Freezer Repair in McKinney, TX
SmartWay repairs chest and upright freezers in McKinney and 13 nearby cities from our shop on N McDonald St. The service call is $65 and is waived if you go ahead with the repair.
Service call $65, waived with repair. Open 7 days, 7am to 7pm.
A chest freezer and an upright freezer are built differently, and that changes the repair. Most chest freezers are manual defrost, have no fans, and run the condenser tubing inside the outer walls. An upright is laid out more like a refrigerator: many are frost-free, with fans, a defrost heater and a condenser coil at the back or underneath.
Both types use a cold control, the thermostat behind the temperature dial, to switch the compressor on and off. A cold control that sticks closed keeps the freezer running without a break. One that sticks open leaves it off and warm.
Common freezer problems
A chest freezer runs but the food is soft
A chest freezer has no fan to fail, so the list is short: the lid seal, the cold control, the compressor start parts, or the sealed system. The technician checks that the lid sits flat on the gasket all the way around, then tests the cold control before looking at refrigerant.
The lid will not stay up or does not close flat
Chest freezer lids ride on spring hinges. A weak spring lets the lid drop, and a bent or loose hinge holds one corner off the gasket, so frost builds at that corner. Hinges and lid gaskets are replaced as parts, without replacing the freezer.
Frost keeps building inside a manual-defrost freezer
On a manual-defrost chest or upright, some frost is normal and is cleared by defrosting it by hand. Frost that comes back within days, or heavy frost in one spot near the lid or door, points to a gasket or hinge letting humid air in.
Ice on the back panel of a frost-free upright
A frost-free upright uses the same defrost system as a refrigerator: a defrost heater, a defrost thermostat and a timer or control board. The refrigerator repair page covers how that system fails, and the same parts are tested on an upright freezer.
A garage freezer is off and silent
Check the outlet first. Garage outlets are often on a GFCI, and a tripped GFCI shuts the freezer off with nothing else wrong. If the GFCI trips again after a reset, the technician tests the compressor, the wiring and, on a frost-free model, the defrost heater for a short.
Water on the floor around a chest freezer
Many chest freezers have a drain plug in the floor of the cabinet and a drain cap on the outside near the bottom, used for defrosting. If the inside plug is out or the outside cap is loose, melt water runs onto the floor. Seating the plug and cap stops it.
Freezer symptoms and likely causes
- Outside walls of a chest freezer warm to the touch: normal, the condenser tubing runs there
- Chest freezer lid drops when you let go: weak hinge springs
- Frost on one corner of the lid: bent hinge or a gasket not sealing at that corner
- Dial turned to the coldest setting and nothing changes: failed cold control
- Garage freezer off with a dead outlet: tripped GFCI, reset it and see if it holds
- Water under a chest freezer: drain plug out or the outside drain cap loose
- Squealing inside an upright: evaporator fan motor wearing out
- Upright door swings open on its own: cabinet not level
How the repair goes
- Tell us whether it is a chest or upright freezer when you book. The service call is $65 and is waived if you go ahead with the repair.
- The technician checks the cold control, the gasket and hinges, the compressor start parts and, on an upright, the fans and defrost parts, then shows you which part failed.
- The technician tells you the price for the part and labor before any work starts.
- If the part is on the van, the repair can be done that visit. If it has to be ordered, the repair is finished on a second visit.
Before the visit
- Leave the freezer plugged in so the technician can see it run and take temperatures.
- Keep the door or lid shut until the technician arrives. If the food has already started to thaw, move it to a cooler or another freezer.
- Clear boxes and storage from around the freezer so the technician can pull it out and reach the back.
- Write down the brand and model number from the label inside the door, under the lid, or on the back.
Brands we repair
We repair chest freezers and upright freezers, both frost-free and manual defrost, including the ones kept in garages. Brands include Frigidaire, GE, Whirlpool, Kenmore, Maytag, Amana and Samsung.
Where we do freezer repair
Freezer Repair is available in all 14 cities we serve from our McKinney shop: McKinney, Frisco, Prosper, Plano, Allen, Celina, Anna, Melissa, Lucas, Murphy, Richardson, Garland, Sachse and Princeton.
Common questions
How much does it cost to fix a freezer?
The service call is $65, waived if you go ahead, and the repair price depends on the part. The technician finds the failed part, and you get the price before the repair starts.
How long will the food stay frozen if my freezer quits?
About 48 hours if the freezer is full and the door stays closed, and about 24 hours if it is half full. Those are USDA food safety figures. Every time the door opens that time gets shorter, so keep it shut until the technician arrives.
Is my old freezer worth fixing?
It depends on where the fault is. A cold control, start relay, lid hinge or gasket is a small repair on any freezer. On a chest freezer the condenser tubing runs inside the outer walls, so a refrigerant leak there usually cannot be reached, and replacing the freezer is the usual answer. The technician says which case you have before quoting.
Why are the outside walls of my chest freezer hot?
That is normal on most chest freezers. The condenser tubing runs inside the outer walls and gives off heat there. It is a problem only if the inside is also warm or the freezer runs without stopping, which points to a lid seal or a sealed-system fault.
Do I need to defrost my chest freezer?
Yes, most chest freezers are manual defrost. Defrost it once the frost is about a quarter inch thick, because thick frost makes the compressor run longer. Check your owner's manual for the exact point.
From customers
“The repairman arrived ahead of schedule, which was great.”
“Excellent service! Yevgen from SmartWay did a great job repairing the ice maker.”
Book freezer repair in McKinney and nearby cities
Open 7 days, 7am to 7pm. Same-day appointments are often available.