What you are actually seeing
- A layer of ice on the floor of the cabinet
- Frost thickening evenly on all the walls of a manual cabinet
- A hard slab of ice on the rear wall of a frost-free upright
- Not this fault: Frost plus a cabinet that is not cold
Ranked causes on a Conserv freezer
- Door or lid seal letting humid air in — Ranked here because: a single-function cabinet is opened and loaded harder than a combination unit, and the gasket carries the whole load of keeping one compartment at one temperature
- Defrost heater, thermostat or timer failed on a frost-free cabinet — Ranked here because: with no ice maker in the cabinet the defrost drain is the only water path, so any water at all points at it
- Defrost drain blocked so melt water refreezes — Ranked here because: these cabinets are frequently built into cabinetry that does not give them the clearance the platform assumes
- Manual cabinet overdue a defrost — Ranked here because: a good part of this range is manual or low-frost rather than fully frost-free, so frost build-up is expected behaviour that becomes a fault only when it is ignored
What to check, and in what order
- Move packages clear of the rear wall and any vents on a frost-free upright
- Note where the frost is: on the walls, on the rear evaporator, near the door, or on the floor of the cabinet
- Test the seal with a paper strip at eight points around the door or lid
- Level the cabinet and check that the door falls shut from an inch open
Steps you can safely do yourself
- Test the seal with a paper strip at eight points around the door or lid — Tools: sheet of paper — Estimated time: a few minutes
- Level the cabinet and check that the door falls shut from an inch open — Tools: spirit level, adjustable spanner — Estimated time: about a quarter of an hour
- Empty the cabinet, unplug it, let it defrost fully and dry it before restarting — Tools: towels, coolers for the contents — Estimated time: most of a day
- Find the drain in the base of the cabinet and check that it is clear — Tools: warm water, turkey baster — Estimated time: about a quarter of an hour
- Move packages clear of the rear wall and any vents on a frost-free upright — Tools: none — Estimated time: about ten minutes
Safety
Safety
unplug-before-service freezer-0f
When to call a technician
frost returns within days of a full defrost on a frost-free cabinet, which is a defrost circuit fault the drain cannot be cleared from inside the cabinet the gasket needs replacing rather than cleaning
Nearest pages
What this page does not cover
Not this fault: the family pages for the all-refrigerator, upright-freezer and chest lines Not this fault: model-specific pages once a model number is known
Links: - [Common Conserv Freezer Problems](/blog/conserv-freezer-problems) - [Common CONSERV Refrigerator Problems](/blog/conserv-refrigerator-problems) - [Common Conserv Refrigerator Problems](/blog/conserv-refrigerator-problems-2) - [Conserv Freezer: Abnormal Noise or Vibration](/blog/conserv-freezer-abnormal-noise)
Lead Appliance Repair Technician · 12 years experience
Experienced technician with 12 years specializing in washing machine and dryer repairs across all major brands.
