The frost that builds up in a cabinet freezing plates is moisture that entered, condensed and froze; the cabinet has not failed. Frost insulates the evaporator, narrows airflow and the plates freeze late. GEBHARDT asks for a freezing temperature at least 5 °C below the plate's melting point and an air gap between plates; freezing takes 8 to 24 hours, and a -21 °C plate freezes through in 19 hours at -26 °C.
Where to look
| Sign | First place to check |
|---|---|
| Thick frost around the door | A gasket leak |
| Heavy ice on the evaporator | Frequent opening or excess moisture |
| Thin but widespread frost on shelves | Wet plates loaded |
| Ice in one zone and none in another | Blocked air circulation |
The order is gasket first, then the number of openings: plates go in and come out at once. A washed plate is dried before it goes in, because water on the surface adds frost. The GEBHARDT freezing rack keeps the air gap constant.
Where defrost is done by hand, schedule it for the day with the lowest plate demand, because the cabinet freezes no plates while defrosting. Scraping ice with a hard tool damages the evaporator fins. If the cabinet has its own defrost cycle, its frequency is set around the plates due in the morning.
