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 Leisure fault codes that point at this
A Leisure 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 the reading from the sensor that watches the freezer's defrost heater, so it can no longer tell when the ice has cleared.
- E02 — The temperature sensor on the fridge side's evaporator has stopped giving a sensible reading, so the appliance has switched to a basic timed cooling pattern instead.
- E03 — The control board has lost a sensible reading from a temperature sensor on the fridge side, so it can no longer measure that compartment properly.
- E04 — The automatic defrost heater isn't clearing the frost off the freezer's evaporator in the time it should, so the control board has flagged it as a heater fault.
- E08 — The temperature sensor for the ice maker has failed, so the ice maker has been shut down — the fridge and freezer themselves carry on cooling.
- E09 — The fridge freezer can't detect its automatic ice maker, so it has flagged an ice maker fault — everything else carries on working.
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 Leisure 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 Leisure 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 Leisure 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 Leisure 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 Leisure error codes mean icing up?
Leisure 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 Leisure 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 Leisure 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