Is my chest freezer just toast?

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

I have a chest freezer that is only 4 years old. The day before our newborn was delivered 2 plus weeks early via c-section, we found our chest freezer totally thawed and lots of food spoiled. I was... dismayed.

My husband discovered that a GFCI outlet in the room was tripped (it's in the laundry room) but resetting it didn't help. The circuit breaker is not tripped, and the clothes washer that is plugged into the same outlet has been working the whole time (so maybe the GFCI isn't even related to that outlet?). The temperature is set correctly. We looked at the manual and didn't find anything obvious that we're doing wrong. Is there anything else we should check or try before we give up and buy a new freezer? (Modern appliances.... blech...)

[nereo]

It could be a finicky GFCI (very common) or the appliance.
I’d start by running an extension cord to a new outlet on a completely different circuit - ideally one that’s not GFCI (provided your freezer isn’t in a location which requires it). See if it gets and stays cold.

[reeshau]

Is the freezer trying to run, or shut off?

We had a chest freezer in the garage, on a GFCI circuit that included the outdoor outlets.  Sometimes someone would plug in a big power tool, and blow that circuit.

We plugged in an emergency light into the circuit.  If the light was on, the circuit needed to be reset to save the freezer.

Crude, but easy enough to explain to the pet sitter when we were away.

[sonofsven]

I'm confused, did you try to plug into a non gfci outlet to see if it still works? There could be outlets "downstream" of the gfci that are affected when the gfci outlet trips. It's a good idea to never have a freezer on a gfci controlled outlet. Also, an outlet can be split into two circuits, so plug a lamp or something into the spot you had the freezer plugged in to to make sure the outlet is working, then trip the gfci and see if it changes.
If none of this helps, take a picture of the model#/serial# badge and google search your brand/model# and "freezer stopped working" or something similar.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Is the freezer trying to run, or shut off?

We had a chest freezer in the garage, on a GFCI circuit that included the outdoor outlets.  Sometimes someone would plug in a big power tool, and blow that circuit.

We plugged in an emergency light into the circuit.  If the light was on, the circuit needed to be reset to save the freezer.

Crude, but easy enough to explain to the pet sitter when we were away.

I don't think it's trying to run.

I'm confused, did you try to plug into a non gfci outlet to see if it still works? There could be outlets "downstream" of the gfci that are affected when the gfci outlet trips. It's a good idea to never have a freezer on a gfci controlled outlet. Also, an outlet can be split into two circuits, so plug a lamp or something into the spot you had the freezer plugged in to to make sure the outlet is working, then trip the gfci and see if it changes.
If none of this helps, take a picture of the model#/serial# badge and google search your brand/model# and "freezer stopped working" or something similar.

LOL, no, we have not carted the chest freezer out of the laundry room while I'm recovering from a c section :-). Anyway, it is the laundry room or nothing- our house is small and there is no other place. My best idea is to get a power failure alarm so we'll be notified if it the outlet or circuit breaker trips.

Can I just swap it with the washing machine, which works? If the washing machine works on that outlet but the freezer does not work on the washing machine's outlet...

It could be a finicky GFCI (very common) or the appliance.
I’d start by running an extension cord to a new outlet on a completely different circuit - ideally one that’s not GFCI (provided your freezer isn’t in a location which requires it). See if it gets and stays cold.

I don't have an appliance extension cord and this would be a big trip hazard in my basement (which has bedrooms). Can't I just try swapping it with the washing machine's plug (which I know works... as we have a newborn...)

[nereo]

Is the washing machine on the same circuit?

[Miss Piggy]

See if any friends or neighbors have a long appliance extension cord you can borrow to test your freezer using a different outlet. Or try it on your washer's outlet, as you suggested.

NOTE TO ALL: If you're reading this, I'm assuming you have some interest in chest freezers, likely because you have one. Don't let OP's problem happen to you. Get a freezer alarm that will let you know if your freezer has stopped working, so you don't lose all the food in it.

[La Bibliotecaria Feroz]

Is the washing machine on the same circuit?

I don't know for sure. They are plugged into the same outlet but I have seen cases where the top of an outlet was on a different circuit than the bottom, and the labelling of the circuit breakers is not illuminating as none of them reference the laundry room at all (except for the dryer, which has its own).

[nereo]

Is the washing machine on the same circuit?

I don't know for sure. They are plugged into the same outlet but I have seen cases where the top of an outlet was on a different circuit than the bottom, and the labelling of the circuit breakers is not illuminating as none of them reference the laundry room at all (except for the dryer, which has its own).

Well I’d go and check.  Have a helper and figure out which circuits go to which breaker.

If the chest freezer and the washing machine are on different circuits, then yes - plug the chest freezer into the outlet for the washing machine and see if it gets and stays cold.  If it does, then it was a problem with that circuit, and very likely with the GFCI tripping (which as I said earlier is not at all uncommon).

If the circuit is fine, then the problem probably lies with your freezer.  Often you can trouble-shoot it by googling the exact model name and manufacturer, and typically others will have posted similar problem and solutions.

As others have indicated, it’s also not a bad idea to plug a light (nightlights are very handy) into the same circuit as a way of alerting you if it trips. There are also simple audible alarms which will go off when the power to a circuit is cut out, should you rather had an noise than a light alerting you.

[Cadman]

This is actually a common problem on fridges and deep-freezes plugged into GFCI's; do yourself a favor and get an extension cord of sufficient gauge to handle the load and plug it into a non-GFCI circuit. If you have a multimeter you can check for a voltage leak to ground, but odds are your GFCI may need replacing, or as others suggested, might be tripping out due to another load that's connected.

[Syonyk]

Is there anything else we should check or try before we give up and buy a new freezer?

<Mater> Freezers is DUMB! </>

Get your voltmeter out, go to town.  You'll want to clean the freezer out before you dismantle it.

(A) Is there voltage at the wall plug?  120VAC, line to neutral.  No?  Troubleshoot that.
(B) There should be a thermostatic control device on the freezer.  Mine failed on our deep freezer and I replaced it, see https://www.sevarg.net/2018/09/30/freezer-repair-and-thermostat-teardown/  See if you have voltage, line to neutral, at the input to that.  Set it as cold as possible, see if you have voltage at the output side.  If not, replace the thermostat, it's failed somehow.  Do yourself a favor and get the solid state type, they're a lot less failure prone than the mechanical ones.
(C) With the thermostat turned down, there should be voltage at the compressor terminals.  If there is, and the compressor isn't turning... it's probably time to replace the freezer.  You could replace the compressor, but you'd have to pull a vacuum on the lines and be able to solder/braze the connections, and that starts to push even the bounds of what I'm comfortable with doing vs just replacing the thing.