Temperature Control in a Montgomery Ward Chest Freezer

Temperature Control Dial

• A Montgomery Ward freezer's temperature can be adjusted by turning a rotary dial. The dial has several settings that are labeled numerically. The numbers range from low to high, with low numbers correlating to warm temperatures and high numbers to cold temperatures.

Tight Seal

• Keeping the freezer's door closed whenever you are not removing items from or placing items into the freezer ensures that the appliance cools and freezes stored items properly. If the door remains open, cold air escapes from the compartment, causing the items to defrost.

Door Seal

• The freezer has a rubber seal that surrounds the entire perimeter of the door. This seal is compressed under the door's weight when the door is closed, forming an airtight seal. As a freezer ages, its door seal breaks down, which may allow cold air to escape and warm air to enter the chest. Replacing the seal is necessary to make the appliance airtight again. The door seal, or gasket, is secured with several plastic clips.

Compressor, Evaporator and Coolant

• A Montgomery Ward freezer relies on a compressor and evaporator to cool the freezer properly. The freezer is cooled by the evaporator coils, which evaporate the appliance's refrigerant, or coolant. The evaporation process absorbs a great deal of heat, and that process cools the freezer. While in a gaseous state, the coolant moves to the compressor, where it is converted back to a liquid, and the process repeats. If the evaporator or compressor fails, the freezer will not cool properly if at all. These components are not serviceable by the typical freezer owner and require a service technician to diagnose and repair their problem.