Self-defrosting Refrigerator Freezer Question

[Rashawn]

My Amana refrigerator is maybe 19 years old--has the freezer part on top. The freezer is self-defrosting. Apparently it does this by letting the temperature in the freezer go up several times a day or something. When I randomly check the freezer thermometer it is mostly zero, but it actually gets up to thirty degrees when it is going through it's cycle, and the ice cream is noticeably less hard. Is this the way it is supposed to work? And also, does this daily repeated cycling up and down shorten the time I can safely leave meat or vegetables in the freezer? I have always read that food held at zero degrees is safe indefinitely, but this is not constantly at zero degrees--and I know it's not supposed to be used as if it were a deep freeze--but I'm not sure how long to trust a pound of ground turkey or a bag of broccoli now...just started wondering.

[Bailefour]

It should not be going up to 30F even on a defrost cycle. Even going as high as 30F the frozen food will remain safe but the quality will suffer. The constant change in temperature will likely lead to freezer burn issues. This is from the temperature fluctuation which dries out the food over time. You should call in a repair man. It may be as simple as your refrigerator needing a charge of cooling gas.