If the freezer no longer freezes as well as it used to, or it takes a long time, there is a hidden detail that is often overlooked. A small setting, perhaps never touched since the appliance arrived in your home, can make the difference.
It happens: you open the freezer and the ice is not as compact as always, the food remains a little soft or, worse, you find areas where the water has only formed a thin sheet. An annoyance that is often noticed precisely when you need to preserve something urgently, perhaps in the summer, with the shopping you have just done.
Sometimes you immediately think of the breakdown, or the need to change everything. But the reality is less dramatic: behind the loss of freezer power, especially in domestic models, there is often a simple setting to check. And, in many cases, very little is needed to bring the situation back under control. The point? You don’t notice until it happens.
Freezer temperature and bad freezing: the hidden keyword that many ignore
The internal temperature of the freezereven if it seems like a technical detail, is the first factor that determines good food preservation. It seems obvious, but it’s not at all. Many people leave the factory settings, without ever changing them. Or it happens that someone touches the knob by mistake, perhaps during a quick cleaning or while moving the drawers. Result: the temperature rises, the ice forms less compact and the whole system loses efficiency. According to many practical guides, the optimal temperature for a home freezer should always remain between -18°C e -20°C. A variation of even just 2–3 degrees can change everything: the engine works harder, but the result does not improve, on the contrary. The risk is having partially defrosted foods, or with that classic frost that ruins them and forces you to consume them quickly.
There is a very simple trick to check the real temperature: all you need is a kitchen thermometer, the pocket type, left inside for a few hours. And if the value does not correspond to the one set, then it is better to adjust the knob, wait at least half a day and check again. Sometimes the problem is solved like this, without the need for technical interventions or unnecessary expenses. In fact, almost no one thinks that a simple wheel can do so much.
Other signs not to ignore (and false alarms)
The cause of a freezer that freezes poorly is not always the temperature. There are other signs, however, that help understand whether the problem is serious or just temporary. For example, if a lot of frost forms on the internal walls, or if the lower drawer remains damp even after many hours. In some cases, you notice a strange smell: a sign that some food has started to defrost and then refreeze.
Then there are the classic false alarms: they happen in summer, when you load the freezer after a lot of shopping. You introduce a lot of hot or room temperature food and the engine takes a few more hours to restore the cold. In this case, just wait one night and everything goes back to how it was before.
A practical detail: we often forget to close the door properly, especially if the freezer is full. It may seem trivial, but even a small crack lets hot air in and complicates everything.
When to call a technician (and when not to) about your freezer that won’t freeze
If after checking the temperature and other settings the problem remains, then it is worth observing some behaviors of the appliance. For example, if the engine stays on all the time, or if you hear unusual noises (continuous buzzing or sudden jerks), perhaps there is a more serious problem. But in most cases, with a little patience and attention, the freezer will work well again without expensive interventions.
Of course, when the device is more than ten years old, things change. In that case, it is worth evaluating whether the repair makes sense, or whether the time has come to replace it with a new, more efficient and safer model. Sometimes all it takes is a simple gesture, like turning a hidden wheel, to rediscover the pleasure of opening the freezer and finding everything perfectly frozen.
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