To feel frustrated with my freezer situation as a renter?

[Silentfriend]

I’ve been renting my place for a while, and for more than a few weeks now, my freezer has been malfunctioning. I turned it off and unplugged it, leaving the door open for 24h+, but it hasn’t defrosted properly, and the ice buildup is still significant.

On top of that, my cooker also packed up, and I haven’t had a working cooker for a week now.

I’ve tried several things:

• unplugging and leaving the door open for 24h+
• using warm water
• clearing the drain hole

Despite my efforts, it hasn’t improved, and I’m now left without a functioning freezer for weeks. I was hoping to sort this out myself before contacting the landlord.

AIBU to be frustrated? What should I do next?

Not a pile on .
You need ro rule defrost the freezer fully as others have said .
If it is a frozen as you say then there is an issue with the freezer or you have left it too long .
The food will have to defrost either way .
If you have hob still working and the freezer comes back on you can cook and re freeze anything you can .
If it doesn't the freezer is broken contact LL for replacement . If you have home contents insurance you may be able to claim for food loss , if significantly valuable .

Meant " need to defrost "

The food doesn't need to defrost. It just need to kept frozen for a short while as the OP finishes defrosting the freezer, then putting back in the freezer.

The freezer will keep frosting up if the seal is faulty so if this is an ongoing issue, yes you do need to ask the landlord to have it looked at. I don’t understand why you can’t get it to defrost unless you live somewhere very cold. If it freezes up unreasonably fast again then I would say it’s the seal. In meantime, don’t make ice in ice cube trays (spills), try to minimise how long door is open and always double check it’s fully closed - every single time. .

I would also suggest you unplug the appliance to ensure there is no electricity going to it.
Then use a hairdryer on a low setting to melt the ice enough to remove the food.
Put the food in a bag/s for life and cover well with a duvet.
Once you have done this, continue to defrost either with a a hair dryer or bowls of boiling water placed so the heat rises and melts the ice. Another way is to fill a hot water bottle with very hot water and place in the freezer to aid defrosting. Replace the cooled water in the bowl or hot water bottle once it cools or every 30 mins or so.
Ensure you keep the freezer door open all through the defrosting process and put towels in the bottom to catch the melted ice.
You will find that as the ice melts large chunks will drop off and you can place these straight into the kitchen sink.
Once everything is defrosted, give the inside of the freezer a wash out with clean water and a small squirt of washing up liquid, then dry well with a towel.
To ensure the seals close well, give them a wash over too and use a toothbrush to clean in the grooves. Dry the seals well too before you close the door and plug the freezer back in. Switch it on and set to “fast freeze” for at least an hour before replacing any food that has not defrosted. Any food that has been defrosted can be cooked then refrozen. Switch to normal once the food has been back in the freezer for an hour.
Doing the process as described will ensure the defrost is done quick enough for most frozen food to be saved and in the long run is quicker and easier than just unplugging the freezer and leaving it to defrost on its own.
Sorry if this comes across as too simple, just written as if giving my daughter instructions. 😀

Boiling water from the kettle in an oven dish or bowl in the freezer, which has to be switched off first.

I would have put any food in an insulated bag with ice blocks.

Also, use a hairdryer to speed up the process or a steam cleaner if you have one.

Make sure you have plenty of towels on the floor.

I don't know why it is taking so long unless you have not turned it off properly.

I've used a hairdryer on the freezer.

Take out the food, cover it in a duvet. Blast the hair dryer at it and chip away

Have to add after doing all that the freezer was still buggered. So ordered a new one off AO.com.

You need to itemize the spoilt food and claim on your contents insurance.

Thank fuck I don't have to rely on MN for advice or permission to live my life.

I was actually agreeing with you given OP posts perhaps a knife wasn't a good idea with hindsight - it's your subsequent posts that well frankly make me well eyeroll.

If the drawers are frozen shut then this must be an ongoing issue - if you've not been keeping up with regular defrosting/maintenance then that's on you, not your landlord.

I would get a bowl of boiling water and leave it in front of the open freezer door - then make some kind of "cave" with a towel or something to contain the steam, it should start to melt the ice. Or, use a hairdryer on the hottest setting and just sit there for a while and melt the ice that way. It's what we always do and it only takes a few minutes.

I do think there is a slight seal issue tbh. I’ve noticed that sometimes the door closes fully, but other times there’s a slight gap, even with no ice obstructing it. It seemed to sort itself out for a while, but then one day I opened it to find it completely frozen.

I’ll continue defrosting it, but I appreciate the reminder about the seal, and I plan to raise this with the landlord.

Wow, what a comment. That’s really uncalled for. Don’t be so rude.

I agree. Have reported. There’s just no need.

After taking a closer look at the seal, I can see that it’s bent, pushed in, and peeling away. This makes sense now with what I was saying about the door closing before. I’ll raise this with the landlord now.

Obviously, if this is possible, but the OP has already had the freezer off for 24 hours so in defrosting the freezer fully some or all of the food is likely to thaw too. Was just offering a " cook and freeze " possibility if this happens .

My grandchildren went into the garage where we keep a spare fridge freezer, hunting ice creams. It was 24 hours before we noticed. The whole freezer was welded shut with ice all four drawers. 🙈

Well my landlord completely ignored my request for a temporary cooking alternative whilst I have no cooker and just told me to ask the lettings company for an update. Frustrating. He also ignored the issue about the freezer seal.

Have a look online for a new seal, they are usually quite cheap and very easy to fit yourself. You'll need the make and model number. Lots of companies available usually with "spares" in the title, or eBay or Amazon.

When renting, I often found it was easier to simply replace/ repair inexpensive things myself rather than feel stressed by the landlord/ agent taking a long time to action the repair. Not if under warranty or expensive though.

How is the defrosting going? Do you have a hairdryer blowing on it?

I stand by it! 😂

If you have a fan heater you can use that instead of a hairdryer. It doesn't have to be hot, a stream of cold air will help. Just make sure that it's supported on something or otherwise protected so that if you get more of a flood than a gentle defrost, the electrics aren't in danger of getting wet.

You gave your LL less than an hour before posting! And yes it should be the letting agency you contact- that’s what they get paid for by the LL.

You’re confused. That hasn’t happened. And it’s the cooker hob, not the oven. A new one has not been purchased. It was a plumber that came round yesterday, not the landlord.

My comment you highlighted above was also in reference to the freezer (not the cooker) responding to someone else asking how long it had been like so and how long I had been dealing with it. Get your facts right.