Two kinds of Maytag freezer
Maytag sells upright freezers and chest freezers. The uprights are frost free. They defrost on their own and have LED lights inside.
Chest models open from the top and have sliding baskets. Frost on the walls of a chest has to be melted by hand. Maytag says to do it about once a year, or when the ice is over a quarter inch thick. Some chest models can switch from freezer to fridge mode.
Many Maytag freezers are sold as Garage Ready in Freezer Mode. Maytag says these were tested in rooms as cold as 0 degrees and as hot as 110.
Upright freezer getting warm
A frost free upright has a coil behind the back wall. A fan blows air across it. A heater melts the frost off that coil a few times a day.
When defrost fails, the coil turns into a block of ice. Air stops moving. The top shelves warm up first. We test three parts.
- The defrost heater.
- The defrost thermostat or sensor.
- The timer or control that starts the defrost.
The evaporator fan can also die. You will hear the compressor run but feel no air inside.
Chest freezer getting warm
A chest has no fan and no heater inside. Its cold coil is in the walls. So the list is short. A thick frost layer acts like a blanket and slows cooling. A lid seal that is torn lets in damp air. A failed thermostat will not call for cooling. If the walls are warm all over and the compressor is hot, we look at the start relay and the sealed system.
Clicking and not starting
A click every couple of minutes is a compressor that tries and fails to start. Its start relay or overload has likely quit. Both are small parts clipped to the compressor. We test it and the compressor windings. A good compressor with a bad relay is a quick repair. A locked compressor is not.
A garage is rough on a freezer. Dust coats the condenser. Summer heat makes the compressor run long hours. On uprights with a coil underneath, we brush and vacuum it. We make sure the freezer has a few inches of space on each side to shed heat. A freezer packed against a wall will run warm even with good parts.
What to check on your own
- See if the freezer has power. Garage outlets trip often.
- Look at the control. A chest model may be set to fridge mode.
- Check that the lid or door closes on its seal all the way around.
- Do not open it again and again. A full freezer stays frozen for many hours if shut.
- Move food to a cooler if the inside is above freezing.
Our visit and what you pay
A thawing freezer cannot wait. Our office picks up between 6 AM and 9 PM on all seven days, and we push to come the same day. The diagnostic is $79 at a home. That $79 is waived when you approve the repair. First you get one firm number that covers the parts and the labor. Freezer techs here are insured and licensed, and none skip the background check. A 30-day repair warranty backs the repair. A+ is an independent company, not a Maytag agent.
Repair or replace a freezer
A relay, fan, heater, thermostat or gasket is worth fixing on any Maytag freezer. A leak in the sealed system or a dead compressor is different. On a small chest model, the bill for that can pass the price of the unit. On a large upright, it may still make sense. We give you the number and a plain opinion.
In Illinois, start with our Chicago area appliance repair page. There is more on freezer repair and on the Maytag appliance repair page. For a fridge with a freezer drawer, see Maytag refrigerator repair. We stay until the coil is pulling down toward zero again.