Side](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-east-side/) - [Upper West Side](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/upper-west-side/) - [Tribeca](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/tribeca/) - [SoHo](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/soho/) - [Greenwich Village](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/greenwich-village/) - [Battery Park City](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/battery-park-city/) - [Brooklyn Heights](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/brooklyn-heights/) - [Park Slope](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/park-slope/) - [DUMBO](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/dumbo/) - [Forest Hills](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/forest-hills/) - [Great Neck](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/great-neck/) - [Southampton](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/southampton/) - [Scarsdale](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/new-york/scarsdale/) [Houston](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/) TX · 36 areas - [River Oaks](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/river-oaks/) - [Memorial](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/memorial/) - [Tanglewood](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/tanglewood/) - [Greater Heights](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/greater-heights/) - [Kingwood](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/kingwood/) - [Bellaire](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/bellaire/) - [Bunker Hill Village](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/houston/bunker-hill-village/) - 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[Glencoe](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/glencoe/) - [River Forest](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/river-forest/) - [Oak Park](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/oak-park/) - [Hinsdale](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/hinsdale/) - [Lake Forest](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lake-forest/) - [Highland Park](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/highland-park/) - [Gold Coast](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/gold-coast/) - [Lakeview](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/chicagoland/lakeview/) [Los Angeles](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/) CA · 95 areas - [Beverly Hills](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/beverly-hills/) - [Bel Air](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/bel-air/) - [Holmby Hills](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/holmby-hills/) - [Brentwood](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/brentwood/) - [Pacific Palisades](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pacific-palisades/) - [Santa Monica](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/santa-monica/) - [Hancock Park](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/hancock-park/) - [Studio City](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/studio-city/) - [Calabasas](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/calabasas/) - [Manhattan Beach](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/manhattan-beach/) - [Palos Verdes Estates](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/palos-verdes-estates/) - [Pasadena](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/pasadena/) - [San Marino](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/san-marino/) - [Malibu](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/los-angeles/malibu/) [San Diego](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/) CA · 31 areas - [La Jolla](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/la-jolla/) - [Carmel Valley](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/carmel-valley/) - [Point Loma](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/point-loma/) - [Del Mar](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/del-mar/) - [Rancho Santa Fe](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/rancho-santa-fe/) - [Coronado](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/coronado/) - [Encinitas](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/encinitas/) - [Solana Beach](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/san-diego/solana-beach/) [San Francisco Bay Area](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/) CA · 74 areas - [Pacific Heights](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/pacific-heights/) - [Presidio Heights](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/presidio-heights/) - [Russian Hill](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/russian-hill/) - [Noe Valley](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/noe-valley/) - [Sea Cliff](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/sea-cliff/) - [Hillsborough](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/hillsborough/) - [Atherton](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/atherton/) - [Woodside](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/woodside/) - [Palo Alto](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/palo-alto/) - [Los Altos Hills](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/los-altos-hills/) - [Tiburon](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/tiburon/) - [Piedmont](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/piedmont/) - [Marina](https://freezerrepair.center/locations/bay-area/marina/) For the heart of your home. ## Questions about freezer runs all the time. ### How long should a freezer run between rests? It varies with the room and the model, but most run somewhere between half and most of the time, in cycles. A compressor that does not stop for many hours on a normal day is running too much. ### Is it normal for the sides of the cabinet to feel warm? On many chest and upright models, yes. Their condenser tubing runs behind the outer skin to shed heat. Warm sides are normal; a hot base with a burning smell is not. ### Will a new freezer run more than my old one? Often it runs longer at a lower power. Modern compressors are designed for long, gentle cycles, so judge by the thermometer rather than by the sound. ### Can I clean the condenser myself? Usually, yes. Unplug the freezer, follow the manual and use a soft brush and a vacuum. On a column or a drawer the coil can be hard to reach, and that is a good part of a maintenance visit. --- **[Read on the site: Freezer Runs All the Time: Causes and Fixes](https://freezerrepair.center/problems/freezer-running-constantly/)** **[Book a visit with FreezerRepair.center](https://freezerrepair.center/schedule/)**