Refrigerators with a modern No Frost auto-defrosting system greatly facilitate the operation process, but do not free the owner from carrying out hygiene measures.
Defrosting your refrigerator will keep the compartments clean and at the same time extend the life of the device. This material is devoted to the nuances of defrosting LG refrigerators, which are in great demand among customers.
How to properly clean a refrigerator?
Wash the removed parts with water and dish soap; wash interior surfaces with water and vinegar (or baking soda); Place a napkin or kitchen towel on the bottom of the refrigerator to absorb any water that drips during washing. Reinstall all washed and dried elements.
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General recommendations
The main thing in defrosting a refrigerator is not just to free it from frost, but to defrost it so that the process does not harm the device. Follow these recommendations:
- Carefully read the instructions for the device. All operating rules, including defrosting, must be indicated there.
- Do not defrost in hot weather. A large temperature difference between the outside and inside the chamber can be an overwhelming test for the compressor.
- Connect the device to the network no earlier than 12 hours after disconnecting. When turned off, the refrigerator condenser takes time to release pressure. If, after turning off the refrigerator, you immediately turn it on, the pressure will rise sharply, the engine will receive too much load and may fail.
If you are the happy owner of a two-chamber LG refrigerator, you can defrost the parts independently. First, unplug and wash the freezer, and then clean the refrigerator.
Advantages and disadvantages of No Frost
The advantages of the system include:
- When used correctly, refrigerators with this technology ensure frost-free operation, so you need to defrost a No Frost refrigerator much less frequently than similar models with manual or drip defrosting.
- Due to the uniform temperature distribution inside the chamber, high quality freezing is ensured on all shelves.
- Another advantage is the ability to quickly restore the set temperature after loading a large number of products into the chamber. The packaging of the products does not freeze together.
- To ensure that greens and berries remain fresh for a long time, most refrigerators of this type have special compartments for storing them, where the temperature is maintained at 0C.
The disadvantages include:
- Dehydration of stored foods, but if you store them in airtight containers or wrap them in film, this will not happen.
- Since space is allocated for the system, No Frost refrigerators have 20% less chamber volume than similar models of other types.
- When the fan and compressor operate simultaneously, the noise level is high. However, manufacturers claim that the latest models operate virtually silently.
- Additional electricity is consumed to operate the fan.
- The cost is higher than that of drip analogues. But if you choose models from a line of the same level, the difference will not exceed 7 - 12%.
- Installed fans and automation that are prone to breakdowns reduce reliability. However, even if the system fails, the unit, even if not at full capacity, will continue to work, waiting for the breakdown to be repaired.
A little theory about modern refrigeration technologies
Modern refrigerators, which, according to manufacturers, do not need to be defrosted at all, operate on the same principle.
- Inside the refrigerator, a small fan rotates constantly to ensure uniform cooling of all the air inside the refrigerator. Frost from moist air that enters the unit every time the door is opened does not form over the entire surface of the wall, but only in a few limited places. While the compressor is idle, this frost has time to melt. The water flows into a special tray above the compressor. As soon as it starts working, the heat generated causes the water to evaporate. This is how frost constantly disappears from the refrigerator. And the technology for permanently removing it is called no frost;
- It turned out that the price for constantly removing frost (frost) is increased noise and energy consumption of the refrigerator (the fan is constantly spinning!). Therefore, they learned to ventilate the freezer compartment statically, without using ventilation. Forced ventilation remained only in the freezer to get rid of frost (frost). This development of no frost technology is called frost free.
Where to store food?
During winter defrosting, the problem of preserving food is easy to solve - provisions are taken out to the balcony, loggia or veranda, where the temperature remains low . In summer, it is better to try to defrost at a time when there is a minimum amount of food in the refrigerator.
Frozen meat and semi-finished products are well preserved in an enamel basin, covered with a thick towel or padding polyester blanket. The basin is placed in the bathroom or room where the temperature is lowest.
A good solution is to use a spacious cooler bag. Perishable, non-frozen foods can be placed here. Another option is to place the provisions in sealed plastic bags and submerge them in a bathtub of cold water and ice.
Ways to speed up
You can speed up freezing using proven “folk” methods:
- turn on the fan or fan heater, directing a stream of air into the chamber;
- place a wide saucepan or bowl of hot water in the chamber;
- use a hand-held hair dryer;
- place several heating pads or bottles filled with hot water in the chambers;
- Spray the inside walls of the refrigerator with a spray bottle of hot water.
But LG refrigerator manufacturers recommend not to experiment, but to wait for the natural thawing of frost. This way you will keep your device intact and will be able to enjoy its uninterrupted operation for a long time.
Do you speed up the defrosting of your refrigerator?
Not really
About
Defrosting process
It is better to defrost the device in cool weather . If the refrigerator requires maintenance in hot weather, it is better to move the cleaning to the evening so that in the morning you can turn on the device to the network. Let's consider the process of defrosting a refrigerator with a common cooling circuit - from preparation to start-up.
Preparatory stage
Step by step guide:
- Disconnect the refrigerator from the power supply - remove the plug from the socket carefully, do not yank or pull on it. The plug is considered a weak point in the device and quickly fails.
- Open the cell doors wide and empty them of all provisions. Remove all contents of trays, vegetable storage boxes, all jars, bags and frozen semi-finished products.
- Sort through your food - discard rotten fruits and vegetables, expired foods, and rotten dishes.
- Remove removable parts - trays, boxes with lids, shelves and grids.
- Move jars, shelves and trays closer to the water tap - they will have to be washed thoroughly.
- Place a fabric on a natural basis at the bottom of the chambers, which will absorb melt water.
- Move the refrigerator as far away from the wall as possible to gain access to the rear of the cabinet.
Soak the shelves and containers removed from the chambers in a large basin in a soapy solution (washing powder, dish gel, laundry soap shavings). After a couple of hours, stubborn dirt will easily come off plastic and glass surfaces.
How to defrost?
The instructions for LG refrigerators indicate that the unit requires two days to completely defrost . During this time, the frost will have time to melt even in the farthest corners of the chamber. In practice, such a recommendation is difficult to implement, so housewives try to keep it within 12 hours, while it usually takes about 3 hours to thaw the main crust. We covered this topic in more detail in this article.
The refrigerator will defrost on its own. Your task is to simultaneously clean the chambers of accumulated dirt:
- Prepare a baking soda solution from a liter of water and 3 large spoons of baking soda.
- Dipping cotton swabs into the solution, clean the ventilation holes in both chambers of the unit (only if your refrigerator supports wind defrosting).
- Dip a soft cloth or sponge into the same solution and wipe all internal surfaces of the chamber, touching the farthest corners.
- Wash the rubber seals with a soda solution or a toothbrush and toothpaste.
- Treat the outer surface of the device with any non-abrasive household chemical to avoid scratching the coating.
- Clean the rear outer wall with a brush or remove dust with a vacuum cleaner.
- Carefully soak up all melt water and, if possible, treat the interior surfaces of the chamber with an antibacterial spray.
Before turning on the refrigerator, you need to wipe it dry, otherwise the slightest drops of moisture will provoke the rapid formation of condensation.
Final stage
Only a completely dry refrigerator with washed and dried components is allowed to be connected to the network. Shelves, trays and containers are placed in their places; you can leave the doors open for another couple of hours so that all odors disappear and moisture leaves.
Make sure all food bags are clean and that jars are not left wet after washing. Load the refrigerator and freezer compartments with food and close the doors tightly. Now you can connect the unit to the network.
Everything is almost ready
- To do this, use warm water with the addition of grated baby soap or a soda solution (a tablespoon per liter of water).
- You can also use a special refrigerator cleaner.
- To get rid of unpleasant odors in the freezer and refrigerator, a solution of ammonia in warm water (a tablespoon per liter of water) is suitable.
- The washed refrigerator should be wiped dry with clean, soft cloths.
Now you know how to quickly defrost a refrigerator, saving your time and energy. The advice applies to both devices using no frost technology (no frost, frost free, de frost) and relatively old refrigeration equipment.
Should I defrost or not?
It is a mistaken belief that refrigeration units equipped with an automatic defrosting function do not require special care. Refrigerators with a No Frost system need to be defrosted for the following reasons:
- All products contain moisture, which is released into the environment. This is especially true for liquid dishes, drinks, vegetables and fruits. Liquid particles settle on the walls and freeze, forming ice.
- The refrigerator defrosts but does not clean automatically. Sometimes it is necessary to remove dirt that has accumulated on the walls and shelves. This helps to avoid the proliferation of pathogenic microorganisms and the appearance of unpleasant odors.
- When the compressor is turned off, condensation forms on the walls, which must be discharged through gutters. These elements can become clogged, causing liquid to accumulate in the refrigerator.
Defrost types
There are several ways to get rid of ice on the walls of the refrigerator. Each of them has its own characteristic features.
Manual
Without human intervention, the ice will not melt on its own. You need to wait until the thawed water collects in a special tray. The event involves the following actions:
- it is necessary to disconnect the unit from the network;
- free all space from shelves and products;
- open the door;
- then all surfaces should be washed;
- wipe all walls dry;
- Reconnect the unit to the power supply.
Bosch is considered a popular and reliable company. For the refrigerator compartment, only automatic drip or “No Frost” defrosting mode is used. The freezer defrosting system in Bosch refrigerators can be manual or automatic.
Semi-automatic
Models of household appliances with semi-automatic defrosting mode require human intervention:
- To start the ice defrosting process, you need to press the special defrosting mode button.
- Then the frost slowly melts.
- As soon as the ice has completely melted, operation of the refrigerator resumes automatically.
Automatic
Automatic defrosting saves time and effort. A thin layer of ice forms on the walls of the refrigerator and begins to evaporate in the form of condensation.
Water passes down the back wall through special channels and collects in a tray. Many models with an automatic defrosting system are produced by LG.
