Build up of ice in my frost-free fridge freezer.

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 382
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Our frost-free fridge-freezer has started icing over at the bottom. It is around 2 yrs old.

We have been given an idea of how to rectify it but my husband has not got around to looking at it yet and I am rubbish at that sort of thing.:rolleyes:

At the moment I just keep chipping the ice off so it does not get too bad.

What is worrying me is, could the fridge-freezer pack in if this problem is left? Or if I keep chipping the ice off will it be okay? I don't fancy forking out for a new machine this soon after buying it. We did not take any sort of warranty out on it.
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  • Deb ArkleDeb Arkle Posts: 12,584
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    Chipping the ice off can be dodgy, as you may damage a pipe by mistake - switch it off and turn a hairdryer on it, half an hour or so should get the thickest ice clear. Keep a bucket handy for the water & icicles!

    PS - frost free, no such thing in my experience! :cool:
  • chris2k2chris2k2 Posts: 9,886
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    Can I ask what you are using to chip the ice off with.

    You learn from mistakes, for years my step-dad used to use a knife, which so did his dad and his dad before him, until 1 day he popped the gas canister (don't do that, it stinks and can be bad for you), and we needed a new freezer afterwards.

    Have you tried turning it down a little, maybe its too high.
  • The GeekThe Geek Posts: 2,698
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    Defrost it?:confused::confused:
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,631
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    Have you looked at the instructions to see if it needs a full manual defrost every so often (like once or twice a year)? That's usually recommended even with self-defrosting appliances.

    Switch it off at the mains, take everything out, place bowls of hot water inside to melt the ice. Wash everything down, and by the time you've finished that, the ice should be all melted. Switch it back on at the mains, but don't put any food back in for 30 mins to allow it to cool again first.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 9,803
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    bubbsy wrote: »
    Have you looked at the instructions to see if it needs a full manual defrost every so often (like once or twice a year)? That's usually recommended.

    Even for a frost free one?:confused: Sort of defeats the object if that's the case.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,631
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    Even for a frost free one?:confused: Sort of defeats the object if that's the case.
    I've amended my post. Ours is a self-defrosting one and it still needs a manual defrost.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,290
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    Deb Arkle wrote: »
    Chipping the ice off can be dodgy, as you may damage a pipe by mistake - switch it off and turn a hairdryer on it, half an hour or so should get the thickest ice clear. Keep a bucket handy for the water & icicles!

    PS - frost free, no such thing in my experience! :cool:


    I`ve had my " frost free freezer " for 6 yrs now and had no probs with it at all and never had to defrost it :)

    If it hadnt have lived up to its name then I would have had a good claim for them selling me a product that doesnt do what its supposed to .
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 9,803
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    I`ve had my " frost free freezer " for 6 yrs now and had no probs with it at all and never had to defrost it :)

    If it hadnt have lived up to its name then I would have had a good claim for them selling me a product that doesnt do what its supposed to .

    I was going to say I thought the point with paying more for one of these was that you didn't have to defrost it. If you buy one and still have to defrost it once or twice a year you've basically just got a normal freezer.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,290
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    bubbsy wrote: »
    Have you looked at the instructions to see if it needs a full manual defrost every so often (like once or twice a year)? That's usually recommended even with self-defrosting appliances.

    Switch it off at the mains, take everything out, place bowls of hot water inside to melt the ice. Wash everything down, and by the time you've finished that, the ice should be all melted. Switch it back on at the mains, but don't put any food back in for 30 mins to allow it to cool again first.


    Her product is " frost free " though , not self defrosting !
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,290
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    I was going to say I thought the point with paying more for one of these was that you didn't have to defrost it. If you buy one and still have to defrost it once or twice a year you've basically just got a normal freezer.

    Exactly !

    You should not have to defrost a " frost free " one , ever !
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 3,631
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    Her product is " frost free " though , not self defrosting !
    I assumed by frost-free that she meant self-defrosting because I've never heard of a "frost-free" fridge freezer. They sound one and the same. If you're going to freeze something, you're going to have ice. So it has to defrost itself to get rid of the ice to become frost free. It's just another name for the same thing surely?
  • lalalandlalaland Posts: 11,882
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    If it's a Samsung then you may have got problems on the way.

    We have a Samsung frost free unit and that started to build up a little ice in places. We were told not to worry about it, so we left it to get on with it's job.

    One day the display on the front read 14 for the fridge, which is clearly not cold enough! I opened the door and found that although the freezer was working, the fridge was dead.

    A quick look on Google found that many Samsung fridges have a serious problem or two lurking. The first is that certain models need a free safety upgrade to stop them catching fire - we'd already had that done. The second is that ice can build up in the frost free fridge (!) and cause problems behind the scenes. Something to do with a fan and draining according to the person who fixed ours, but it stops working without any warning.

    We were left with about £100 of food wasted and were without a fridge for around a week. I called Samsung and found we'd had our warranty extended because of the faults on several models, so they sent someone out to fix it for free.

    The advice given to me by the Samsung fridge engineer, about the frost free fridge, is defrost it every 12 months. I questioned this because it was meant to be frost free, but he replied to say he does his just before Christmas every year because he does many repairs like mine each month on frost free fridges and by defrosting his he's avoided the problem so far.

    If it's not a Samsung then forget most of the above, it is however worth thinking about a defrost though because frost free doesn't always appear to be what you think :D
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,478
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    Mine works continuously. It even eats the ice blocks in the freezer. I see them getting smaller and smaller.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,290
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    bubbsy wrote: »
    I assumed by frost-free that she meant self-defrosting because I've never heard of a "frost-free" fridge freezer. They sound one and the same. If you're going to freeze something, you're going to have ice. So it has to defrost itself to get rid of the ice to become frost free. It's just another name for the same thing surely?



    No ice at all with a frost free freezer !
  • U96U96 Posts: 13,937
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    Our frost-free fridge-freezer has started icing over at the bottom. It is around 2 yrs old.

    We have been given an idea of how to rectify it but my husband has not got around to looking at it yet and I am rubbish at that sort of thing.:rolleyes:

    At the moment I just keep chipping the ice off so it does not get too bad.

    What is worrying me is, could the fridge-freezer pack in if this problem is left? Or if I keep chipping the ice off will it be okay? I don't fancy forking out for a new machine this soon after buying it. We did not take any sort of warranty out on it.

    :) I wouldn't worry about it.I've got a non frost free fridge freezer.I let the ice build up for about a couple of years(till you can't get much in it due to the ice).Then i defrost it over the weekend.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,478
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    I think if mine stopped being frost free after just two years, I'd be complaining. Even though the guarantee has run out it should be expected to last longer than that and I'd be expecting them to fix it.
  • FlyinBrickFlyinBrick Posts: 1,571
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    Frost free machines are a lot more complicated than the standard affairs and therefore the chances of something going wrong are considerably higher.
    One of the most common problems is if the freezer door has been left open, even for as little as 15 minutes, they can cause a cyclic effect that leads to ice building up where it shouldn't.
    The simplest and cheapest way to see if this is the fault is to switch it off at the plug and let it slowly defrost over a 48 hour period. Do NOT use a hairdryer to defrost it as frost free refrigeration has thermal fuses in that can easily be 'popped' by using a hairdryer.

    Don't be tempted to cut short the time as any ice that is not defrosted will simple snowball again and you're back where you started very quickly.

    After the 48 hour period, clean it out and start again. If after a few weeks the ice appears again, then the defrost mechanism is at fault and you will need an engineer to look at it.
  • ianradioianianradioian Posts: 74,539
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    Frost free ones still do ice up to an extent--no freezer is immune..... as above, warm hairdryer job.....be careful !
  • FlyinBrickFlyinBrick Posts: 1,571
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    http://home.howstuffworks.com/question144.htm

    For those that need to know.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 1,065
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    Check your freezer door seal, if it's not making a proper seal all the way around then you will get frost build-up regardless if the freezer claims to be frost-free.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 9,803
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    FlyinBrick wrote: »
    Frost free machines are a lot more complicated than the standard affairs and therefore the chances of something going wrong are considerably higher.
    One of the most common problems is if the freezer door has been left open, even for as little as 15 minutes, they can cause a cyclic effect that leads to ice building up where it shouldn't.
    The simplest and cheapest way to see if this is the fault is to switch it off at the plug and let it slowly defrost over a 48 hour period. Do NOT use a hairdryer to defrost it as frost free refrigeration has thermal fuses in that can easily be 'popped' by using a hairdryer.

    Don't be tempted to cut short the time as any ice that is not defrosted will simple snowball again and you're back where you started very quickly.

    After the 48 hour period, clean it out and start again. If after a few weeks the ice appears again, then the defrost mechanism is at fault and you will need an engineer to look at it.

    I think I'll stick to a normal freezer these things sound a nightmare, least you know where you are with that.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 5,588
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    Andykel wrote: »
    Check your freezer door seal, if it's not making a proper seal all the way around then you will get frost build-up regardless if the freezer claims to be frost-free.
    this is true. the only reason why a frost free freezer would get icy, would be if the door was not shut properly, or there is a problem with the door seal.

    I have had a samsung american fridge/freezer for over 6 years, never had a problem with it with regards to ice (or any other problems). The only problem I had with it, was the glass panel on the bottom half of the fridge cracked once.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,478
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    I think I'll stick to a normal freezer these things sound a nightmare, least you know where you are with that.
    No, they're great. I used to hate all that faffing about thawing out the freezer; mopping out the ice cold water with a cloth and a bowl, with water dripping all over the floor. Ugh!

    And I don't think it costs any more to run. It uses more electricity to run in the first place but ordinary freezers gradually have to work harder as the ice builds up so I reckon it all evens out.
  • warmleatherettewarmleatherette Posts: 4,174
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    The drain is probably blocked so the defrosted water is collecting on the bottom of the fridge and freezing. look at the back wall of the fridge and find the gully, there will be a small drain hole in the middle, use something thin to poke around it to clear.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 382
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    The drain is probably blocked so the defrosted water is collecting on the bottom of the fridge and freezing. look at the back wall of the fridge and find the gully, there will be a small drain hole in the middle, use something thin to poke around it to clear.

    This is the advice that we have been given. Hubby just keeps telling me it is on his to do list.

    Our model is a hotpoint. I just worry that if my hubby does not get around to looking at it soon. We might have a bigger problem on our hands.
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