Super helpful! I defrosted my fridge in my work office! Had a beach towel and bowl to collect the melting water. Also realized I had my fridge set to 7 (the highest setting). Once the ice melted enough for me to take the large chunks out (it was huge!). I did as you (and the manual you read) suggested and set my fridge to 4. Its running great and keeping my things cold. Thanks for the tutorial!
Oh man thank you for this video, wife and I had a mini fridge in our room for drinks n such and I tried beating the ice out the freezer with a hammer lmao I busted the coolant hose or whatever was in there. Just recently got a new mini fridge and decided it was time I looked up how to properly defrost it lol thanks again for the video!
Sorry to hear that the first fridge went down in a tough fashion, but appreciate you letting me know the video was helpful and good call on not taking a hammer to it for the new one! Appreciate your comment and thanks for watching! - DIYNate
My ice was so thick that I unplugged it, set it to zero and took it outside. I used not hot but warm water to start the melting. It helped. Big pieces came off as I tapped at it. I don't have a manual so I hope this little frig will survive my method of getting the ice out. Next time I will be more patient and let it melt naturally. I put the ice in the garden bed. Thanks for the video.
That makes sense to me - it can be a bit of a wait so hot water or (carefully) a hair dryer or heat gun could do the trick as well. They caution on tapping the insides for fear of puncturing some of the cooling parts but if you are careful, shouldn’t be a problem. Thanks for your comment and for watching! - DIYNate
After years of practice, I emptied the fridge, unplugged it, set out a boat load of towels, and went to bed. When I woke up, I’ve was gone, with just some wet towels. Plugged it back in,,,, boom easy.
If you have soaking wet towels, DO NOT THROW THEM IN THE DRYER. Hang them outside or put them in the washer first. Driers aren't meant to handle large amounts of water, and it will burn out the motor from the effort. Ask me how I know. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Good call on not throwing a heaping pile of wet into a dryer for it to do all the work - wringing them out or letting them dry ahead of a time is a good idea! Hopefully, your ice from your minifridge doesn't create that much water but it certainly could and when in doubt, best to not make your dryer do too much work! Thanks for sharing, Bill! - DIYNate
Take no offense lol! The kid renting a room from me was over loading the washer. It was able to spin everything out. He then put the heavy clothes in the dryer 😳 He understands now, but 😬 it’s awesome I happened in when I did!
Thank you for this! I lived in my university residence and had a mini fridge I needed to move out at the end of the year, and I was worried about defrosting the ice until I saw your video. Thanks again for the video!
Awesome - you are very welcome! Thanks very much for commenting and letting me know it was helpful! I figured there are a lot of people with this situation who aren’t exactly sure what to do so glad to know it was useful! Best, DIYNate
@@DIYNate Absolutely! Also, I'd like to give an update. I followed the steps in your video and it worked perfectly fine for me without any problems! You the real one, hope you get more subscribers!
Awesome - love hearing it worked for you, and thanks for encouraging me on this UA-cam journey! It has been a fun and challenging experience! Best, DIYNate
Love this - haha! When I first read the comment, I thought you were giving me a hard time for buying the Stones, but now, I realize you said 'other person' so looks like we are family in the Keystone camp - quality cheap beer that drinks easily - haha! Stay tuned for a future video when I show my life hack for mixing Keystone with an IPA for a perfect blend of not too watery, not too hoppy. Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching! - DIYNate
Took me going through two mini fridges before I finally decided to not be an idiot and look this up. Also I checked your list of minis out and although I had already ordered one, I was glad to see it was actually one on your list. Two days and I get a Frigidaire and this time, no using stuff to bash and break the ice.
Good call - let’s see if we can keep you from having to get another one - haha! Thanks for letting me know in the comments and good luck with the new fridge purchase! - DIYNate
You got it - happy to help and just ended out defrosting one for my parents with the same method since they are moving into a new home that someone left an iced up mini-fridge behind for them. Hope yours is running smooth now! - DIYNate
So glad I found this video, I was going to grab my hammer and my big flat head screw driver and try to chip it out but I saw someone else’s comment about using the hammer and figured this would be safer. Originally wanted to take it outside and let it thaw into the dirt but it’s currently January and -20 outside 😂
We have one in our office. When the ice accumulates like yours, we let it sit in the loading dock (you could do it in your backyard) propped open and tilted forward over the weekend. Usually dry by Monday morning...
For sure - if you aren’t in a hurry, letting it naturally melt and drain is a great fix! Just did the same with one on my in-law’s boat dock that had an ice brick in it and just drained it after letting it melt in the hot temperatures. Thanks for the comment - good suggestion! - DIYNate
Hey Jen - I haven't found a solution on that question but certainly welcome anyone reading the comments to include their answer on this thread or in the general comments. Would be great to know if something like olive oil, cooking spray or something similar would keep it from freezing over - haha! Please let me know if you do find a solve as well! - DIYNate
Just got myself a koolatron mini fridge with a defrost button and the instructions confuses me. It says to unplug when defrosting to avoid a electrical shock but says press the defrost button in the middle of the temperature control knob and the fridge will begin to defrost. When the defrosting has ended, the thermostat will switch on automatically, and the fridge will start working again. Like how would i need to press the defrost button if i need to unplug the fridge? I don't know if its just bad English but I just want to make sure because I don't want to screw up my fridge.
Hmm... Not really sure but does sound like bad english or poorly thought out process. I would probably just unplug and manually defrost. It may be that they also have more of an automatic defrost, but I think if you unplug it without pressing the button, leave the door opoen, soak up the water, then turn back ojn, you will be good to go. Good luck! - DIYNate
Haha - well, that calf has always been one of my top performers as far as calves go. Thanks for making me laugh and the comment! I am working on my video quality but have a ways to go. - DIYNate
It’s really hot outside right now in Tennessee so I think I’m just going to my mini fridge outside for a couple days. I made a big mistake with my last one and started using a tool. I hit the fridge line and that was that! Both were was $25.00 at yard sales so this time I won’t make that mistake again!
Good call - that TN heat should melt that ice right out and lesson learned certainly on using a tool to chisel it out. I definitely understand the instinct though as it seems like common sense. Thanks for your comment! - DIYNate
@@DIYNate Thanks! It works in fact I just bought it back into a few minutes ago. It didn’t have a drop of water left and turned back on. I hope it still works!
Put hot water in bowls inside the fridge (heat rises and will melt the block). After a half hour, open the door and the block should come out in big pieces. Easy, less cleanup, and fast...
Not a bad call to do that as well - good thought! Appreciate you commenting and I am sure others who read this may also see this idea and consider trying that out. Thanks for adding this! - DIYNate
Really, you are probably going to need to move fast, or you could pack a cooler, put your food in it while you defrost your fridge, then move it back. It is a bit tricky to defrost a fridge while you have food you want to save, but having a secondary location for the food temporarily is probably your best bet. Heat gun, hair dryer, hot pot of water, etc. can help speed up the process if you need to go fast. Thanks for the comment / question! - DIYNate
What’re some signs that you punctured refrigerant tubing? I made the mistake of using a metal instrument to get off the ice and turned my setting to four but I also accidentally it that metal wire that’s underneath the freezer today and now hours later it’s making a weird gargling/water dripping noise… worried my mini fridge might blow up lol
Hey there - sorry for the slow reply! I am guessing you punctured the refrigerant area and not sure if that did permanent damage or not. Honestly, I haven't checked into how to fix that but my first step would be to google (I would be thinking of a quick patch solve like some type of hardening putty/glue/solder but there may be a lot of safety reasons to not go that route (by no means am I qualified to weigh in on that type of repair). Hope you were able to get it repaired or replaced and it is now cooling for you. Good luck! - DIYNate
Haha - well, eventually, I did respond (although I wouldn't take it as expert advice - lol). Sorry for my slow response but appreciate you making me laugh! Thanks for the comment! - DIYNate
Just moved into a tiny apartment, fridge was so frozen over I couldn’t even open the flap as the layer of ice was so thick it was blocking it from behind. Couldn’t even fit anything inside of it either. It was like yours on the left side of the freezer except mine was about 1/2 inch thicker and covered up the whole right side too where the dial is. Lol no idea how old this fridge is but I could tell it was never defrosted.
Hopefully, it acts like a new fridge after you defrost it - haha! Sounds like it may take a little while for the ice to melt but that should be a big help going forward. Good luck! - DIYNate
I did mine today it's a tiny one but I had a fat hunk of ice in it let it melt for a moment and just poked at the ice GENTLY!!!! and it came off. Imma do that the next time that happens again or if it's getting humid again.
The issue with those things is an inherent design flaw, because moisture from the non-frozen section is allowed to go into the freezer zone. If it had separate compartments like the full size refrigerators have, then this kind of thing would be somewhat rare. Other than that, the utility of the appliance is nice. Just would be better if the companies making them didn't cheap out on some things.
Good comment there - thanks for sharing your thoughts. It does seem to be a pretty common situation most of us face in the life of a mini-fridge regardless of brand! Best, DIYNate
Hi - thanks for the comment! Yes - it is probably a good idea to unplug since dealing with electricity and melted ice becomes water. The 0 cooling setting should essentially be the off setting as well, but probably wise to go ahead and unplug the fridge as an additional caution and to make sure there is no additional cooling happening to speed up the process. - DIYNate
Unfortunately, I am not really sure what the hole type is that may have been poked. Good luck with a repair but not sure if that is something that can be fixed or not. Maybe some type of JB weld or some other patching / glue / solder, but I am certainly not qualified to diagnose that repair or situation. Good luck on the fix or replacement! - DIYNate
Nate, I Have an Igloo Mini Frig FR100/FR115/FR180. I Want to Disconnect My Freezer Compartment Only. It’s Useless and I No Longer Us it. How Can I Just Disconnect the Freezer Compartment Only? Thanks Nate
My best advice on that would be to try and contact the manufacturer and check the manual / specs to see if the freezer compartment can be disconnected. Often, the cooling components are routed through the freezer area and meant to be part of the system (at least from what I can tell). The manufacturer (or other people trying this on Google / UA-cam) may be your best bet to finding out if it is feasible or if you will jeopardize your fridge by making the modification. Good luck and best wishes! - DIYNate
Hi, my friend said that it's not safe to keep meat/chicken in the freezer part of the mini-fridge for more than 5 days because they're not sealed well. Is that true?
Not sure about that. Seems like it would be as effective as any other freezer to me so long as the freezer isn’t fluctuating between freezing and significantly below freezing. You could check with the manufacturer for their opinion. A seal issue would be a problem in most freezers - allowing things to dethaw and freeze again.
hi there brother...just helped a friend defrost their bar fridge. under the freezer compartment, I removed the tray and a cooling wire with a clip on part fell out. Does it go under the freezing compartment or does it sit on the tray under the freezer?
Hello Arnold - hate to say it but I am not too familiar with the clip you are mentioning. My hunch is the wire / clip probably do not go in the tray since that is probably there to collect defrost water and electrical with water is not a good idea. Just a guess though. Good luck! - DIYNate
thanks a lot bro. i managed to fix the problem. it was just a loose clip wire that is connected to the freezing pipes for the freezer. much appreciated. cheers man.
Hey was setting 4 cold enough for your beer? I got my mini fridge (different brand) cranked all the way up as you did , this makes me think I would be OK at a lower setting. What do you think?
Hey Dan - yea, I think my beer is still pretty cold at the middle setting but I do love a frigid beer as well so that is probably a tricky one depending how cold you like it. Might be worth testing it out and if you opt to keep it at the coldest setting, just be prepared to thaw more often. Best of luck! - DIYNate
@@DIYNate I ended up buying a thermometer and sticking it in the warmest part of the fridge and use it for reference, I'm also keeping it at 4 like you did and then on the weekends I crank it up a bit if I know I am having a few beers. Thanks for your reply
Haha - well, if you actually want that kind of ice buildup in your mini-fridge freezer, you could crank the fridge to its highest setting and see if you can get that kind of buildup, but I believe the manufacturers will tell you to keep it below 1/4 of an inch. If you are wanting a way to make some ice in your freezer then you could try a variation of this video: ua-cam.com/video/5UcoGicexvQ/v-deo.html Thanks for the comment and good luck!
Just earlier I unplugged my mini fridge, not thinking much abt it, it also had a huge ice block right at the back. Fast forward 5 hours, it’s like 12, I’m ready to call it a night since I’m super tired, and I’m like “oh! I should check my fridge” and it’s leaking all over the floor, also I haven’t kept anything in this fridge for like a few months, but then I had to find a bunch of towels, and there also was a bunch of just hardest soy sauce (from a bottle that cracked) and so soy sauce water was coming out from everywhere and the table my mini fridge was on was soaked. I decided to just put it in the bathtub. I really worried it’s broken, even though it still works fine when I turn it on (I overthink a lot) will it be broken? I need some help idk wha5 do do🤷🏻♀️😭
Sorry to hear about the mess! It sounds like your fridge needed a defrost and that would explain all the water. Once you have dried it out and cleaned it up, it should work much better for you. Ideally, you want to keep it upright during the drying out process with towels and taking chunks of ice out. Good luck and hope this helps! - DIYNate
My ice is literally taking up the entire freezer like 6 inches thick from corner to corner lol it's winter here in Canada so this is gonna take a long time lol
Sounds like quite a buildup! Hopefully you were able to get it to defrost - I imagine outdoors in Canada would not work very well - haha! Good luck with the fix! - DIYNate
@@kennethdzengedza8978 Funny enough i've been living without a freezer for the past weeks. Its okay for now but once we get to April things are different loll
Omg lmfao, my mini fridge's freezer takes up most of the fridge right now. It has a monstrous glacier to nearly the top. I found out the seal is coming off, it would be awesome if you had a DIY for fixing the seal since I'm too pour to just replace the friggin thing
I think that cord has electrical wires running to the freezer compartment (best guess). At first, I wondered if it was a drain line but don’t think that is it since the MFG made it sound like the fridge doesn’t have a drain by default (even though it has a drain port in the back).
Hey there - you may want to avoid this method since if you aren’t super careful you can pick a hole in the freezer coils / tubing. I was certainly thinking of using a knife or pick myself but then thought better of it after doing a bit of manual reading and research. Hope it turned out ok for you!
Hey Kim - for reference, with mine, I took it down from a 7 to setting 4 (manufacturer's recommended setting from what I could tell). I did find the following article that gives some ideas around the door seals, spacing, and a variety of other troubleshooting tips if it keeps freezing up on you - workshopedia.com/ice-building-up-in-mini-fridge/. Good luck with the troubleshooting and thanks for the comment! - DIYNate
Yep - that sounds like it. Could be that by lifting up the bottom front of the fridge to tilt a little bit backwards (sometimes they have adjustable casters) that can make it close better. Tightening the hinge screws could help as well. Hope you get it solved but sounds like you know the root cause now as well!
Good suggestion there, Robert! I just de-iced my in-laws outdoor / shed mini-fridge and the 95 degree temperature did the trick in no time - haha! Appreciate the comment! - DIYNate
Good call there - I think when I used a towel, it was more of a junk towel than a nice towel, so it may be more that it is a towel used for handy projects and not a nicer bath towel. But your point is valid - if a nice towel, wash it so it is nice and clean - haha! - DIYNate
Good call - no reason to risk letting your beers possibly get skunky or be warm / Room temp when you crack one. Good way to make use of the ice chunks! Appreciate the comment! - DIYNate
You would think I would just drink them, right - haha! I don't really remember if I took them out or just put a towel over / around them, but probably best to clear out your stuff before melting it down. Thanks for your comment! - DIYNate
Thanks for the comment, Anthony! Sorry about the excessive leg footage - working on improving my video quality. Really appreciate the feedback and you watching. - DIYNate
Great call on being careful and not scraping or using a sharp object to chip away built up ice - risk of damaging the line is certainly real! Thanks for sharing and the comment! - DIYNate
Depending on your mini-fridge size, the freezer space may accommodate for ice cream in there (or cut the box / container size down some). You may have to play with the temperature dial to get the freezer setting to keep the frozen ice cream frozen. I am not sure if ice cream is recommended in the freezer area of a mini-fridge though. Good luck! - DIYNate
I could see that - hair dryer on steroids - haha! I probably wouldn't include that in my video for fear someone may set their house or fridge on fire (for those not sure when reading this, a bernzomatic is a propane torch). Appreciate the comment, your honesty, and you putting a smile on my face! - DIYNate
Haha - that made me laugh for sure! Not a frozen rat but whiskey stones that had enough ice and a bag frozen around them to look like a rat I guess! Thanks for your comment - hope the video was helpful! - DIYNate
Yes - that would certainly help get the melting started and going! Thanks for adding the thought for other people to check out in the comments! Best, DIYNate
A good practice is to put a couple towels in the fridge while the door is open and one on the floor where any excess would come out. Then, set a timer (say an hour) and check to see if you can remove some of the chunks. Keep doing that until it is all cleared out and dry the fridge out and you are ready to start it back up. Hope that helps! - DIYNate
Apologies for my leg being in the way - I am working on getting better footage and producing better content as I put more videos out. Your feedback is appreciated and helps me know where to improve. Hope you got your fridge defrosted! - DIYNate
Haha - thanks for making me laugh on the leg comment - definitely understand. Working on making better videos going forward, but appreciate you watching. Take care! - DIYNate
Apologies if this video was a bit boring for you (I think that is what I am interpreting from your comment). Always appreciate feedback - helps me create better content in the future! - DIYNate
Super helpful! I defrosted my fridge in my work office! Had a beach towel and bowl to collect the melting water. Also realized I had my fridge set to 7 (the highest setting). Once the ice melted enough for me to take the large chunks out (it was huge!). I did as you (and the manual you read) suggested and set my fridge to 4. Its running great and keeping my things cold. Thanks for the tutorial!
Great to hear the video was helpful and appreciate your comment! Thanks for letting me know!
- DIYNate
Oh man thank you for this video, wife and I had a mini fridge in our room for drinks n such and I tried beating the ice out the freezer with a hammer lmao I busted the coolant hose or whatever was in there. Just recently got a new mini fridge and decided it was time I looked up how to properly defrost it lol thanks again for the video!
Sorry to hear that the first fridge went down in a tough fashion, but appreciate you letting me know the video was helpful and good call on not taking a hammer to it for the new one! Appreciate your comment and thanks for watching!
- DIYNate
My ice was so thick that I unplugged it, set it to zero and took it outside. I used not hot but warm water to start the melting. It helped. Big pieces came off as I tapped at it. I don't have a manual so I hope this little frig will survive my method of getting the ice out. Next time I will be more patient and let it melt naturally. I put the ice in the garden bed. Thanks for the video.
That makes sense to me - it can be a bit of a wait so hot water or (carefully) a hair dryer or heat gun could do the trick as well. They caution on tapping the insides for fear of puncturing some of the cooling parts but if you are careful, shouldn’t be a problem. Thanks for your comment and for watching!
- DIYNate
After years of practice, I emptied the fridge, unplugged it, set out a boat load of towels, and went to bed. When I woke up, I’ve was gone, with just some wet towels. Plugged it back in,,,, boom easy.
Great to hear the de-thaw worked well for you and you are back in business! Thanks for your comment and for watching the video!
- DIYNate
If you have soaking wet towels, DO NOT THROW THEM IN THE DRYER. Hang them outside or put them in the washer first. Driers aren't meant to handle large amounts of water, and it will burn out the motor from the effort. Ask me how I know. 🤣😂🤣😂🤣
Good call on not throwing a heaping pile of wet into a dryer for it to do all the work - wringing them out or letting them dry ahead of a time is a good idea! Hopefully, your ice from your minifridge doesn't create that much water but it certainly could and when in doubt, best to not make your dryer do too much work! Thanks for sharing, Bill!
- DIYNate
@@DIYNate Not likely, but just in case!
Just wring out the towels before placing in dryer and they should dry nicely in the dryer.
Ask me how I know ?
…cuz I’m SMART !
😂
Take no offense lol! The kid renting a room from me was over loading the washer. It was able to spin everything out. He then put the heavy clothes in the dryer 😳 He understands now, but 😬 it’s awesome I happened in when I did!
Thanks for this lol. Was minutes away from doing this
Thank you for this! I lived in my university residence and had a mini fridge I needed to move out at the end of the year, and I was worried about defrosting the ice until I saw your video. Thanks again for the video!
Awesome - you are very welcome! Thanks very much for commenting and letting me know it was helpful! I figured there are a lot of people with this situation who aren’t exactly sure what to do so glad to know it was useful!
Best,
DIYNate
@@DIYNate Absolutely! Also, I'd like to give an update. I followed the steps in your video and it worked perfectly fine for me without any problems! You the real one, hope you get more subscribers!
Awesome - love hearing it worked for you, and thanks for encouraging me on this UA-cam journey! It has been a fun and challenging experience!
Best,
DIYNate
Your the only other person I know that buy’s THE STONES! Cheers! 🍻
Love this - haha! When I first read the comment, I thought you were giving me a hard time for buying the Stones, but now, I realize you said 'other person' so looks like we are family in the Keystone camp - quality cheap beer that drinks easily - haha! Stay tuned for a future video when I show my life hack for mixing Keystone with an IPA for a perfect blend of not too watery, not too hoppy.
Appreciate the comment and thanks for watching!
- DIYNate
Took me going through two mini fridges before I finally decided to not be an idiot and look this up. Also I checked your list of minis out and although I had already ordered one, I was glad to see it was actually one on your list. Two days and I get a Frigidaire and this time, no using stuff to bash and break the ice.
Good call - let’s see if we can keep you from having to get another one - haha! Thanks for letting me know in the comments and good luck with the new fridge purchase!
- DIYNate
Thanks so much for this! You seem so sweet and laid back! I'm defrosting as I type lol
You got it - happy to help and just ended out defrosting one for my parents with the same method since they are moving into a new home that someone left an iced up mini-fridge behind for them. Hope yours is running smooth now!
- DIYNate
Thanks for teaching us how to melt ice. Who knew?
Very welcome - one of those hard to acquire skills - haha! Thanks for the comment and giving me a chuckle!
- DIYNate
So glad I found this video, I was going to grab my hammer and my big flat head screw driver and try to chip it out but I saw someone else’s comment about using the hammer and figured this would be safer.
Originally wanted to take it outside and let it thaw into the dirt but it’s currently January and -20 outside 😂
Yea - these temperatures this winter are making this an indoor project - haha! Happy to help and thanks for your comment!
- DIYNate
We have one in our office. When the ice accumulates like yours, we let it sit in the loading dock (you could do it in your backyard) propped open and tilted forward over the weekend. Usually dry by Monday morning...
For sure - if you aren’t in a hurry, letting it naturally melt and drain is a great fix! Just did the same with one on my in-law’s boat dock that had an ice brick in it and just drained it after letting it melt in the hot temperatures. Thanks for the comment - good suggestion!
- DIYNate
I really needed this. Thank you so much for taking the time and showing us. 💚
Love hearing this was what you were looking for and hope your fridge defrost went smoothly!
Best,
DIYNate
Thank you, very helpful! Time to de-ice my classroom fridge!
You got it - thanks for the comment, Joshua - hope it went smoothly for you!
- DIYNate
Is there anything you can put on the freezer tray to keep the ice from forming?
Hey Jen -
I haven't found a solution on that question but certainly welcome anyone reading the comments to include their answer on this thread or in the general comments. Would be great to know if something like olive oil, cooking spray or something similar would keep it from freezing over - haha!
Please let me know if you do find a solve as well!
- DIYNate
Thank you so much it worked out great took less than an hour
Great - glad to hear it worked for you and happy to help!
- DIYNate
Just got myself a koolatron mini fridge with a defrost button and the instructions confuses me. It says to unplug when defrosting to avoid a electrical shock but says press the defrost button in the middle of the temperature control knob and the fridge will begin to defrost. When the defrosting has ended, the thermostat will switch on automatically, and the fridge will start working again. Like how would i need to press the defrost button if i need to unplug the fridge? I don't know if its just bad English but I just want to make sure because I don't want to screw up my fridge.
Hmm... Not really sure but does sound like bad english or poorly thought out process. I would probably just unplug and manually defrost. It may be that they also have more of an automatic defrost, but I think if you unplug it without pressing the button, leave the door opoen, soak up the water, then turn back ojn, you will be good to go. Good luck!
- DIYNate
Like the cameo by your left calf.
Haha - well, that calf has always been one of my top performers as far as calves go. Thanks for making me laugh and the comment! I am working on my video quality but have a ways to go.
- DIYNate
@@DIYNate great vid, BTW. Thanks for the info.
You are very welcome - thanks for commenting, Alexander!
Take care!
DIYNate
Thanks!!! I'm about to do the same in my mini fridge and your video is going to help.
Thanks a lot!!
Great to hear and hope you were able to get it defrosted. Appreciate you commenting!
- DIYNate
It’s really hot outside right now in Tennessee so I think I’m just going to my mini fridge outside for a couple days. I made a big mistake with my last one and started using a tool. I hit the fridge line and that was that! Both were was $25.00 at yard sales so this time I won’t make that mistake again!
Good call - that TN heat should melt that ice right out and lesson learned certainly on using a tool to chisel it out. I definitely understand the instinct though as it seems like common sense. Thanks for your comment!
- DIYNate
@@DIYNate Thanks! It works in fact I just bought it back into a few minutes ago. It didn’t have a drop of water left and turned back on. I hope it still works!
Good deal - hoping it is cooling like a champ for you!
Best,
DIYNate
@@DIYNate It is! Works great again! $25.00 years ago used at yard sale! My beer fridge!
Awesome - 25.00 is a great price for a well-functioning beer fridge over the years! Congrats on being up and running smoothly again!
Put hot water in bowls inside the fridge (heat rises and will melt the block). After a half hour, open the door and the block should come out in big pieces. Easy, less cleanup, and fast...
Not a bad call to do that as well - good thought! Appreciate you commenting and I am sure others who read this may also see this idea and consider trying that out. Thanks for adding this!
- DIYNate
Is there a way to do it without destroying all my food inside?
Really, you are probably going to need to move fast, or you could pack a cooler, put your food in it while you defrost your fridge, then move it back. It is a bit tricky to defrost a fridge while you have food you want to save, but having a secondary location for the food temporarily is probably your best bet. Heat gun, hair dryer, hot pot of water, etc. can help speed up the process if you need to go fast.
Thanks for the comment / question!
- DIYNate
What’re some signs that you punctured refrigerant tubing? I made the mistake of using a metal instrument to get off the ice and turned my setting to four but I also accidentally it that metal wire that’s underneath the freezer today and now hours later it’s making a weird gargling/water dripping noise… worried my mini fridge might blow up lol
He answered almost everyone else except you, what a guy.
Hey there - sorry for the slow reply! I am guessing you punctured the refrigerant area and not sure if that did permanent damage or not. Honestly, I haven't checked into how to fix that but my first step would be to google (I would be thinking of a quick patch solve like some type of hardening putty/glue/solder but there may be a lot of safety reasons to not go that route (by no means am I qualified to weigh in on that type of repair). Hope you were able to get it repaired or replaced and it is now cooling for you. Good luck!
- DIYNate
Haha - well, eventually, I did respond (although I wouldn't take it as expert advice - lol). Sorry for my slow response but appreciate you making me laugh! Thanks for the comment!
- DIYNate
Just moved into a tiny apartment, fridge was so frozen over I couldn’t even open the flap as the layer of ice was so thick it was blocking it from behind. Couldn’t even fit anything inside of it either. It was like yours on the left side of the freezer except mine was about 1/2 inch thicker and covered up the whole right side too where the dial is. Lol no idea how old this fridge is but I could tell it was never defrosted.
Hopefully, it acts like a new fridge after you defrost it - haha! Sounds like it may take a little while for the ice to melt but that should be a big help going forward. Good luck!
- DIYNate
Thank so much very helpful. Will try it now and see.
Thanks for the comment - hope it worked well for you!
- DIYNate
Nice! I appreciate you man!!!
You are very welcome - happy to help out!
- DIYNate
Thanks Nate very helpful!!
You got it - glad it helped!
- DIYNate
I did mine today it's a tiny one but I had a fat hunk of ice in it let it melt for a moment and just poked at the ice GENTLY!!!! and it came off. Imma do that the next time that happens again or if it's getting humid again.
Good deal - glad you were able to get it back to working well! Thanks for your comment!
- DIYNate
Does your fridge cool and freez things better now without needing a higher setting?
Yes - it definitely cools better and functions better without a heavy layer of ice. Hope you have similar results with your fridge!
- DIYNate
The issue with those things is an inherent design flaw, because moisture from the non-frozen section is allowed to go into the freezer zone. If it had separate compartments like the full size refrigerators have, then this kind of thing would be somewhat rare. Other than that, the utility of the appliance is nice. Just would be better if the companies making them didn't cheap out on some things.
Good comment there - thanks for sharing your thoughts. It does seem to be a pretty common situation most of us face in the life of a mini-fridge regardless of brand!
Best,
DIYNate
Thank you sooo much 💖
You are very welcome - thanks a ton for your comment! Glad to help!
- DIYNate
Wouldn't it be faster if you unplugged the fridge to defrost it?
Hi - thanks for the comment! Yes - it is probably a good idea to unplug since dealing with electricity and melted ice becomes water. The 0 cooling setting should essentially be the off setting as well, but probably wise to go ahead and unplug the fridge as an additional caution and to make sure there is no additional cooling happening to speed up the process.
- DIYNate
I poked a small hole on the tray. What should i do? Is it repairable?
Unfortunately, I am not really sure what the hole type is that may have been poked. Good luck with a repair but not sure if that is something that can be fixed or not. Maybe some type of JB weld or some other patching / glue / solder, but I am certainly not qualified to diagnose that repair or situation. Good luck on the fix or replacement!
- DIYNate
Can u use a flamethrower to thaw
You do you, bro :)! May void the warranty but good luck!
- DIYNate
Nate,
I Have an Igloo Mini Frig FR100/FR115/FR180.
I Want to Disconnect My Freezer Compartment Only.
It’s Useless and I No Longer Us it.
How Can I Just Disconnect the Freezer Compartment Only?
Thanks Nate
My best advice on that would be to try and contact the manufacturer and check the manual / specs to see if the freezer compartment can be disconnected. Often, the cooling components are routed through the freezer area and meant to be part of the system (at least from what I can tell). The manufacturer (or other people trying this on Google / UA-cam) may be your best bet to finding out if it is feasible or if you will jeopardize your fridge by making the modification.
Good luck and best wishes!
- DIYNate
You did help, Thank You
Glad to hear the video helped (sorry about the leg being in the way - tough angle to shoot)! Appreciate the comment!
- DIYNate
Thank you!
Your welcome - thanks for the comment!
- DIYNate
Hi, my friend said that it's not safe to keep meat/chicken in the freezer part of the mini-fridge for more than 5 days because they're not sealed well. Is that true?
Not sure about that. Seems like it would be as effective as any other freezer to me so long as the freezer isn’t fluctuating between freezing and significantly below freezing. You could check with the manufacturer for their opinion. A seal issue would be a problem in most freezers - allowing things to dethaw and freeze again.
hi there brother...just helped a friend defrost their bar fridge. under the freezer compartment, I removed the tray and a cooling wire with a clip on part fell out. Does it go under the freezing compartment or does it sit on the tray under the freezer?
Hello Arnold - hate to say it but I am not too familiar with the clip you are mentioning. My hunch is the wire / clip probably do not go in the tray since that is probably there to collect defrost water and electrical with water is not a good idea. Just a guess though. Good luck!
- DIYNate
thanks a lot bro. i managed to fix the problem. it was just a loose clip wire that is connected to the freezing pipes for the freezer. much appreciated. cheers man.
Hey was setting 4 cold enough for your beer? I got my mini fridge (different brand) cranked all the way up as you did , this makes me think I would be OK at a lower setting. What do you think?
Hey Dan - yea, I think my beer is still pretty cold at the middle setting but I do love a frigid beer as well so that is probably a tricky one depending how cold you like it. Might be worth testing it out and if you opt to keep it at the coldest setting, just be prepared to thaw more often. Best of luck!
- DIYNate
@@DIYNate I ended up buying a thermometer and sticking it in the warmest part of the fridge and use it for reference, I'm also keeping it at 4 like you did and then on the weekends I crank it up a bit if I know I am having a few beers. Thanks for your reply
Beer is supposed to be consumed 'cool' and NOT 'chilled'!
How do I make my mini fridge have that ice in the freezer compartment
Haha - well, if you actually want that kind of ice buildup in your mini-fridge freezer, you could crank the fridge to its highest setting and see if you can get that kind of buildup, but I believe the manufacturers will tell you to keep it below 1/4 of an inch. If you are wanting a way to make some ice in your freezer then you could try a variation of this video: ua-cam.com/video/5UcoGicexvQ/v-deo.html
Thanks for the comment and good luck!
Just earlier I unplugged my mini fridge, not thinking much abt it, it also had a huge ice block right at the back. Fast forward 5 hours, it’s like 12, I’m ready to call it a night since I’m super tired, and I’m like “oh! I should check my fridge” and it’s leaking all over the floor, also I haven’t kept anything in this fridge for like a few months, but then I had to find a bunch of towels, and there also was a bunch of just hardest soy sauce (from a bottle that cracked) and so soy sauce water was coming out from everywhere and the table my mini fridge was on was soaked. I decided to just put it in the bathtub. I really worried it’s broken, even though it still works fine when I turn it on (I overthink a lot) will it be broken? I need some help idk wha5 do do🤷🏻♀️😭
Sorry to hear about the mess! It sounds like your fridge needed a defrost and that would explain all the water. Once you have dried it out and cleaned it up, it should work much better for you. Ideally, you want to keep it upright during the drying out process with towels and taking chunks of ice out. Good luck and hope this helps!
- DIYNate
Do i unplug the fridge ?
Yes - I would unplug the fridge first before dealing with water from melting ice and electricity, just to be safe. Thanks!
- DIYNate
@@DIYNate thank you sir
My ice is literally taking up the entire freezer like 6 inches thick from corner to corner lol it's winter here in Canada so this is gonna take a long time lol
Sounds like quite a buildup! Hopefully you were able to get it to defrost - I imagine outdoors in Canada would not work very well - haha! Good luck with the fix!
- DIYNate
Why are you using a fridge in Canada , throw your meat in the yard , problem solved
@@kennethdzengedza8978 Funny enough i've been living without a freezer for the past weeks. Its okay for now but once we get to April things are different loll
Omg lmfao, my mini fridge's freezer takes up most of the fridge right now. It has a monstrous glacier to nearly the top. I found out the seal is coming off, it would be awesome if you had a DIY for fixing the seal since I'm too pour to just replace the friggin thing
Any idea what the tiny white cord in the fridge is for
I think that cord has electrical wires running to the freezer compartment (best guess). At first, I wondered if it was a drain line but don’t think that is it since the MFG made it sound like the fridge doesn’t have a drain by default (even though it has a drain port in the back).
Use an ice pick and tap it, will crack and then u can take piece by piece out👍
Literally says to not do this lmao
Hey there - you may want to avoid this method since if you aren’t super careful you can pick a hole in the freezer coils / tubing. I was certainly thinking of using a knife or pick myself but then thought better of it after doing a bit of manual reading and research. Hope it turned out ok for you!
What's a good number to prevent it from getting frosty
I have mine set on a 4 now and seems to have been slow to build up ice. In the past, I had it set around a 6 or 7 I believe. Good luck!
- DIYNate
After I de-ice it’s back to the same after 5/6 days. I have it on setting 5
Hey Kim - for reference, with mine, I took it down from a 7 to setting 4 (manufacturer's recommended setting from what I could tell). I did find the following article that gives some ideas around the door seals, spacing, and a variety of other troubleshooting tips if it keeps freezing up on you - workshopedia.com/ice-building-up-in-mini-fridge/. Good luck with the troubleshooting and thanks for the comment!
- DIYNate
@@DIYNate the door has a little space where air gets through so it doesn’t fully close at the top. That could be the reason then?
Yep - that sounds like it. Could be that by lifting up the bottom front of the fridge to tilt a little bit backwards (sometimes they have adjustable casters) that can make it close better. Tightening the hinge screws could help as well. Hope you get it solved but sounds like you know the root cause now as well!
@@DIYNate thank you!
I just use a fan and blow room air into the fridge. Melts in half the time.
Good suggestion there, Robert! I just de-iced my in-laws outdoor / shed mini-fridge and the 95 degree temperature did the trick in no time - haha! Appreciate the comment!
- DIYNate
OK I don't understand why would people toss this wet stuff into a dryer? Why not rewash it again because you used the towel
Good call there - I think when I used a towel, it was more of a junk towel than a nice towel, so it may be more that it is a towel used for handy projects and not a nicer bath towel. But your point is valid - if a nice towel, wash it so it is nice and clean - haha!
- DIYNate
While waiting, keep the beer cold by putting the ice chunks and the beer in an ice chest.
Good call - no reason to risk letting your beers possibly get skunky or be warm /
Room temp when you crack one. Good way to make use of the ice chunks!
Appreciate the comment!
- DIYNate
Putting a fan on it speeds things up.
Good call there - that would get the air moving and help the melting process if you are in a hurry. Appreciate the comment!
- DIYNate
How do I stop this from happening?
Here is a link with some pointers - good luck! workshopedia.com/ice-building-up-in-mini-fridge/
It was sad watching those beer get warm 🥲 I would’ve put them in the kitchen fridge atleast!!
Well - that would have been wise but I couldn’t taste the difference - haha! I’ll try not to neglect my children beer in the future!
- DIYNate
U would think he would take the beers out at some point of this process
You would think I would just drink them, right - haha! I don't really remember if I took them out or just put a towel over / around them, but probably best to clear out your stuff before melting it down. Thanks for your comment!
- DIYNate
Good video and presentation but do lose points for the extended video of your leg. Otherwise thumbs up.
Thanks for the comment, Anthony! Sorry about the excessive leg footage - working on improving my video quality. Really appreciate the feedback and you watching.
- DIYNate
“Never use knife to scrape ice off” I got away with doing this for about a year until I punctured a tube carrying refrigerant.
Great call on being careful and not scraping or using a sharp object to chip away built up ice - risk of damaging the line is certainly real! Thanks for sharing and the comment!
- DIYNate
@@DIYNate yess I just spoilt mine😪😪
mine was good after a hour my mini fridge was off.
Glad to hear you got it cleared quickly! Thanks for the comment!
- DIYNate
How can I freeze my ice cream?
Depending on your mini-fridge size, the freezer space may accommodate for ice cream in there (or cut the box / container size down some). You may have to play with the temperature dial to get the freezer setting to keep the frozen ice cream frozen. I am not sure if ice cream is recommended in the freezer area of a mini-fridge though. Good luck!
- DIYNate
Who puts ice cream in a mini fridge freezer?? Spend $100 on a heavy duty box freezer to put in your dining room. Wow!
I won’t lie I’ve used a bernzomatic before successfully
I could see that - hair dryer on steroids - haha! I probably wouldn't include that in my video for fear someone may set their house or fridge on fire (for those not sure when reading this, a bernzomatic is a propane torch). Appreciate the comment, your honesty, and you putting a smile on my face!
- DIYNate
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👍 SUBSCRIBE for more great videos! ua-cam.com/users/diynate
❤
Thanks for the comment - appreciate the love!
- DIYNate
Snake owner? I peeped the frozen rat stuck to the chunk of ice
Haha - that made me laugh for sure! Not a frozen rat but whiskey stones that had enough ice and a bag frozen around them to look like a rat I guess! Thanks for your comment - hope the video was helpful!
- DIYNate
Seems a shame to let the beers warm up ;)
a Pot of Hot Water in there will hurry up the process.
Yes - that would certainly help get the melting started and going! Thanks for adding the thought for other people to check out in the comments!
Best,
DIYNate
Sound level too low
Thanks for the feedback - I appreciate it as I try to improve on my videos and the audio part of it.
- DIYNate
Worried about a floor that gets wet
A good practice is to put a couple towels in the fridge while the door is open and one on the floor where any excess would come out. Then, set a timer (say an hour) and check to see if you can remove some of the chunks. Keep doing that until it is all cleared out and dry the fridge out and you are ready to start it back up. Hope that helps!
- DIYNate
Couldn't see your leg was in way
Apologies for my leg being in the way - I am working on getting better footage and producing better content as I put more videos out. Your feedback is appreciated and helps me know where to improve. Hope you got your fridge defrosted!
- DIYNate
Nice leg - otherwise thanks.
Haha - thanks for making me laugh on the leg comment - definitely understand. Working on making better videos going forward, but appreciate you watching.
Take care!
- DIYNate
You need to move
Sorry about the filming angle - definitely could have done that better. Appreciate the feedback!
- DIYNate
😴zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… 😳
Apologies if this video was a bit boring for you (I think that is what I am interpreting from your comment). Always appreciate feedback - helps me create better content in the future!
- DIYNate
I wish it was just to the point no need to talk and talk and talk lol
Your feedback is noted - get to the point faster…. Will keep working on making my videos better. Thanks for the feedback!
- DIYNate
I am so crazy!! I realized how mean that was of me I am so sorry 😞 your videos are great and did help fr aweee