Freezer repair in Ottawa

When a freezer stops freezing, or worse, lets everything soften and refreeze, every hour costs you food. These are the faults we repair most:

• Freezer not freezing: warm interior, soft ice cream, food starting to thaw. See freezer not freezing in Ottawa.
• Freezer too cold: freezer-burned bread, or a fridge section freezing lettuce.
• Frost build-up: auto-defrost not cycling, a drain clog or a gasket leak. See freezer frost build-up.
• Ice maker not working: supply line, mould or ejector arm. See ice maker not working.
• Loud or constant running: compressor, condenser fan or evaporator fan.
• Door won’t seal: gasket, hinge or alignment.
• Water pooling under or behind the freezer: defrost drain or water line. See freezer leaking water.
• Controls: control board, temperature sensors and display, when the freezer ignores its setting or the display goes blank.
• Error codes: Samsung, LG, Whirlpool, Frigidaire, GE, Maytag, Bosch, Sub-Zero and Viking.
• Built-in freezer columns: Sub-Zero, Thermador, Miele and Liebherr.

Freezer not turning on

If the freezer is silent, with no light or display, check the plug and the breaker, and in a garage or basement the reset button on the outlet if it has one; a freezer kept out of sight can sit without power for days before anyone notices. If the power is there and it still won’t start, keep the door or lid closed and book a visit rather than opening panels.

Temperature alarm beeping

A freezer alarm usually means the door has been open too long or the inside has warmed past its set point. Make sure the door or lid is fully shut with nothing holding it open; a big load of room-temperature food, or a power cut, can also set it off until the freezer cools back down. If it keeps sounding with the door shut and nothing new inside, the freezer is losing cold: see freezer not freezing.

Loud noise

Inside an upright, a squeal or ticking usually comes from the evaporator fan or from frost catching its blade. From the machine compartment at the bottom or back, a rattle or buzz usually points to the condenser fan, and knocking or a hard hum to the compressor. Most chest freezers have no fan inside, so their noises come from that compartment. When you book, tell us where the sound comes from and whether the freezer is still holding temperature.

Running constantly

A freezer that runs without a break is working against heat it can’t get rid of: dust on the condenser coils, a door gasket that no longer seals, frost smothering the evaporator after a defrost fault on an auto-defrost upright, or a spot that is simply too hot, such as a garage in July. Unplug the freezer and vacuum any coils you can reach, then plug it back in and check that the door or lid seals all the way round. If it is still running without a pause a day later, book a diagnosis.

We repair freezers in Ottawa, Gatineau, Barrhaven, Kanata, Nepean, Orléans, Stittsville, Manotick, Gloucester, Hull and Aylmer, with same-day visits when the schedule allows. If food is already thawing, mention it in your request so we can look for the earliest window.

When you book, tell us the make, model and what the freezer is doing. The parts behind most freezer faults, such as compressor start relays, evaporator fans, defrost heaters, thermistors and door gaskets, are common, so many repairs are finished on the first visit. We also replace control boards; these are model-specific and sometimes have to be ordered. If it fails overnight, visits between 9 PM and 7 AM add a $100 flat after-hours fee.

1. Send a request online or call and describe what the freezer is doing.
2. We call or text to confirm a time window of about three hours. A request is not an appointment until we confirm it.
3. The diagnostic is $89 + tax for a residential freezer.
4. You approve or decline a written repair price before any work begins.
5. The repair is completed on the spot when the part is on hand; if a part must be ordered, we give you the timeline up front.

A written diagnostic report and a 3-month warranty on parts and labour follow.

Garage freezers often struggle in unheated Ottawa garages in winter: low ambient temperatures can trick the thermostat into leaving the compressor off. Chest freezers we service for compressor, thermostat, drain and lid-gasket issues. Upright freezers with auto-defrost add a defrost heater, timer or control and an evaporator fan to the list.

Built-in columns from Sub-Zero, Viking, Thermador, Miele and Liebherr are more involved, with tighter compressor access and sealed systems, and we tell you up front whether the job can be finished on the first visit. For restaurant and walk-in units, see commercial freezer repair and walk-in cooler repair.

Whirlpool, Samsung, LG, GE, Bosch, Miele, Maytag, Kenmore, Electrolux, KitchenAid, Frigidaire, Sub-Zero, Viking, Fisher & Paykel, Jenn-Air, Amana, Blomberg and Admiral.

For a stand-alone freezer under 8 years old, repair is usually the right call. Compressor failures on units 10 years and older often cost more than a new freezer, and we will tell you straight when that is the case. Age alone doesn’t settle it, though: an upright freezer typically lasts about 12–17 years, so on an older upright a fan, defrost or thermostat fault is usually still worth fixing (see how long appliances last). A repair quote that doesn’t make sense for the age of your appliance is one we’ll talk you out of.

On a home freezer, sealed-system work (compressor, refrigerant) has a $159 + tax diagnostic, and the labour is quoted by phone so you can decide before committing. Our freezer repair cost in Ottawa guide explains which repairs are smaller or bigger jobs.

We provide freezer repair across Ottawa, Gatineau, Barrhaven, Kanata, Nepean, Orléans, Stittsville, Manotick, Gloucester, Hull, Aylmer and Vanier.

Related: refrigerator repair in Ottawa, fridge not cooling, same-day and emergency appliance repair, and range hood repair. En français : réparation de congélateur à Gatineau.