Why do Freezers Need Defrosting?
If you’re like most people, your fridge freezer is one of the most important appliances in your home. As well as keeping your food cold, it also helps to preserve it. That’s why it’s important to know how to properly defrost a manual fridge freezer when it starts to ice over. In this blog post, we’ll show you how to do just that.
Fridge freezers help to keep our food fresh by maintaining a constant temperature of 3-5 degrees Celsius in the fridge compartment and at least -18 degrees Celsius in the freezer section.
Over time, ice can build up on the walls of a manual defrost fridge freezer. This reduces the space available for storing food, making it less energy-efficient. Ice build-up can make it difficult for your appliance to cycle off, resulting in higher energy bills. It can also cause the fridge freezer to overwork, potentially leading to a mechanical breakdown and unpleasant smells as food particles become trapped in the ice.
Defrosting removes any ice, helping your fridge freezer to run more smoothly and reducing the risk of damage. It’s not especially difficult to defrost a fridge freezer. However, there’s more to it than simply unplugging it and removing the food. Keep reading for a full run-down of the tools and techniques involved.
How to Defrost a Fridge Freezer
While manually defrosting a fridge freezer can be a bit of a hassle, it’s important to do it regularly to keep your appliance running smoothly and efficiently. Here’s our step-by-step guide on how to do it.
Tools You’ll Need
- Cool box
- Towels
- Bowl of hot water
- Plastic scraper
- Sponge.
Step-by-Step Guide to Defrosting a Fridge Freezer
Follow these quick and easy steps to defrost your fridge freezer quickly and easily:
Step 1 – Remove Food
The first step is to remove all your food from the fridge freezer. Make sure you’ve got a cool box, and some pre-chilled freezer blocks handy to store your chilled and frozen items.
Step 2 – Turn It Off
Turn off your fridge freezer, unplug it, and prop the door(s) open. Place towels on the floor around the base to soak up escaping moisture. If your appliance has a drainage hose, angle it into a bucket to catch meltwater.
Step 3 – Be Proactive
To speed up the defrosting process, you could use a plastic scraper to carefully chip away at the ice. A bowl of hot water placed on the bottom shelf will also speed things up. Remember to refresh the hot water regularly.
Step 4 – Wipe Surfaces
Once the ice has melted, it’s important to dry the interior with a sponge before replacing the food. This helps to prevent condensation from forming, which can cause more ice to build up.
Step 5 – Check the Seal
Check that the door seal is in good working order. If it isn’t sealing properly, air can get inside, freeze, and repeat the cycle of ice build-up. If your seal is faulty, call in an engineer.
Step 6 – Restore Order
If you’ve taken the opportunity to wipe down any shelves, put them back in their place and return all your food items. Your fridge freezer should now be fully functional once more.
How Long Does a Fridge Freezer Take to Defrost?
It can take two to 24 hours for a fridge freezer to defrost. It all depends on the thickness of the ice. The thicker it is, the longer the process will take. So plan ahead to ensure you can be at home to oversee the whole process and have enough towels for the job. If you don’t have a cool box big enough to store all your food and drink, ask friends, family or neighbours if they can spare some space.
How Often Should You Defrost a Freezer?
How often you defrost your fridge freezer depends on the type of manual defrost model you have and how frequently it builds up an ice layer. Be sure to keep an eye on it to spot any early signs of frost. That way, you can defrost your appliance quickly before it becomes an all-day job. As a rule of thumb, aim to defrost your fridge freezer once or twice annually. Or when the ice build-up reaches about a quarter of an inch in thickness.
Buy an Auto-Defrost Fridge Freezer from Reliant
Now that you know how to defrost a fridge freezer, you might think it all sounds like a bit of a faff. And you’d be right! We’re sure you’ll agree there are plenty of better things you could be doing with your life! So why not invest in a frost-free fridge freezer that defrosts itself? Here at Reliant, we’ve got a huge array of auto-defrost fridge freezers – from big-name brands like Bosch, Hotpoint, Samsung and LG – at unbeatable prices.
Shop our great value freestanding, integrated and American fridge freezers today and forget having to defrost your appliance ever again. Save time, hassle and money on your energy bills with an efficient fridge freezer from Reliant. For more information about our frost-free fridge freezers or help with your order, please contact the Reliant customer service team today.
