My freezer is making noises. a kind of grinding sound. I have noticed frost build up across the back of the freezer. I have a kenmore elite. french door style fridge with the freezer on the bottom. I haven't noticed a decrease in temp or efficency yet.

This can happen if the freezer fan is not running or you have excessive ice build up from the unit not defrosting. Check to see if the freezer fan runs by pushing the light switch in the freezer and look for frost build up on the freezer back panel.

You can switch off the freezer from time to time to let the ice to melt.

Of course the too much accumulation of ice will affect the freezer.

f =heat exchang you have to check the condensor fan and evaporator fan , clean the condensor coil . if the frost build up to block air way. need to check heat element and defrost thermostat. good lock

Hello,

You need to check for the refrigerator level, drain pan, condenser fan, evaporator fan and inspect the compressor mounts for the cause of noise. Any popping or hissing sound is normal on frost free refrigerators.

Good luck

Unplugging for an hour won't allow it to defrost if that is what the problem is.

Look inside the freezer at the back wall. Look for heavy accumulations of ice building on the cooling coil, which is behind the back wall panel. You may have to look in the louvers or past where the evap fan is located.

Once we know if there is heavy frost or ice there, we'll have a better idea how to resolve. Is there any warranty on this refrigerator that you know of, besides the 5 year compressor warranty?

the noise is quite possibly the freezer fan cutting ice behind the wall
you may have an issue with your defrost system

Hi It sounds like the evaporator fan. It could be hitting some frost on the evaporator coil. Remove the rear panel inside the freezer section and see if something is in the fan blade or if frost is building up on the coils. If there is frost (more then just a thin film) you might be having a defrost issue.
please let me know what you find so I can assist you further.

Vic

too defrost just open the doors for a day with the unit unplugged. as far as why it is frosting up check door seals make sure they are all good and seal it up well and that should take care of it.

this is classic compressor failure. the core is freezing due to unregulated pressure in the lines. repairing the compressor will correct this issue.

The problem is ice build up on the back wall. The noise you hear is the fan blades hitting the ice. On the back wall water gets trapped, it then builds up over time, and a big ball of ice forms and blocks the fan. Take off the back wall, defrost the build up and cut the insulation off as above. The water will no longer get trapped and the problem will not come back.
Sgt 48