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High humidity and fluctuating temperature

I have had this little freezer for just over a year, it worked great until recently it started to frost heavily on the coils. So I emptied it, defrosted, and then filled it again. After it seemed fine for a couple of weeks, it frosted heavily again and all of my food was soft, the thermometer read 32 degrees F.

Called LG warranty repair, the technician couldn't see a problem because it was at temperature at the moment he checked.

I purchased a sensor which gives minute by minute readings of temperature and humidity. The temperature is hovering between -3 and -4 degrees F, which is fine. The humidity though is scaring me, it reads between 30% and 60% humidity, which makes no sense because I'm in the desert with ambient humidity of about 15%. Any ideas what could be causing this excess humidity?

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@celiab have you checked the door seal? Does it close properly?

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Yes, it is sealed very tightly. And it's empty except for the sensor which is a small plastic cube.

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@celiab

How often do you defrost the freezer?

According to p.13 of the user manual the freezer should be manually defrosted at least once per month. More often if the door is opened a lot. The defrost meltwater should drain to the pan under the freezer where it evaporates naturally.

This removes the ice from the evaporator coils, which builds up over time. No doubt the layer of ice is contributing to the humidity.

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Most recently it was defrosted last week, I put the temp/humidity sensor in and closed the door. It has not been opened since. (Because I don't trust it to keep my food frozen any more). I'm in testing mode now, as the LG tech was so unhelpful.

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@celiab

How did you check the door seals?

Given that you say there's a lot of ice build up over a very short period of time, warmer outside air is getting in somehow even though you're not opening the door.

Perhaps double check the seals by placing a turned on flashlight inside the freezer and then check if you can see any light around the perimeter of the door. Best to do it at night with no outside light on. It really stands out if there is even a small gap between the door and the door jamb.

Are there any gaps where the pipes to the evaporator unit come inside the freezer compartment?

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I did an experiment. I have a remote temperature/humidity sensor in the freezer. The freezer has been keeping a steady temperature ranging from -2 to -5 degrees F. The humidity fluctuated from 40% to 65%. Never opening the door. And I'm in the desert, think Arizona - very dry air, less than 30% ambient humidity.

The other day I just shut the freezer off, didn't open the door. The temperature of course came to the same as the room. The humidity though went up - to 97.8%. That tells me there is something leaking into the freezer? What can be happening here?

It's a small 6 cubic foot standalone LG freezer. No bells and whistles, just a freezer with a dial for temperature control.

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@celiab

Could possibly be either a blockage in the evaporator unit or low refrigerant.

Either can result in ice build up on the evaporator as the heat that is absorbed cannot be transferred away quickly enough.

You may have to get the high and suction pressures in the sealed system checked to make sure that the're OK

You'll need a professional repair service to do this due to regulations regarding the handling of refrigerant gases

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