Defrosting you fridge freezer
Regular fridge freezer maintenance helps prevent breakdowns and keeps your appliance running reliably. This is the easiest type of appliance maintenance you as a consumer can do to save you hundreds of pounds in food waste and fridge repairs. Every make and style of fridge freezer from conventional, to low frost and even frost free require routinely defrosting,
Conventioal Fridge Freezers
The time frame on when to do it is the difference between each style. Conventional fridge freezers usually require two to three manual defrosts per year. Without a heater around the evaporator, warm air entering during door openings freezes quickly, causing frost to build up within 3–4 months.
Low Frost Fridge Freezers
Low-frost fridge freezers need manual defrosting at least once a year. Their pipework sits within the appliance walls, unlike conventional models where exposed shelving allows frost to form directly on stored items. As the pipes are internal this dramatically slows down the rate at which the appliance ices up meaning longer intervals between defrosts.
Do Frost Free Need Defrosting?
Frost-free fridge freezers typically require manual defrosting every 18–24 months. The evaporator is positioned behind a removable panel at the rear of the freezer cavity, and an integrated heater activates at least once every 24 hours for approximately 20 minutes to control frost accumulation.
This process removes surface frost from the evaporator. However, variations in room temperature, door usage, and appliance location can reduce its ability to fully defrost accumulated ice over time.
What We Advise..
We recommend performing a manual service defrost every 18–24 months. Although this may seem unnecessary, consider that running any appliance continuously—like a car engine left on 24/7—would lead to increased wear. As fridge freezers operate constantly, a 24-hour downtime period helps extend their lifespan and reduce the risk of failure.
- How to defrost
When you see a build up of ice, think about running your food items down, Once the appliance is empty, simply unplug the appliance and leave the doors open. It’s always good practice to leave the appliance off for 24 hrs to make sure all is clear. Do Not Leave Appliance Plugged In With The Doors Open As This Will Have The Opposite Effect And Cause Much More Frosting Up, Potentially Causing Major Issues.
- Place a towel down
Place an old towel down in front of the freezer compartment to catch any potential water coming out. This is important if you have wood flooring as you do not want water seeping into the joints and causing them to swell. - All done!
After the 24hr period the appliance should be all defrosted and ready to switch back on, do a visual check that its all clear. Switch the appliance back on. Allow 12–24 hours to reach the desired temperature. The freezer is -20⁰C and the fridge between +2⁰C and +6⁰C. After this period it is safe to restock and forget about it thil lthe next time.
Appliance repairs
One Stop Appliance Repairs are always here to help with all appliance repairs, servicing and maintenance. We aim to help and advise our customers both, over the phone with our excellent call centre staff or booking our highly trained engineers to carryout any repairs or maintenance.
It is important to maintain whitegood appliances to prevent huge expenseses if they breakdown. At least 50% of the repairs are down to poor maintenance. Visit our homepage for more information on our services, area coverage and prices. or alternativly call our office on 02922 711508 and speak to our team. Even check out our facebook page.
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