Opening your refrigerator drawer to find vegetables freezing in the fridge is an unwelcome surprise, especially if produce is ruined. But why are these items freezing while food outside the drawers maintains the right temperature? Simple adjustments to the refrigerator temperature or drawer settings can answer why your refrigerator drawer keeps freezing food.
5 Reasons Why Your Refrigerator Drawer Keeps Freezing Food
Many of us carefully choose what to store in refrigerator drawers to preserve the shelf life of delicate produce. So when your refrigerator drawer keeps freezing food, it can feel like a major malfunction is responsible. Fortunately, these four adjustments can easily solve the problem and prevent food waste.
#1. Check the Temperature Settings
If the bottom drawer refrigerator keeps freezing first check the temperature settings for your refrigerator. When the refrigerator temperature is set too low cold air often settles at the bottom of the fridge. This results in the crisper drawer freezing food before other items are affected.
Generally, a refrigerator’s temperature should be between 37-42°F to avoid freezing but still keep food cool.
#2. Avoid Over-Stuffing the Refrigerator
Crowding refrigerator drawers with too many items can also cause freezing issues. Most refrigerator drawers have a vent that allows for proper airflow within the drawer. If this vent is blocked with too much food cold air will remain trapped inside, causing items to freeze.
Prevent the bottom drawers of fridge freezing by keeping them only half full. This will ensure that drawer vents aren’t blocked and proper airflow is maintained.
#3. Keep Cooling Vents Clear
Similarly, the refrigerator also has cooling vents separate of those that are in the drawers. These vents emit the cold air from the refrigerator’s condenser to cool the interior. If the vents are blocked, cold air becomes concentrated at the bottom of the fridge and you’ll find the refrigerator drawer keeps freezing food.
Make sure that food or large containers don’t block the refrigerator’s vents. Try to keep a 6-inch radius of open space around the vents to allow for cold air to appropriately circulate.
#4. Adjust Settings on Your Crisper Drawers
Some crisper drawers have adjustable temperature settings. If the setting is too low you may notice vegetables freezing in the fridge drawer. If your crisper drawers have individual temperature settings, raise the temperature of the drawers to prevent food from freezing.
#5. Keep an Adequate Amount of Food in the Refrigerator
Lastly, if your refrigerator drawer keeps freezing items it could be due to a lack of food in the refrigerator. While this doesn’t seem like an obvious solution, your refrigerator actually functions optimally when it’s well supplied with food.
Multiple items in the refrigerator absorb the cold air that the refrigerator emits. If the refrigerator is mostly empty, this cold air sinks to the bottom, freezing items in the crisper drawers. Having enough food in your refrigerator to prevent cold air from sinking should enable your crisper drawers to better maintain their temperature.
When your refrigerator drawer keeps freezing these simple adjustments can typically solve the problem. If you find that your drawers still aren’t maintaining the right temperature a refrigerator repair may be in order. Call Tiger Mechanical to schedule a service call today!
