Does A Freezer Need To Have Stuff In It....

[mandimoo]

.... In order for it to get cold enough?

Ours been playing up. Engineer told us that drain channel within freezer completely chock full of ice and recommend defrosting for a few days as it's all insulated and will take a long time to clear. Contents of freezer at MIL's. Turned empty freezer back on 24 hours ago, but it is still only -5.8 when it should be - 18.

Is this because it's empty?

[Buenchico]

Freezers definitely work most efficiently when they're completely full.

However I'm surprised that a freezer can't reach its optimum temperature when not so.

[boxtops]

So am I - we always run ours empty to recool it once we defrost. Put screwed up newspaper in it, mandi - it's recommended to do that if you have empty drawers when there's food in it. However - if it's playing up, perhaps your thermostat is duff?

[coccinelle]

Can you get hold of a freezer thermostat from someone just in case it's the freezer thermostat which isn't reading properly?
As boxtops say it's adviable to fill empty drawers with newspaper but only so the freezer doesn't use as much power freezing 'empty' air.