Submitted by Mr_Straws t3_yf7yae in DIY

The seal on my fridge freezer combo doesn’t seem to be very good so over the last few months the freezer bit at the top is now a solid square block of ice..

It’s supposed to be around 30 degrees (c) tomorrow so I was planning on putting it outside in the sun, but not sure if that will be enough. Is there anything else I can do? I do not have a hairdryer so that’s not an option.

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c0rzaaa t1_iu25rfq wrote

Turn the power off

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SRFBoston t1_iu274rj wrote

Put a towel in there and sit a pot of boiling water on it and shut the door. Repeat until the frost is gone. Steam is the best.

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Healthy-Upstairs-286 t1_iu26bb8 wrote

Leave the doors open and put a fan aiming at it. Airflow will help melt the ice.

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brock_lee t1_iu25nhv wrote

Since you're considering putting it outside, I assume it's small? Put it in the tub/shower overnight.

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Shakespurious t1_iu2ctub wrote

Hair dryer

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ktundu t1_iu3l5nx wrote

This is the way. Do the whole job inside of half an hour.

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twohedwlf t1_iu29gl7 wrote

I don't know if I'd put it actually in the sun, but outside somewhere warm with the door open should work reasonably quickly. Assume all the other contents will be in a chillybin with ice so you can wait a day.

Faster ways, but nothing as easy. Might go out occasionally with a plastic scraper and see if you can chip some of the ice off the walls. You can sometimes pry it off the wall in big chunks.

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sfdragonboy t1_iu345ia wrote

Well, if you are around all day, how about putting hot soaking towels on the ice blocks? Swapping them as needed....

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asking--questions t1_iu4o8p2 wrote

There's no need to move it or use electricity to defrost it. You can simply turn it off and open the door. Be prepared for it to drip, and catch all the water once it starts. After some time, you'll be able to remove large pieces of ice by hand (or a plastic tool). This is a great time to wash the inside. Be sure it's reasonably dry before you turn it on again.

And make sure the seal is good, or you'll be doing this every week or two until you buy a new fridge.

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WackyBones510 t1_iu4xvke wrote

Imho warm temps typically melt ice.

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Tato7069 t1_iu25qzn wrote

Start it inside with a towel underneath, then take it outside and chip the ice.

Edit: oh, Celsius... Yeah, just take it outside, and let it melt, if it's not done by the end of the day, chip it out

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calcul8r t1_iu2mgfk wrote

Putting it in the sun is a good method. Resist the urge to chip at it with something hard - that will likely just damage the interior plastic.

Also, it’s possible that the fridge seal is not the problem. There should be a vent where cold air from the freezer enters the lower fridge area. Make sure that’s clear. Otherwise the cold air is just staying in the freezer, so you turn up the cooling to make your fridge cold and the freezer gets extra cold. If that’s what is happening then this is the time to rectify that.

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bgei952 t1_iu28t2n wrote

Get a heat gun.

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