Kenmore Freezer malfunctioning - food defrosting, water leaking

[NsXMas]

I have a Sear's master protection agreement on the appliance, but customer service says the first available service is a week and a half from now. I'm complaining and talking to the national customer relations to try to expedite service.

But in the mean time, what's the best way to handle the food loss / leaking water?

I am going to toss the frozen food because there is no way it will last more than a day or two without a working freezer. It will be a pain to move out the freezer to clean up the water that leaked out, but I will need to shut off the water to the fridge as well.

Any other advice?

 

[hlweyl]

I think the most common cause of that is something simple, someone accidently not shutting the door all the way. Also, check to see if the circuit that it's on has blown.

good luck

 

[pt91]

I don't know if this helps you but the same thing happened to me a couple of months ago.
I unplugged the unit and removed the front cover to the coils under the unit.
They were covered in lint so I vacuumed.
I first removed any ice cubes in the ice maker.
I removed all the food in the freezer section and removed the inside back cover to expose the coils. They were completely covered in ice! I grabbed lots of towels and a hair dryer and removed the ice build up (one hour). Replaced cover and plugged in. It took a few hours for the unit to reach the set temp., but it worked for me.
Replaced food. Trashed food that I didn't trust.
Last step - called and cancelled sears service call.

Your issue could be completely different. Good luck.

 

[NsXMas]

Thanks for the tips. I double checked the seals last night and this morning, and it was closed firmly. The fridge is a 2000, and I have it serviced annually as part of my master protection agreement. In fact, the last maintenance on it was 2 weeks ago, when a Sear's tech came and calibrated the settings, vacuumed the coils, etc...

The good news is I complained and they are sending out a technician today, but I have to wait at home all day for the service.

 

[NsXMas]

Problem fixed. Apparently the starter relay fried out. The tech was able to diagnose it right away, and took just 10 minutes to replace it. Thank goodness I don't have to wait a week and a half, as the fridge and the freezer would both be out of action.

PS - I am so glad I bought the Sears Master Protection plan. Usually I never buy extended warranties, but for the fridge I decided to buy one not only for the extra warranty, but also for the free annual maintenance that comes with it. The protection plan not only pays for the repair/part, which is about $200, it also will provide reimbursement for about $200 worth of spoiled food.