Freezer Icing Up

[docmarrin]

Why has the back of our freezer in our HTT icing up? Also, what can and/or should be done?

[DustyGeek]

If you mean it's frosting over, like the way the freezer section of a mini (dorm) fridge frosts over and eventually turns into a chunk of ice, that has been more or less standard behavior on every RV we've had with a freezer. These units are not frost-free, like a home refrigerator.

The main reason is that it's just a giant frozen plate that cools the rest of the compartment, so any moisture that gets into the freezer compartment (i.e., any moisture in the air that enters when you open the freezer door) will eventually find its way onto the plate and turn to frost. The only safe way to get rid of the frost/ice is to turn off the fridge long enough for the plate to thaw and you can mop up the water at the bottom of the compartment.

[RVhiker]

If it is frosting over after three or four weeks of use, that is normal. If it is frosting over a lot quicker than that, there could be an air leak where the freezer door gasket seals against the wall of the freezer. Also, frosting will be worse in humid climates, or when the freezer door is opened up frequently.

We've had to defrost ours once, and did it by loading up the freezer contents into an insulated cooler. Then we turned off the refrigerator, and poured hot water into pans on the freezer bottom. Change out the water when it is cool, and pretty quickly the frost will be gone.

I wouldn't defrost until the frost turns into a problem, like reducing cooling in the freezer or occupying so much room that the ice cream will not fit.