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 Grundig fault codes that point at this
A Grundig 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 sensible reading from the sensor that watches the freezer's evaporator — the cold-producing coil hidden behind the back wall of the freezer — so it can no longer tell when that coil needs defrosting.
- E02 — The fridge section's evaporator temperature sensor is giving a reading the control board won't accept, so the appliance has flagged a sensor fault rather than a cooling fault.
- E03 — The fridge section's air temperature sensor is no longer giving the control board a sensible reading, so the appliance has flagged a fault rather than trusting it.
- E04 — The freezer's automatic defrost heater isn't doing its job, so ice is building up on the evaporator instead of being melted away.
- E08 — The control board has lost a sensible reading from the temperature sensor in the ice maker compartment, so it has flagged a fault and stopped trusting that part of the system.
- E09 — The automatic ice maker's motor isn't turning as the control board expects, so the fridge has flagged a fault with the ice-making mechanism rather than with the cooling itself.
- E10 — The fridge freezer has lost a reliable reading from the air temperature sensor in its third, convertible compartment, so it can no longer control the temperature in that zone properly.
- E11 — The fridge freezer has lost a sensible reading from the temperature sensor on the evaporator (the cooling coil) serving the flexible-zone compartment, so it can no longer control cooling or defrost in that section properly.
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 Grundig 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 Grundig 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 Grundig 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 Grundig 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 Grundig error codes mean icing up?
Grundig fridge freezers report this through their own fault codes. The ones that point at icing up are E01, E02, E03, E04, 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 Grundig 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 Grundig 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