Bosch Fridge-Freezer Fan Is Not Working

Your fridge contains multiple fans, including at least one for the freezer compartment. The purpose of these fans is to circulate air over certain components of the fridge/freezer that need airflow in order to work and to distribute cold air throughout the interior of the fridge/freezer. If one of these fans stops working, you’ll likely have problems keeping your fridge/freezer cool.

If the fan in your Bosch freezer isn’t working, there are a few possible reasons as to why. The most likely causes, however, are that your freezer fan is obstructed by something, the motor that powers the fan is broken, or the fan doesn’t know it should be running because of a faulty thermostat.

Today, we’ll be talking about all the issues that can cause your freezer fan to stop working, and we’ll be answering some of the common questions you might have about how your freezer works and how to use it.

Fan Is Physically Obstructed

If the fan in your freezer isn’t spinning, there’s a good chance that this is because there’s something in the way of the blade. In most cases, this happens because ice builds up over the fan blades and causes them to get jammed against the fan shroud.

Ice buildup inside a freezer happens most commonly when there is a source of moisture that is allowed to enter the freezer. In many cases, this source of moisture is a leaky door seal. This can allow warm air with a high moisture content to enter the freezer.

If your freezer fan is obstructed because of a buildup of ice, you should first deal with the source of this ice before addressing the fan. If ice buildup is your only problem, you can solve this by just unplugging your fridge and allowing the ice to melt.

However, there’s also the possibility that your fan has become obstructed because one of the blades has become bent. In this case, you’ll have to replace the fan blade before the fan will work properly again.

There’s also the chance that there’s just a buildup of dirt in the motor bearings. If this is what’s going on, give the bearings a little shot of penetrating oil and see if that helps.

Read: How To Reset A Bosch Fridge / Freezer?

Fan Motor Is Defective

It’s not too common for the fan motors in a fridge to fail, because they don’t draw a ton of current and don’t usually have to work all that hard. However, the motor can sometimes become faulty over time, or it can wear out if the fan blades get stuck on something.

To test the motor, try turning the fan blades by hand. If they’re totally seized up, then the motor probably needs to be replaced. If you’re able to turn the blades freely but the fan doesn’t run, you should use a multimeter to test the continuity through the motor windings. If it shows that there’s no continuity, you’ll have to replace the fan motor.

Read: Bosch Refrigerator Is Not Freezing

Faulty Thermostat

The thermostat keeps track of the temperature in the fridge and tells the various parts of the fridge to run when the temperature gets too high. However, if the thermostat stops working, the fridge will be unable to regulate its own temperature correctly.

To test the thermostat, you can once again use a multimeter to check it for continuity. If it has none, replace the thermostat. You should also check the wires running between the thermostat and the fan control, just to make sure none of them are broken.

Read: Bosch Refrigerator Is Not Defrosting – Troubleshooting Guide

FAQs

Now that we’ve talked about the problems that can affect your freezer fan, let’s answer some of the general questions you might have about using your fridge/freezer.

Can a Fridge/Freezer Work Without a Fan?

No, a fridge/freezer won’t be able to work without a fan. However, depending on what fan has failed, the overall consequences for your fridge may be more or less severe.

If the fan responsible for air circulation fails, then cold air won’t circulate through the fridge/freezer, and the temperature inside will rise fairly quickly. If the condenser fan fails, then the refrigerant itself will start to warm up, and eventually the compressor will fail from overheating.

If the compressor fails, the resulting repair might be more expensive than replacing the fridge outright. Replacing a fan is considerably less expensive, however, so if one of the fans in your fridge stops working, you should replace it before the problem gets even more serious.

Read: Bosch Refrigerator Is Not Making Ice

Should the Freezer Fan Always Be Running?

It’s definitely not normal for your freezer fan to be constantly running. In normal circumstances, the freezer fan should shut itself off periodically when the freezer becomes cold enough, or if the freezer enters its scheduled defrost cycle.

If your freezer fan is constantly running, it’s likely that your freezer is experiencing some kind of issue with the thermostat. It could be that the thermostat is faulty and is recording a higher temperature than what is actually present, which could easily be the cause of your freezer fan constantly running.

That being said, a freezer fan is supposed to run for most of the time. If your fridge is working properly, the freezer fan should be running about 80-90% of the time. It could also be that there is a leak in your freezer’s door seal that is letting warm air in, which will cause the fan to constantly run in order to compensate for the higher internal temperatures.

Read: Bosch Refrigerator Problems

How Long Do I Have to Wait After Turning On My Freezer to Use It?

If you’re setting up a brand new fridge/freezer for the first time, it’s a good idea to wait a little while after plugging it in before actually putting any food in it. This way, you don’t have to worry about any of your food getting too warm or partially defrosting before the fridge/freezer reaches its optimal operating temperature.

If you want to be sure that your fridge/freezer is cold enough for your food, it’s a good idea to wait at least four hours after plugging it in before putting any food in it. 

How Long Should I Wait Before Plugging In a New Fridge?

If you’ve just had a new fridge delivered to you, you’re probably going to want to plug it in and start using it right away. However, it’s always a good idea to wait a little while before doing this. 

The compressor in your fridge contains oil, which lubricates it and allows it to run smoothly. If your fridge has been jostled around during transportation to your home, and especially if it was transported on its side, there’s a good chance that the compressor will run out of the compressor and into the refrigerant lines.

If you try to run a fridge compressor when there’s not enough oil in it, this can easily damage the compressor. That’s why you should give your fridge time to settle before plugging it in, to allow the compressor oil to run back into the compressor.

If your fridge was transported upright, you should let it settle for at least an hour, but if it was transported on its side you should give it at least four hours.

Why Is My Freezer Able to Freeze Meat, But Not Ice Cream?

If you notice that not all of the food in your freezer is being cooled equally, it’s likely that your freezer is experiencing some cooling issues. This could be caused by a defective freezer fan, or by something like dirty condenser coils.

Different types of food freeze solid at different temperatures, so this could mean that your freezer is cold enough to freeze some things but not others. For example, meat freezes solid at 30 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas ice cream freezes hard at -10 degrees Fahrenheit.

That being said, if you want to be able to serve your ice cream easily but still keep it frozen, the best temperature to keep it at is around 0 to -5 degrees Fahrenheit.