A thick, even sheet of frost on the back wall of the freezer usually means the automatic defrost has stopped working. Frost in patches near the door or on the food usually means warm air is getting in through a door, drawer or seal. Either way, the ice keeps growing until it blocks the air and the fridge side warms up.
How auto-defrost is supposed to work
Every frost-free fridge grows a little frost on its cooling coil as it runs. Several times a day the control switches the cooling off and turns on a heater under the coil to melt it. A thermostat or sensor stops the heater once the coil is clear, and the water runs down the drain. If any part of that loop fails (heater, thermostat, sensor, timer or control), the frost never melts.
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Reading the frost
- Even white frost across the back panel or vents: the defrost system. This is the classic "there is a lot of ice on the back so there may be a defrosting" call.
- Frost near the door, on the gasket or on food at the front: warm, damp air getting in. Check the door or drawer closes fully and the seal isn't torn. LG owners often see it "between the freezer bin and the bottom of the frame" when the drawer isn't sealing.
- Ice on the freezer floor: often a frozen defrost drain, which usually goes with a defrost fault.
- Ice crystals on frozen food only: often the door being opened a lot in humid weather, or food that's been in there a long time.
What to do now
- Move food to another freezer or a cooler with ice.
- Check the door and drawer close fully. Push back anything that's blocking them.
- Don't chip at the ice with anything sharp. It's easy to puncture the coil, and that turns a defrost repair into a refrigerant repair.
- To buy time, unplug the fridge, put towels down and leave the doors open until the ice melts (LG suggests at least 24 hours for its fan codes). No hair dryer: LG warns it can damage the plastic.
Why melting it doesn't fix it
A manual defrost resets the ice, not the fault. If the heater or thermostat has failed, you'll be back to the same sheet of frost within days or weeks, and the warm fridge comes with it. The repair is finding which defrost part failed, replacing it, and checking the drain is clear.
When to call now
- The ice came back after you melted it
- The fridge side is warming up
- Water is leaking out under the front
See emergency refrigerator repair for what to do in the next hour.
Call (936) 304-3264What happens when you call
Tell us the brand and what it's doing. A technician comes out, finds the fault and gives you the price before any work starts, and you decide. More in how a repair visit works.