What is actually happening
Frost-free appliances have a heater that melts the ice off the evaporator several times a day and drains the water away. When that system fails, the ice grows until it blocks the airflow — and the giveaway is that defrosting fixes it for a few weeks and then it returns. Ice that keeps coming back is a fault; ice on an old-style appliance that has to be defrosted manually is not.
The Electrolux fault codes that point at this
A Electrolux fridge freezer will usually tell you what it thinks is wrong before anyone opens it up. These are the codes we hold for this make that relate to icing up:
- E01 — The fridge freezer has lost a reliable reading from the freezer's temperature sensor, so it can't tell how cold the freezer actually is.
- E02 — One of the temperature sensors inside your fridge freezer has failed or lost its connection, so the appliance can no longer read the temperature properly.
- E03 — The control board has lost a sensible reading from one of the fridge freezer's temperature sensors and has flagged it as a fault.
- E07 — The fridge freezer has decided its automatic defrost heater isn't doing its job, so the ice on the internal evaporator won't be cleared.
- E08 — The fridge freezer has detected that the electricity reaching it is too low, so it has flagged a low-voltage fault rather than risk running the compressor.
- E09 — The freezer has been warmer than -9", so the fridge is warning you it isn't cold enough.
- E10 — The fridge side has been warmer than 10°C for 20 minutes and the appliance is warning you about it.
- E11 — The fridge side is running warmer than it should, and the appliance is flagging it on the display.
If yours is showing one of those, that is a much shorter conversation than a general fault — tell us the code when you book and the engineer can often carry the part.
The usual causes on a Electrolux fridge freezer
- A failed defrost heater, thermostat or timer on a frost-free appliance
- A blocked defrost drain, so melt water refreezes rather than draining away
- A door seal letting warm moist air in
- A door left ajar, or a drawer stopping the door closing fully
What you can safely check yourself
- Note whether the ice returns within weeks of defrosting — that is the difference between a fault and normal use
- Check the drain hole at the back of the freezer floor is clear
- Check the seals grip a sheet of paper all the way round
Still icing up?
Most of these need an engineer once the checks above are done. £66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.
Our engineers work on Electrolux machines week in, week out, so they arrive knowing the machine rather than reading the back of it. Local engineers across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire.
Call 0115 648 0929 Book online — postcode and number is all we need
Common questions
Why is my Electrolux fridge freezer icing up?
Ice is building up at the back of the freezer, or around the compartment, and keeps coming back after defrosting. Frost-free appliances have a heater that melts the ice off the evaporator several times a day and drains the water away. When that system fails, the ice grows until it blocks the airflow — and the giveaway is that defrosting fixes it for a few weeks and then it returns. Ice that keeps coming back is a fault; ice on an old-style appliance that has to be defrosted manually is not.
Can I fix a Electrolux fridge freezer icing up myself?
Note whether the ice returns within weeks of defrosting — that is the difference between a fault and normal use. Check the drain hole at the back of the freezer floor is clear. Check the seals grip a sheet of paper all the way round. Beyond those checks this one normally needs an engineer.
What Electrolux error codes mean icing up?
Electrolux fridge freezers report this through their own fault codes. The ones that point at icing up are E01, E02, E03, E07, E08, E09. If your machine is showing one of those, that narrows it down considerably — each has its own guide on this site.
How much does a Electrolux fridge freezer repair cost?
£66 including VAT for an engineer to come out and diagnose it, or £84 in total including VAT if it is put right on the visit and no parts are needed. Any parts needed are quoted on site before we fit them — you decide. Every repair carries a 90-day workmanship guarantee.
Other Electrolux fridge freezer faults
- fridge not cooling
- fridge making a loud noise
- fridge leaking water inside
- fridge running constantly
- fridge freezer not cold enough
- fridge freezer not working after defrosting